Abstract
In children with cerebral palsy (CP), there is evidence that social determinants of health contribute to poorer health outcomes and are barriers to families accessing health services. In the general paediatric population, there is emerging evidence that clinical pathways for the systematised identification and referral of unmet social can support families to address their social needs. The objectives of this Australian pilot are to investigate the feasibility and acceptability of two codesigned social needs clinical pathways for parents/caregivers of children with CP. This pilot randomised controlled trial will run at the three tertiary Paediatric Rehabilitation Services in New South Wales, Australia. A total of 120 participants will be recruited, distributed equally across the three sites. A screening tool will be used to identified families experiencing unmet social needs. Parents/caregivers who report one or more unmet social need and consent will be randomised, stratified by site. The active control group will receive a resource pack containing information on community services to support their unmet social needs. The social prescribing intervention group will receive one-on-one Community Linker support, in addition to the resource pack. Feasibility will be evaluated using the number/proportion of parents/caregivers who complete screening, consent, engage with the intervention, and complete research measures (baseline, 3-month, and 6-month follow-up). Acceptability will be evaluated using questionnaires and qualitative interviews. This trial will inform a future, large-scale efficacy trial to determine if a resource pack and Community Linker are more effective in addressing unmet needs compared to a resource pack alone.