I want to be like the others

This report outlines findings from a Cross-Sector Needs Assessment of children infected with, and affected by, HIV in a changed and changing Scotland. New treatments and better support for HIV positive women in pregnancy and childbirth have led to a dramatic decline in the number of deaths from HIV; at the same time, new reports of HIV are on the increase, particularly amongst those whose infections have been acquired overseas (HPS, 2008). The end-result is that more people are living with HIV today, and many more are predicted to do so in the future. And as more adults are living with HIV, so, inevitably are more children.

The motivation behind this study was the desire of HIV agencies in Scotland to find out more about how HIV is impacting on children in Scotland today; and to develop a deeper understanding of the needs of children affected or infected with HIV. The aim of the Cross-Sector Needs Assessment was therefore to investigate children and HIV from different perspectives: from research and policy documents, from health and statistical services, from a range of practitioners, from parents and carers, and from children infected and affected by HIV. This was acheived through a methodology which encompassed three different strategies: a scoping study, an epidemiological survey, and a qualitative study.

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