Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) self-care plan

A plan to help your child understand, manage and live well with JIA




When your child is diagnosed with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) it can be a frightening time. Our JIA Self-care Plan is an essential tool that is designed to support you and your child as you navigate your child’s musculoskeletal health journey.

Developed in collaboration with families who have a child diagnosed with JIA, health care professionals, researchers and other experts, this self-care plan is specially designed to empower you and your child.

Self-care plans are about supporting you to be an active participant and driver of your child’s musculoskeletal health. Understanding their condition, making sure you are aware of treatment options and being a central part of their health care team means you can make choices and decisions that will help benefit your child.

Musculoskeletal Australia’s self-care plans have been developed thanks to the generous support of AbbVie.


Read the plan | Download the plan

Overview of Plan

Whether your child is out on their journey with JIA or you have been helping them to navigate their condition for some time, this self-care plan has been developed specifically for YOU!

Our JIA self-care plan is designed to be used by YOU and YOUR CHILD for your unique circumstances. We know there is a lot of Information out there which can be overwhelming and confusing. This self-care plan helps you to work through all that information in a way that suits you. It is easy to understand, practical and most importantly puts YOU both in control as you navigate your child’s journey with JIA.

Tips and Tools

Tip 1 – Don’t sit down and read the JIA self-care plan from beginning to end! Your child’s journey with JIA is unique to them. So is their JIA self-care plan! Scan the plan. Focus on the areas that are most concerning you and start there. Put the plan down and ‘digest’ the information and what it means for your child. Then come back to it and start another section.

Tip 2 – Make notes, jot down questions as you build your child’s self-care plan

Tip 3 – Take a copy of the JIA self-care plan to appointments with your child’s health care team and discuss your thoughts, questions and understanding of what is right for your child.

Tip 4 – Knowledge is POWER! Improving your health literacy, understanding JIA, and being aware of treatment and management options is essential.

This is your child’s musculoskeletal health journey. Musculoskeletal Australia’s JIA self-care plan is an essential tool to support you both to navigate that journey.


Check out our new e-book! Making it easier for you to access the information you need.


Call our National Arthritis and Back Pain+ Help Line and speak to nurses (Mon-Thu), telephone 1800 263 265 or email helpline@msk.org.au

More to explore

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Musculoskeletal Health Australia (or MHA) is the consumer organisation working with, and advocating on behalf of, people with arthritis, osteoporosis, back pain, gout and over 150 other musculoskeletal conditions.

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