Families – the true partners in care

Ilana Webber was privileged to present at the Critical Care Society of South Africa (CCSSA) Western Cape Branch Symposium, held from 28–30 November 2025 at the UCT Graduate School of Business conference centre. The event gathered colleagues who share a deep commitment to advancing critical care in our country. It was a space filled with thoughtful conversations, shared experiences, and a genuine sense of purpose.

Her presentation focused on the PICU Liberation Bundle, but she approached it through the Polyvagal lens. By considering the hierarchy of autonomic states, neuroception, and co-regulation, the role of the family becomes unmistakably central. When we understand how the nervous system moves toward safety or threat, it becomes clear that families are not an “add-on” to care—they are the foundation! They create the emotional and physiological ecosystem that allows the rest of the bundle to work as intended, placing the child in the best possible position for healing. 

When we recognise families as true partners in care, we shift the entire culture of the PICU. We acknowledge that we share the same goal: to support recovery and get the child home as soon as possible. Families are not simply visitors—they are an essential part of the therapeutic environment, offering cues of safety that no intervention can replace.