Approximately 20,000 children per year in North America present to the hospital with severe shock. Children who develop this condition have very low blood pressures and as a result may suffer damage to their internal organs and may even die. Some children with this condition may significantly benefit from the use of steroids but steroids in such patients may also have potential side effects. Therefore it is important to study the use of steroids carefully in these children. The STRIPES research program will examine the effectiveness and safety of steroids in children. Before conducting a large, randomized controlled trial (RCT), a pilot study (STRIPES Pilot Study) will be conducted in multiple sites across Canada. The STRIPES Pilot Study will allow testing of the STRIPES study protocol in a smaller group of patients.