Children and young people’s nursing is underpinned by the understanding that children and young people have their own and differing needs to adults.

This field of practice believes that the nurse’s primary focus is to assist the child, young person and those caring for them to prevent, promote and support their physical and mental wellbeing. Ensuring a child and young person’s physical and mental health needs remain central to care provided enables children, young people and families to reach their full potential.

Children and young people's nursing encompasses care delivered in a wide range of settings including acute, education, hospice, community and youth justice settings. Children and young people’s nurses have a wide range of career options such as working in general and specialist acute wards, health visiting, school nursing, mental health nursing, neonatal nursing, looked after children and safeguarding nursing, as well as community nursing and specialist nurse roles. There are also non-clinical roles that many children and young people’s Nurses may decide to move into using their vast transferable skills such as commissioning and workforce planning. More information about children and young people’s nursing careers can be found here: Health careers - Children's nurse.

The RCN also has a range of career resources that can be found on our Nursing Careers Resource.