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Children and Young People: Transition to Adult Services

Use this guide to find information resources about children and young people's transition to adult services including books, reports and journal articles.

Last updated: 13/01/2026

Key resources

The National Confidential Enquiry into Patient Outcome and Death (2023) The inbetweeners: a review of the barriers and facilitators in the process of the transition of children and young people with complex chronic health conditions moving into adult health services.
Southampton Children's Hospital (no date) Ready Steady Go resources for health professionals.
Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health: Transition to adult services.
Together for Short Lives (2016) Moving to adult services: what to expect. a guide for young people with life-threatening conditions making the transition to adult services. Together For Short Lives, Bristol.
Chambers L and Kelly K (2023) Stepping up: a guide to developing a good transition to adulthood for young people with life-limiting and life-threatening conditions. Bristol: Together for Short Lives.
We would like to thank the RCN CYP: Community and Multidimensional Care Forum and RCN CYP: Preventative Health, Advocacy and Welfare Forum for their input into the development of this subject guide.

Books

Book cover Betz C L and Coyne I T (eds.) (2020) Transition from pediatric to adult healthcare services for adolescents and young adults with long-term conditions. Cham: Springer.
Book cover Brimble M and McNee P (2021) Nursing care of children and young people with long-term conditions. Newark: John Wiley and Sons.
Clarke-Care-planning Clarke S and Corkin D (2024) Care planning in children and young people's nursing. 2nd edn. Hoboken: Wiley Blackwell. 
Book cover image Lyons S K and Hilliard M E (2019) Transitioning from pediatric to adult care in endocrinology: a clinical handbook. Cham: Springer International Publishing AG.
Book cover image McClain M B, Shahidullah J D and Mezher K R (2020) Interprofessional care coordination for pediatric autism spectrum disorder: translating research into practice. Cham: Springer International Publishing AG.
Polak-transition-of-care Polak M and Touraine P (2018) Transition of care: from childhood to adulthood in endocrinology, gynecology, and diabetes. Basel: Karger.
Book cover image Sattoe J N T, Staa A L van and Hilberink S R (2021) Self-management of young people with chronic conditions: a strength-based approach for empowerment and support. Cham: Springer International Publishing AG.
Book cover Hergenroeder A C and Wiemann C M (2018) Health care transition: building a program for adolescents and young adults with chronic illness and disability. Cham: Springer.

Journal articles

Use this link for details of journal articles on this topic.

Journals

Journals of interest for transition to adult services. Use these links to see details of availability.
RCN Library staff

Joseph Dempster

Editor of this guide

RCN Library and Museum

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Page last updated - 13/01/2026