Looking after children and young people: Ensuring their voices are heard in the pre-registration nursing curriculum

‘Looked after Children’ refers to those under the age of 18 years, who have been subject to a care order under The Children Act (1989). In England there are approximately 64,400 young people who are subject of a care order, with evidence suggesting that these young people are likely to experience greater health problems than their peers. While service user involvement is seen as integral to the nursing curriculum much of the literature to date has revolved around adult service users and carers. For a number of years professionals have been urged to hear the voices of young service users and carers, and in particular, those who regularly use health and social care services. This paper will highlight the importance of collaborating with looked after children and young people to inform the nursing curriculum. By focussing on the experiences of delivering a seminar in collaboration with this group of young people in a pre-registration BSc (Hons) in Children’s Nursing, the paper will first describe how the session is organised followed by a discussion of the key issues arising these being explored from a nurse lecturer and student nurse perspective.