Advocacy and the paediatrician

Advocacy in the context of paediatric medicine means speaking out on behalf of children and young people. Its significance in child health is comparable to that of communication; it is potentially a requirement in all branches of paediatrics. Many of the competencies required of a UK paediatrician are relevant to advocacy. This includes understanding the responsibility of paediatricians to consider all aspects of a child's wellbeing including biological, psychological and social factors; and developing a commitment to a policy of advocacy for a healthy lifestyle in children and young people and for the protection of their rights. Paediatric training requires a commitment to advocacy. The means to ensure that requisite competencies are achieved include making advocacy part of multidisciplinary meetings, carrying out an advocacy project, including advocacy examples in the training portfolio, and setting questions on advocacy in paediatric examinations. Resources for supporting advocacy include the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, guidance by the UK General Medical Council on working with children aged 0-18 years, the UK Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, and the UK Department of Health.