Janet Finlayson and Chris Darbyshire review the experiences of learning disability nursing students placed with the families of service users

The literature on learning disability nurse education stresses the importance of nursing students taking up learning opportunities with service users and family carers, yet the benefits of such placements are rarely evaluated. This study evaluates a family placement scheme for learning disability nursing students in a Scottish university in which questionnaires were completed by 54 students who had or had not chosen to complete family placements. Results show that the placements instil in students a deeper, more sensitive understanding of the lives of children with learning disabilities and their families, and promote partnerships between family carers and future learning disability nurses.