Caroline Carter and Kate Brown discuss the successes and challenges faced when implementing involvement in three main areas of pre-registration children’s nursing

The Nursing and Midwifery Council pre-registration standards include service user involvement in all aspects of the curricula, and the subject has been high on the healthcare agenda for more than a decade. In 2008, service user involvement in a pre-registration children’s nursing programme at a UK university was planned, implemented and further developed. The strategy was effective in recruiting and selecting students, but caution is needed to ensure the process is safe for all participants.