Many children experience treatable moderate to severe pain following surgery. Increasingly, children undergo surgery as day cases, and, as such, parents are more likely to be responsible for managing pain post-operatively. Research in the United States and Finland has found parents fear the side effects of analgesics; think they are addictive; and that children should receive as little analgesia as possible. Little is known about parental attitudes in this context in the United Kingdom. This study set out to explore parental attitudes towards children's pain and analgesic drugs to contribute to existing knowledge about parental attitudes elsewhere so that the information provided to parents can be tailored effectively. A convenience sample of parents (n = 108) at one hospital in South West London completed the Parental Pain Expression Perceptions and the Medication Attitudes Questionnaires. Although many parents have a good understanding of the ways in which children express pain, a substantial proportion of parents hold misconceptions regarding how children express pain and concerns in relation to analgesic drugs. This may impact on the quality of the pain management provided to children post-operatively and needs taking into account when preparing parents in this context.

Young people with mental health needs are often cared for on children's wards by generalist children's healthcare professionals (CHCPs). Generalist CHCPs find these encounters challenging and difficult but they are viewed as an opportunity to improve the healthcare offered to these young people. The authors secured funding from Health Education South London to design and deliver interactive workshops to improve the communication skills of CHCPs with adolescents in challenging circumstances. In this article, the authors outline the design and content of the workshops and discuss how the workshops explore and challenge the attitudes the participants have that could prevent a young person from seeking support or engaging with professionals. They also describe how the workshops have improved generalist CHCPs' confidence and communication skills when talking with young people and how participants now use these encounters as an opportunity to improve healthcare for children and young people.

Multicentre research can be used to explore and generate significant data in aspects of care that affect small numbers of children. This article describes the problems and benefits encountered by a group of nurses from 11 hospitals undertaking a multicentre study of pressure ulcers in children and young people in England and Wales. Multicentre research can generate a large amount of useful data contributing to high quality evidence-based care and can provide nurses with a valuable learning and networking experience.

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