SPN’s Pediatric Health Care Advocacy Over The Years 

By: Kathy Van Allen, MSN, RN, CPN 

As we continue celebrating SPN’s 35th anniversary, we would like to celebrate the efforts undertaken by SPN that have supported and served our members and advocated for the children and families we serve. The work of SPN’s committees, task forces, and the collaboration and partnerships SPN has forged have contributed to advancing our specialty. This article will highlight several key advocacy efforts and resources over the years. 

Pediatric Nursing Scope and Standards Through the collaborative efforts of the Society of Pediatric Nurses, the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners, and the American Nurses Association, the first edition of Pediatric Nursing: Scope of and Standards of Practice was published in 2008 and later updated in 2015. This document describes the expectations for nurses and nurse practitioners in the specialty of pediatrics, outlining pediatric nursing responsibilities in the areas of assessment, diagnosis, treatment, and advocacy, and defining our profession’s accountability to the public and practice outcomes for which we are responsible. Standard 17 of the Scope and Standards calls on the pediatric registered nurse to be an advocate for the pediatric patient and family. There are many ways nurses can advocate for children and families — by ensuring access to information in their language so they can make informed choices, ensuring practice changes reflect evidence-based practice to promote optimal outcomes, active membership in professional nursing organizations, and engaging in actions that influence local, state, or national policies, to name a few.  

Pediatric Bill of Rights 

The Association for the Care of Children’s Health (ACCH), an international, multidisciplinary organization, first authored the Pediatric Bill of Rights in 1991. Following the dissolution of ACCH, SPN partnered with the Association for Child Life Professionals (ACLP) to review and update the Pediatric Bill of Rights in 2014 and again in 2024. This document informs pediatric patients and their families of their rights and responsibilities as recipients of healthcare and defines the shared responsibility patients and families have in engaging with and working in partnership with their healthcare team. Recent updates reflect changes in the healthcare climate and incorporate elements of emotional safety. The updated Pediatric Bill of Rights is available on the SPN website and was published in the May-June 2025 issue of the Journal of Pediatric Nursing. 

Position Statements 

SPN authored its first position statement on Child Welfare in 2008. Position statements articulate SPN’s stance and recommendations on a specific issue, policy, or topic. Position statements are written and reviewed by SPN members with expertise in that area. The statements are meant to influence decision-makers, guide policy development, and educate members and the public on key topics. SPN has also endorsed statements by other organizations striving to impact care for children in their specialty.  

SPN’s current position statements include: 

• Safe Staffing for Pediatric Patients — defines minimum staffing guidelines and considerations to determine appropriate staffing for hospitalized children. 

• Access to Care — advocates for initiatives and legislation that expand healthcare coverage, address social determinants of health, improve cultural responsiveness, and address the nursing shortage. 

• Importance of Direct Pediatric Clinicals in Undergraduate Nursing Education — recommends standards for undergraduate pediatric education content, pediatric-specific clinical experiences, and competencies.  

• Importance of Immunization against COVID-19 — provides members with resources to advocate for immunization of children and families. 

• Tobacco Exposure in Children, Adolescents, and Families — advocates for ways to reduce exposure to the effects of tobacco and second and third-hand smoke to improve health outcomes for children. 

• The Role of the Pediatric Nurse in the Promotion of Human Milk and Breastfeeding — statement contains evidence-based guidelines to assist pediatric nurses in promoting human milk consumption to reduce adverse health outcomes and promote brain development and developmental outcomes in children. 

SPN has endorsed the following position statements authored by other professional organizations: 

• The Impact of Racism on Child and Adolescent Health (American Academy of Pediatrics) 

• Firearm Injuries Affecting the Pediatric Population (American Academy of Pediatrics) 

• Weighing all Patients in Kilograms (Emergency Nurses Association) 

Advocacy Toolkit and Resources 

The Healthcare Policy and Advocacy Committee (HPAC) developed SPN’s Advocacy Toolkit. The toolkit provides foundational information and resources to guide members in addressing DEI, state, and general advocacy efforts and has identified seven key areas of focus:  

• Nursing staffing shortage 

• Pediatric mental health 

• Pediatric violence and injury – including unintentional injury, maltreatment, emotional/psychological injury, and gun violence. 

• Health disparities  

• Social determinants of health 

• Sexual orientation and gender identity 

• Pediatric physical wellness  

Nursing Community Coalition  

As was written in the February Member Digest article on SPN’s Pediatric Partnerships, SPN has been a long-standing member of the Nursing Community Coalition (NCC), a partnership of national and professional nursing organizations dedicated to consensus building and advocating on healthcare issues, impacting practice, education, research, and regulation. Established in 2008, NCC currently includes 64 national and professional nursing organizations representing more than 4.5 million nurses, who strive to improve care for patients, families, and communities by advocating for education, practice, research, and regulation within the nursing profession. Through NCC efforts, SPN has engaged with NCC at the national level, advocating for funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), Title VIII Nursing Workforce Development programs, and support for the National Institute of Nursing Research.  

Starting Your Advocacy Journey 

Pediatric nurses have a responsibility to advocate for resources that support children's health, ensuring that young patients have access to care, treatments, and services they need to thrive. We recognize that gaps in healthcare access, funding, and specialized programs directly impact children's well-being and need to educate our legislators and advocate for policies that promote preventive care, mental health support, and equitable access to medical services. It is our responsibility to help create a healthier future for children. Through our advocacy, we can amplify the voices of our patients, ensuring that every child, regardless of background or circumstance, has the opportunity to grow up healthy and strong. 

Today’s political climate has the potential to negatively impact children’s health. We must individually use our voices to advocate for the health of children. You can start your advocacy journey by sending a quick email to your legislators urging them to support funding for vaccines to continue the Vaccine for Children’s Program. Proposed Medicare cuts pose a significant risk to nearly 37 million children currently covered by Medicaid and about 3 million children in military families covered by or eligible for Medicaid (Children’s Hospital Association, 2025). Proposed budget cuts to the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) may result in the closing of the National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR) entirely, along with eliminating all Title VIII Nursing Workforce Development Programs. 

For the 23rd consecutive year, the Gallup poll has once again identified nurses as the nation’s most trusted profession. We must leverage this level of trust and work to influence change to improve health care and outcomes for children.  

References 

American Nurses Association, National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners, Society of Pediatric Nurses. (2015). Pediatric nursing: Scope and standards of practice, 2nd ed. American Nurses Association, Silver Spring, MD. ISBN-13: 978-55810-635-2