Delegation in Children’s Nursing: more than a task, it’s a judgement

Question: If you teach someone a skill… are you delegating?

Discussion leads: Dr Jean Davies, Chair ABPN and Kath Evans, Deputy Chair ABPN
​Question:

If you teach someone a skill… are you delegating? In the care of babies, children and young people, delegation isn’t straightforward. It sits at the intersection of safety, trust, safeguarding, and system pressure and the answers are rarely black and white. Join us for a candid, practice-based conversation exploring what safe delegation really looks like across acute, community, education, and family-led care settings. Expect real scenarios, honest discussion, and space to challenge assumptions.

Brief Overview

Delegation in children’s nursing is uniquely complex. Children are not small adults, care is shaped by developmental vulnerability, reliance on others to recognise deterioration, and layered safeguarding responsibilities. At the same time, children’s nurses are increasingly working across systems, supporting care delivered by unregulated staff, education professionals, and families.

This webinar moves beyond policy into practice. Together, we will explore the nuanced boundary between teaching and delegation, unpack what it means to be a “safe practitioner”, and examine how accountability, competence and risk shift across different contexts.

We will also surface the realities clinicians face:

• Delegating in under pressure systems
• Navigating safeguarding alongside skill-sharing
• Supporting care in homes, schools, and community settings
• Working within evolving models where “delegation” may not always feel like the right word

This is not about perfect answers, it’s about strengthening professional judgement

Image by presfoto via Freepik