Is care planning still relevant in the 21st century?

As we progress into the second decade of the 21st century, the healthcare needs of an increasingly diverse population are changing. Children's nurses must respond to these challenges by creating clear and effective plans of care in collaboration with children and their families. Legally and professionally, children's nurses are required to accurately record plans of care given to individual patients to provide a legal document demonstrating that care has been delivered (Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), 2008). Within this article, an overview of the nursing process and its components will be discussed, considering how this process assists in organizing and prioritizing care delivery to the child or young person and family. In addition, the support offered by a framework such as the Roper, Logan and Tierney model of nursing , in systematically assessing, planning and documenting care to meet individuals' needs, must be reinforced and its application practiced. Subsequently, the use and contribution of such processes and frameworks to the organization and delivery of care will be examined within the context of a clinically-based scenario, which has helped to explore students' knowledge and skills in the second year of a 3-year undergraduate programme. The authors firmly believe that care planning skills are fundamental to safeguarding vulnerable children, their families and, indeed, the nursing profession in this current challenging socioeconomic environment.