Child psychiatric nursing. Moving into the 21st century

Changes in health care policy must be made to pave the way for the appropriate treatment and prevention of child and adolescent mental health problems. Nurses can provide the leadership needed to make the changes. Organizations such as the Association for Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Nurses and the Society for Education and Research in Psychiatric/Mental Health Nursing are already making important contributions. Challenges in the arenas of treatment, education, and research are before us in child psychiatric nursing. We are facing these demands, however, and are moving forward into the twenty-first century.