Who is speaking for children and adolescents and for their health at the policy level?

A letter printed in the BMJ, from a consortium of paediatricians which looks at the need for a better representation of children's needs at all levels of health policy and decision making in the UK. Key summary points: - Children are a nation's most precious resource and their health is vital for the success of society - Despite this, improving the health of children is not a key government target -Children are not young adults: their special health needs should be acknowledged - A strategy needs to be defined for children, with responsibility allocated for integrating care within the health servcice and between sectors -It needs to be recognised that children have fundamental human rights for which protection is needed.