A call to incorporate Child Rights and the plight of Child Carers into the Nursing Undergraduate curriculum and why

The primary aim of this paper is to apply children's rights principles to the area of child carers. It will describe and examine the current laws and acts which exist to "protect" young carers, and discuss if they are effective or indeed helpful through a child's rights lens. Discussion will focus on if there is a conflict between children's rights, the research on young carers, current policy and children's well-being. Finally, the potentially helpful role and obligation of Registered Nurses in safeguarding such children from a Children's Rights perspective will be discussed.