To mark 30 years of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH), 10 years of RCPCH & Us, and our first ever Youth Health Conference, children and young people stepped onto the stage at the RCPCH Conference in Birmingham this May.
Their presence was not symbolic, it was central. Over a series of online sessions beforehand, nine young volunteers carefully designed and delivered opening and closing plenaries using music, poetry, spoken word, speeches, and even basic British Sign Language to amplify the voices of their peers. They also led an interactive quiz and presented the 2026 Voice Champion Award, demonstrating that young people are not just participants in healthcare, they are contributors, young leaders, and changemakers.
At the heart of their message was a decade-long shift. Over the past ten years, RCPCH & Us has helped move the perception of young people in healthcare from passive recipients to active partners. This transformation did not happen overnight. It began with a simple but powerful question: “What matters to you?” For many young people, this question marked the first time their voices were invited into conversations about their own care.
Through initiatives such as the Voice of the Nation, more than 3,000 children and young people have shared their experiences and insights. Their message has been consistent and clear: they are not just patients, they are stakeholders in the future of healthcare. As they reminded the audience, they represent 25% of the population, but 100% of the future. Recognising this is not enough; meaningful change requires action.
The plenaries challenged attendees to go beyond listening and move toward embedding engagement into everyday practice. Initiatives like the Engagement Academy aim to equip professionals with the tools to work collaboratively with young people, ensuring their contributions shape services in a meaningful way. When involvement is genuine, it improves not only services but also trust, outcomes, and overall wellbeing.
Reflecting on RCPCH’s 30-year journey, they acknowledged how much has changed. Since becoming a Royal College in 1996, its responsibilities expanded to include education, training, and leadership in child health. Yet the landscape facing children and young people today is vastly different. Issues such as mental health challenges, influenced by the digital world and social media, have become more prominent. They emphasised the importance of addressing root causes rather than symptoms, and of creating better support systems that reflect the realities of modern childhood.
A standout moment of the conference was the first Youth Health Conference, which brought together over 100 young people to discuss key issues including mental health, transition to adult care, neighbourhood health, and growing up in a digital world. Through collaborative workshops and shared learning, participants generated ideas that will help shape future decisions and priorities, some of which were fed back in the closing plenary such as transition to adult services as a priority.
The event also celebrated individuals making a difference. The 2026 Voice Champion Award was presented to Suresh Pujar, Chair of the UK Paediatric Epilepsy Board. Recognised for his commitment to collaboration, he has ensured that lived experience is valued, conversations remain inclusive, and all voices are treated as equal.
Ultimately, the conference plenaries delivered by children and young people reinforced a simple but powerful truth: listening once is not enough. True engagement requires continuous commitment. The next 10 years of child health will not be shaped by reports alone, but by everyday interactions, moments in clinics, conversations in waiting rooms, and decisions made alongside young people.
The call to action was clear. Healthcare professionals were encouraged to take one step forward: to listen differently, involve meaningfully, and act with intention. Because the future of child health is not something to wait for, it is something to build, one voice, one moment, and one decision at a time.
Anita Sehdev, Youth Voice Advisor
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