In 2012, more than 400,000 children in the United States were in the child welfare system because of abuse or neglect. These children are uniquely vulnerable and present multiple health challenges to child welfare and health professionals. According to the most recent Child and Family Services Reviews (CFSR) from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families' Children's Bureau (2010), none of the 50 states, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia were "in substantial conformity" in meeting the well-being outcome for the physical and mental health needs of the children in their care. To address this deficiency, Connecticut nurses caring for children involved with Department of Children and Families (DCF) collaborated to establish nursing standards of practice leading to improved health services for children in care and a mechanism to readily transfer health information. Post-implementation evaluation revealed improved quality of care and the availability of enhanced health information. These endeavors have led to the recognition that nurses working in DCF venues are members of an emerging professional nursing specialty: "nursing in child welfare."

Migraine headaches, much like a chronic illness, are reported to negatively affect adolescents physically, mentally, and socially, further disturbing this already turbulent time of development. Prior migraine research is limited in adolescents, and no qualitative studies have examined the lived experience of adolescents with migraines. This interpretive phenomenological study explored the experience of living with migraines in six adolescents ranging in age from 12 to 17 years. After coding data and grouping into clusters, three themes emerged: 1) maintaining control by either pressing on and enduring the burden, or by disengaging and isolating self; 2) mind overload; and 3) unsettling manifestations. Adolescents approach migraine episodes by either continuing with their life as "normal," or by removing themselves physically and/or emotionally. By understanding the potentially unique physical and psychological disruptions that adolescents with migraines experience, nurses can offer education, provide nonpharmacologic interventions, and conduct further research that will improve health outcomes.

Incidence of pediatric overweight continues to pose significant national health threats due to associated co-morbid, chronic conditions, including diabetes mellitus, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and others. Interventions to address health behaviors of children often focus on the school environment because of the opportunity to have an impact on child health through nutrition education and optimization of the school food and physical activity environments. Federally mandated school wellness policies provide schools with clear objectives to address poor health behaviors of their students. Unfortunately, these policies are largely ineffective because of identified gaps in their administration. Competing school and community factors further fragment their implementation. To bridge the gaps between wellness policy development and implementation, a school wellness nurse model is proposed. The role of the school wellness nurse serves to weave health interventions into the fabric of the school and community environments--displacing behaviors and policies inconsistent with national health goals to reduce incidence of overweight.