The need for pressure ulcer risk assessment has been acknowledged in adult nursing for many years. However, in paediatrics there is a misconception that children do not develop pressure ulcers (Mills, 1998). This misconception has been challenged in recent years with a growing awareness that children have specific risk factors that predispose their skin to pressure damage (Willock et al, 2000; Mills, 1998; Waterlow, 1998, 1997; Jones, 1997; Pickersgill, 1997; Zollo et al, 1996; Bedi, 1993).