I will be undertaking my placement at a children’s hospital shadowing a play specialist. A play specialist is someone who supports a child that is going through the experience of being in hospital, as well as the child’s siblings and other family members. One way in which they support children is through the concept of ‘distraction’, which is seen as one of the most important aspects of his or her work (Hubbuck, 2009). Helping children cope using distraction during those crucial procedures is what play specialists do for a large proportion of their time (Hubbuck, 2009).

Lansdown (1996, cited in Hubbuck, 2009) made the suggestion that the role of the play specialist should be someone who presents themselves as a ‘constant’ familiar and reliable person for children and families in an ever-changing world of nurses and other who come and go according to their different shift pattern and duties.