Amy’s story – how can we make sure that children and young people with learning disabilities are seen, valued and heard?

To mark Learning Disability Week 2026, we’re celebrating our amazing Learning Disability Nurses, who play a vital role in making sure that all our children and young people receive the fair and equitable care that they need. 

Amy Hodkin is a Community Learning Disability Nurse within Learning Disability CAMHS, and supports children, young people, families and carers in a variety of settings. Amy specialises in residential inreach, which means that she regularly spends time with children and young people who are looked after by the local authority and the residential support teams who support them.

Amy said: “Our main aim as a Trust is to create healthier futures for the children and young people that we see. With that in mind, we want to reduce hospital admissions and make sure that care is delivered in the least restrictive, most appropriate environment. That way we’re doing everything that we can to support the families who need us.”

Alongside her team, Amy works hard to minimise the impact of health inequalities: unfair and avoidable differences in health and access to care between different groups within society. 

“I am particularly passionate about doing what I can to reduce health inequalities and improving experiences for children, young people, and their families and carers. I advocate for reasonable adjustments, challenge diagnostic overshadowing, and champion the voices of those with lived experience.”

This passion extends beyond the boundaries of Sheffield Children’s, as Amy also works with colleagues regionally as a Clinical Fellow and nationally to influence national policy as Vice Chair of the Royal College of Nursing’s UK Learning Disability Nursing Steering Committee. 

Amy also founded a Learning Disability Nursing Community of Practice which spans across five countries to share and develop best practice on a wider scale and to provide a safe space for student and qualified learning disability nurses to continue to develop and strengthen their professional identity.

Amy said: “Being able to work with partners regionally and nationally means that we can be involved in shaping the next steps in our field. We all learn so much from each other, and constantly push each other to be better, which can only lead to better outcomes for children and young people across the country and beyond.”

At Sheffield Children’s, Amy supports children and young people with learning disabilities and complex mental health needs every day through specialist assessment, intervention, and close partnership with residential settings. Amy and her team also support colleagues to deliver a holistic care package, making sure that children and young people with learning disabilities are supported throughout their care journey at Sheffield Children’s.

Amy said: “Our team always wants to show compassion through understanding individual needs, accountability in addressing inequities, respect for every person’s voice, and excellence in delivering high-quality, evidence-based care. It’s really important that we also support teams to build confidence and capability in delivering inclusive, person-centred care across the Trust. It helps us prevent crisis escalation and means that we can deliver earlier, more effective care.”

Learning Disability Week is an important opportunity to raise awareness, challenge inequalities, and highlight the strengths, rights, and lived experiences of people with learning disabilities. It is also a chance to recognise the persistent health inequalities this population faces and to reinforce our collective responsibility to deliver equitable, person-centred care.

The theme for 2026 is “Do you see me?” which is all about people with a learning disability being seen, heard and valued. To support children and young people to communicate their needs, we have developed a communication and health passport, which can be seen on our our resource library.

If you or your child have a learning disability or communication need, see how our Learning Disabilities Nurse can help.