Building a Transborder Community of Practice for Children’s Nursing Educators in Africa: Strengthening Educator Capability and Advancing Context-Responsive Practice and Workforce development
1
The Harry Crossley Children’s Nursing Development Unit, Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
Popul. Med. 2026;8(Supplement Supplement 1):A1128
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Contemporary public health discourse emphasises equity, inclusion, sustainability, and collaborative cross-regional learning as central to strengthening health systems and health workforce.1 Communities of Practice (CoP) theory positions learning as a socially negotiated process rooted in participation, identity development, and shared purpose. 2,3 Applications of this framework in education and professional development are well established. Within this context, the Harry Crossley Children’s Nursing Development Unit (CNDU) convenes the Children’s Nursing Educators Forum (CNEF), a collaborative network established to strengthen the capacity of educators responsible for specialist children’s nursing programmes across Africa. 4
METHODS:
This presentation describes the development of the CNEF as a transborder CoP and the activities aligned to its
OBJECTIVES:
to strengthen educator identity, enhance teaching practice, promote evidence informed shared learning, and support curricula that produce practice ready children’s nurses.
RESULTS:
Over a ten year period the CNEF evolved into cohesive and influential community of nurse educators. Initial participation from a primarily South African cohort has grown to sustained representation from at least 15 African countries. Educators report strengthened professional identity, increased confidence in delivering contextually responsive teaching practice, using evidence-based practice and enhanced collaboration across institutions and national contexts. Collective learning within the CNEF informed CNDU’s development of a Capability Maturity Model (CMM),⁵ which articulates system-level requirements for establishing and sustaining specialist children’s nursing programmes in the region. Since 2018 members of the CNEF have contributed training data to the Children’s Nursing Training Activity Observatory for Africa, creating the only pan African, data driven record of children’s nursing training activity.⁶,⁷
CONCLUSIONS:
The CNEF demonstrates how an African-led, transborder CoP can strengthen capacity and contribute to equitable, sustainable improvements in teaching quality, health workforce development, and specialist child health services across diverse public health settings.
Contemporary public health discourse emphasises equity, inclusion, sustainability, and collaborative cross-regional learning as central to strengthening health systems and health workforce.1 Communities of Practice (CoP) theory positions learning as a socially negotiated process rooted in participation, identity development, and shared purpose. 2,3 Applications of this framework in education and professional development are well established. Within this context, the Harry Crossley Children’s Nursing Development Unit (CNDU) convenes the Children’s Nursing Educators Forum (CNEF), a collaborative network established to strengthen the capacity of educators responsible for specialist children’s nursing programmes across Africa. 4
METHODS:
This presentation describes the development of the CNEF as a transborder CoP and the activities aligned to its
OBJECTIVES:
to strengthen educator identity, enhance teaching practice, promote evidence informed shared learning, and support curricula that produce practice ready children’s nurses.
RESULTS:
Over a ten year period the CNEF evolved into cohesive and influential community of nurse educators. Initial participation from a primarily South African cohort has grown to sustained representation from at least 15 African countries. Educators report strengthened professional identity, increased confidence in delivering contextually responsive teaching practice, using evidence-based practice and enhanced collaboration across institutions and national contexts. Collective learning within the CNEF informed CNDU’s development of a Capability Maturity Model (CMM),⁵ which articulates system-level requirements for establishing and sustaining specialist children’s nursing programmes in the region. Since 2018 members of the CNEF have contributed training data to the Children’s Nursing Training Activity Observatory for Africa, creating the only pan African, data driven record of children’s nursing training activity.⁶,⁷
CONCLUSIONS:
The CNEF demonstrates how an African-led, transborder CoP can strengthen capacity and contribute to equitable, sustainable improvements in teaching quality, health workforce development, and specialist child health services across diverse public health settings.
| eISSN: | 2654-1459 |
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