Public health nursing is particularly focused on addressing the health needs of vulnerable groups and is underpinned by a concern to tackle health and social inequalities. It has, in this way, made an important contribution to improving the health and wellbeing of women and children at a local, national, and global level, achieved through a wide range of preventative and early intervention measures tailored to meet the needs of this client group.

Globally the Millennium Development Goals, which aim by 2015 to reduce child mortality rates, improve maternal health, combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases and promote gender equality, is a key policy driver. Changing socioeconomic and demographic profiles and new public health “risks” also create both opportunities and challenges for developing the scope of practice. Alongside this are debates about the definition and expansion of professional roles, accountabilities and responsibilities, interprofessional boundaries, and the educational requirements to ensure that public health nurses are equipped to fulfil their role in a changing world. There are also challenges in attributes outcomes and influencing commissioning.

This special issue will focus upon the challenges and opportunities facing public health nursing with women and children in the 21st century. We invite investigators to submit original research and review articles which address empirical, practice and policy related issues. Potential topics include, but are not limited to:

• Public health nursing and maternal and child health: policy, practice, and evidence
• Primary prevention, early intervention, universal, and targeted service provision
• Health inequalities and public health nursing work: working with women and children in low income communities, and those facing adversity due to for example, homelessness, migration, and other forms of social exclusion
• Delivering culturally sensitive public health policies and interventions
• Developing the knowledge, skills, roles, and responsibilities of public health nurses
• Working within and across organisations, services, and professions: supports and challenges
• Health issues facing women and children, including mental health, reproductive and sexual health, maternal and childhood obesity, infectious diseases such as HIV and AIDS, nutrition/obesity issues, and violence and abuse

Before submission authors should carefully read over the journal's Author Guidelines, which are located at http://www.hindawi.com/journals/nrp/guidelines/. Prospective authors should submit an electronic copy of their complete manuscript through the journal Manuscript Tracking System at http://mts.hindawi.com/submit/journals/nrp/pubh/ according to the following timetable: