The aim of this article is to set the teaching of child and adolescent psychiatry to medical undergraduates in the framework of current educational theory and General Medical Council (1993) curriculum guidelines. The objectives are to:
(a) outline the main reasons for teaching child and adolescent psychiatry in the medical undergraduate curriculum;
(b) discuss placement of child and adolescent psychiatry teaching in the curriculum;
(c) outline relevant content;
(d) describe appropriate teaching methods; and
(e) describe assessment and evaluation procedures.