Palliative Care for children & young people

Palliative care for children and young people is different than care for adults, and enables a baby, child or young adult to live in an environment where curative treatment can be part of their life, but not their entire focus.

It aims to provide the best quality of life through a holistic approach which supports the physical, emotional, social and spiritual aspects of the child and their family. It also helps families make important decisions about their child’s care.

Useful links

Palliative Care Australia has a range of useful resources for younger people, their families and health professionals which can be found here.

The Australian Government Department of Health has some helpful information on their website regarding paediatric palliative care. Click here for more information.

CanTeen – Provides support for 12-25 year olds living with cancer themselves, or who have a family member with cancer.

Ronald McDonald House – Ronald McDonald House Charities is an independent charity that helps families of seriously ill children. RMHC helps keep families together and close to the place of care that their child is being treated in.

Camp Quality – Camp Quality’s purpose is to create a better life for every child impacted by cancer in Australia.

Make-A-Wish Australia – Make-A-Wish grants life-changing wishes for seriously-ill children across Australia.