A children's hospice is a hospice specifically designed to help children and young people who are not expected to reach adulthood with the emotional and physical challenges they face, and also to provide respite care for their families.
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A typical children's hospice service offers:
Children’s hospice services work with families from all faiths, cultures and ethnic backgrounds and respect the importance of religious customs and cultural needs that are essential to the daily lives of each family. Many have a chaplain who is familiar with a variety of faiths and customs. Each service is typically an independent charity which relies on public support to continue their work.
Children’s hospice services are dedicated to improving the quality of life of children and young people who are not expected to live to reach adulthood and their families[1].
They provide flexible, practical and free support at home and in the hospice to the entire family, often over many years and at any stage of the child’s or young person’s illness. This includes short breaks and daytime activities enabling families to get a rest; help with the control of pain or other distressing symptoms; and support for family members, including brothers and sisters.
When the end of a child’s life approaches, children’s hospice services are there to provide end-of-life care and bereavement support for as long as it’s needed, helping families and friends approach death with dignity and peace.
All children’s hospice services are charities, relying on public generosity to continue to provide their services to families that need their vital support.
National charity, Children’s Hospices UK wants the best possible care for children and young people who are not expected to live to reach adulthood and their families. They support all children’s hospice services by campaigning and lobbying governments to ensure their voice is heard; helping their care staff to continue to be at the cutting edge of children’s hospice care; making everyone aware of their vital work; and raising funds to ensure they are sustainable[1].
Helen House in Oxfordshire was the world's first children's hospice. It opened in November 1982. Helen House sprang from a friendship between Sister Frances Dominica and the parents of a seriously ill little girl called Helen, who lived at home with her family but required 24-hour care.[2]
The first children's hospice in Scotland Rachel House, run by Children's Hospice Association Scotland opened in March 1996[3]
There are now over 40 operational children's hospice services open across the UK.[2] Children's hospice services in England receive an average of 5% government funding and rely heavily on public donations.
The children's hospice movement is still in a relatively early stage in the United States, where many of the functions of a children's hospice are provided by children's hospitals. In 1983, of the 1,400 hospices in the United States, only four were able to accept children. Key developments since then include:
Through the efforts of CHI, most of the over 3,000 hospices in the U.S. will now consider accepting children. Also, approximately 450 programs have children-specific hospice, palliative, or home care services.[5]
There are a few independent children's hospice homes working to get started, including: