This book is a practical guide to all of the issues relating to the care of a child or young person with a life limiting condition. It aims to empower clinicians to care for children at home or as close to home as possible. Sections include psychosocial considerations, symptom management, the dying process, bereavement and ethics, perinatal palliative care and quality improvement in paediatric palliative care.

Click here to visit the paediatric palliative care website to download the ‘green book’ or order a hard copy

Basic Symptom Control in Paediatric Palliative Care is a key clinical tool used by children’s palliative care doctors and nurses across the world. It is the only resource of its kind that provides comprehensive guidelines for treating a wide range of symptoms experienced by children with life-limiting or complex health conditions.

Click here to access this tool.

The Conversation Started Guide - For Caregivers of a Child with Serious Illness, was developed as part of the Conversation Project outlines how to start talking with a child who is living with a serious illness about the health care that is right for them.

Click here to download the guideline

The Formulary brings together all available paediatric palliative prescribing information in a single volume, utilising up to date published research and consensus expert opinion. It continues to keep pace with new guidance on existing medication and introduces newer drugs pertinent to the field of paediatric palliative medicine.

Click here to view the formulary

Conversation Starter Kit as a useful tool specifically designed to help parents of seriously ill children who want guidance about “having the conversation” with their children

Click here to view the Paediatric Starter Kit Item description

The Caring Decisions handbook, developed by the Royal Children’s Hospital, is for parents who may have to face decisions about life support treatment for their seriously ill child.

Click here to view the Caring Decisions handbook

For some families, their journey takes them to a place where they must confront issues concerning dying, death and bereavement.

This Journeys booklet includes chapters on bereavement support, making memories, and celebrating anniversaries.

It contains:

• suggestions for talking to children about dying and death

• information on end-of-life decisions you should consider

• a description of the dying process

• detailed information about what to do when your child dies

• options for funerals.

Click here to view the Journeys booklet

Talking with children and families about death is one of the most difficult yet most important things a paediatrician must do. Advance care planning is ‘a process of discussions between families and health care providers about preferences for care, treatments and goals in the context of the patient’s current and anticipated future health.

The Royal Children’s Hospital has developed a policy, framework and discussion guide to assist clinicians with the difficult task of advance care planning.

Click here to view the Royal Children’s Hospital’s ‘Think Ahead’ webpage.

End of life and palliative care for children, teenagers and young adults. The Better Health Channel provides a suite of resource to provide physical, emotional, social and spiritual support for newborns, infants, children, teenagers and young adults with a life-limiting illness and their families.

Click here to visit the Better Health website.

Canteen supports 12-25 yea r-olds dealing with their own diagnosis, a close family member’s cancer or the death of a loved one. Their services also now extend to parents, because when they cope better with cancer and communicate openly, their children are likely to experience less distress and anxiety.

Click here to visit the Canteen website.

Paediatric Palliative Care- Palliative Care Australia- Palliative Care Australia (PCA) is the national peak body for palliative care.

PCA represents all those who work towards high-quality palliative care for all Australians. Working closely with consumers, our Member Organisations and the palliative care workforce, we aim to improve access to, and promote the need for, palliative care.

Click here to visit the PCS website.

PPCEH is a collaboration between the Paediatric Palliative Care National Action Plan project and the Quality of Care Collaborative Australia (QuoCCA) project, delivering a range of paediatric palliative care education modules for health professionals

Click here to be directed to the PPCEH website

The ONTrac at Peter Mac Victorian AYA Cancer Service is a state-wide multidisciplinary service for young people aged 15 to 25.

Click here to visit the ONTrac website.

The Quality of Care Collaborative Australia (QuoCCA) project is set to deliver paediatric palliative care education to health professionals in urban, rural, regional and remote areas who may care for children and young people with palliative and end-of-life care needs.

Click here to be directed to the QuoCCA website

The Victorian Paediatric Palliative Care Program team comprises specialist doctors, Social Workers, Occupational therapists and Nurses who work closely with each of the member organisations to identify children, coordinate care and provide appropriate advice regarding various aspects of patient management. Educational activities for staff from both hospital and community agencies are also offered.

Click here to visit the Victorian Paediatric Palliative Care Program website.

Very Special Kids provides holistic palliative care for children and young people with life-limiting conditions, and tailored support for their families – through life, death and bereavement.

Click here to visit the Very Special kids website.

Essential Ethics, from the Children’s Bioethics Centre at The Royal Children’s Hospital (Melbourne, Australia) presents discussion of challenging cases that come up when treating children.

Click here to be directed to The Royal Children’s Hospital Essential Ethics podcast series

This podcast is a resource by The Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne, educating parents on common child health topics.

Click here to listen to the Royal Children’s Hospital Kids Health Info podcast series

A podcast for families caring for a child who is dying

Click here to be directed to the Royal Children’s Hospital Life, Love and Loss podcast series