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What is palliative care?
The World Health Organisation defines paediatric palliative care as the active total care of the child’s body, mind, and spirit, and also involves giving support to the family. It begins when illness is diagnosed and continues regardless of whether or not a child receives treatment directed at the disease.1
Palliative care can ease the symptoms, discomfort, and stress of living with mito for your child and family. It can also:
How can I access paediatric palliative care?
The palliative care process can begin when your child’s health professional refers you to palliative care services. Or, you or your child can ask your health professional for a referral if you feel that palliative care would be helpful for your child, your family, or yourself.
You and your child will likely first meet with your palliative care team in the hospital or at a clinic. After the first visit, some visits may continue in the clinic or hospital. But many palliative care programs offer services at home and in the community. Home services can occur through telephone calls or home visits.
Find a specialist Paediatric Palliative Care service provider.
Paediatric palliative care assessment
Palliative care for children involves a holistic assessment to determine the needs of both your child and your family.
This assessment is a time to explore your child and your family’s goals, hopes and concerns and usually includes input from a multi-disciplinary team. The primary goal of this assessment is to provide the best possible arrangement for the family.
The assessment may provide an opportunity to discuss:
- Preferred place/s of care
- The health needs of your child
- Education
- Social activities
- The emotional, cultural and spiritual needs of your family
Myths about paediatric palliative care
This video was funded as part of the Paediatric Palliative Care National Action Plan Project. This project received funding by the Australian Government.
In this video, two mothers express their immediate response upon learning about “paediatric palliative care” for their child’s condition. The video features community member Preeti talking about her experience with her daughter Ziya. Read more about Ziya's story here.
More information
Paediatric Palliative Care Australia and New Zealand, along with Palliative Care Australia, work together to share helpful information, tools, and learning materials. These resources have been created for families, caregivers, and young people to improve their understanding and access to specialised palliative care for children in Australia. Click the logos below to find more helpful information.
Helpful resources
Disclaimer: Resources provided by the Australian Mitochondrial Disease Foundation Limited (Mito Foundation), offers general information and is not a substitute for medical advice. It is essential to assess the suitability of the content for your individual circumstances and make decisions based on your medical condition. The information's accuracy is subject to change, and we do not guarantee ongoing currency or availability. While efforts are made to ensure accuracy, Mito Foundation is not obligated to provide updated information. The copyright for this document and its content belongs to, or is licensed to, Mito Foundation, and reproduction without prior written consent is prohibited.
Author(s): Mito Foundation
Version: 2
Date published: Tuesday 19 December 2023
Last reviewed: Tuesday 12 August 2025