Commentary on children’s palliative care

The provision of palliative care for children has long been seen as a global concern (1) and the International Children’s Palliative Care Network (ICPCN) believes that the total need of life-threatened or life-limited children should be met to encompass physical, emotional, spiritual and developmental aspects of care (2) and that they deserve a high standard of total care, wherever they live in the world. Palliative care services need to be reflective of the diagnoses and number of children requiring palliative care, along with the needs of the children and their families.