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Projects

Holistic Oncological Palliative Care 4 Europe’s Kids (Hope4Kids)

The Hope4Kids – Holistic Oncologic Palliative Care for Europe’s Kids - Joint Action aims to strengthen and harmonise paediatric palliative care (PPC) across Europe for all children living with life-threatening or life-limiting conditions.   

Across Europe, many children live with severe, complex or rare chronic conditions that significantly affect their quality of life and, in many cases, may shorten life expectancy. PPC is not limited to end-of-life care – it is an active and holistic approach that can be provided from the moment of diagnosis, regardless of disease type or stage, and alongside disease-specific or life-prolonging treatments. The aim of PPC is to prevent and relieve suffering through effective management of pain and other distressing symptoms, as well as to provide psychological, social and spiritual support to children and their families.   

Access to specialised PPC across Europe remains uneven, and care is often integrated late or inadequately into routine paediatric services. As a result, children, their families and informal caregivers frequently experience inconsistent care. Hope4Kids responds to these challenges through a comprehensive and coordinated approach. Key deliverables include mapping of PPC systems across Europe; development of harmonised, evidence-based guidelines in PPC; implementation and evaluation of four pilot interventions across more than 17 study sites; and development of education and training programmes for healthcare professionals, parents and informal caregivers such as teachers. Hope4Kids will also build a European PPC network of professionals and collaborate with other European projects.  

The Hope4Kids project has a duration of 4 years and is coordinated by the Princess Máxima Center for pediatric oncology in the Netherlands. The initiative is built on the cooperation of more than 50 partners and over 70 organisations from 23 European countries. Through this collaboration, Hope4Kids addresses inequalities in access to PPC, quality of care, and integration into health systems. Ultimately, this will ensure that every child and family have timely access to high-quality PPC, regardless of place of residence. 

“Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Health and Digital Executive Agency. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.”

 

Lees hier de Nederlandse beschrijving

De Europese Joint Action Hope4Kids – Holistic Oncologic Palliative Care for Europe’s Kids -heeft als doel de kinderpalliatieve zorg te versterken en te harmoniseren voor alle kinderen in Europa met een levensbedreigende of levensverkortende aandoening. In heel Europa leven veel kinderen met ernstige, complexe of zeldzame chronische aandoeningen die hun levenskwaliteit aanzienlijk beïnvloeden, en in veel gevallen de levensverwachting kunnen verkorten. Kinderpalliatieve zorg beperkt zich niet tot zorg aan het levenseinde – het is een actieve en holistische aanpak die kan worden geboden vanaf het moment van de diagnose, ongeacht het type of stadium van de ziekte, en naast ziektespecifieke of levensverlengende behandelingen. Het doel van kinderpalliatieve zorg is het voorkomen en verlichten van lijden door middel van de effectieve behandeling van pijn en andere verontrustende symptomen, evenals het bieden van psychologische, sociale en spirituele ondersteuning aan kinderen en hun families. De toegang tot gespecialiseerde kinderpalliatieve zorg in Europa is nog steeds ongelijk verdeeld, en deze zorg wordt vaak pas laat of onvoldoende geïntegreerd in de reguliere zorg. Als gevolg hiervan krijgen kinderen, hun families en informele zorgverleners (zoals leerkrachten) vaak te maken met inconsistente zorg. Hope4Kids biedt een antwoord op deze uitdagingen door middel van een alomvattende en gecoördineerde aanpak. Belangrijke doelen zijn onder meer het in kaart brengen van kinderpalliatieve zorgsystemen in heel Europa; de ontwikkeling van geharmoniseerde, evidence-based richtlijnen voor kinderpalliatieve zorg; de implementatie en evaluatie van vier pilots op meer dan 17 onderzoekslocaties; en de ontwikkeling van onderwijs- en trainingsprogramma's voor zorgprofessionals, ouders en informele zorgverleners. Hope4Kids zal ook een Europees netwerk van kinderpalliatieve zorgprofessionals opzetten en samenwerken met andere Europese projecten. Het Hope4Kids-project heeft een looptijd van 4 jaar en wordt gecoördineerd door het Prinses Máxima Centrum voor kinderoncologie. Het initiatief is gebaseerd op de samenwerking van meer dan 50 partners en meer dan 70 organisaties uit 23 Europese landen. Door deze samenwerking pakt Hope4Kids ongelijkheden aan op het gebied van toegang tot kinderpalliatieve zorg, kwaliteit van zorg en integratie in gezondheidszorgstelsels. Uiteindelijk zal dit ervoor zorgen dat elk kind en elke familie tijdige en holistische kinderpalliatieve zorg kan ontvangen, ongeacht waar in Europa zij zich bevinden.

Linkedin

Linkedin: @JA Hope4Kids

Contact

Contact information: wp2@kinderpalliatief.nl

Partners

International Children’s Palliative Care Network (ICPCN)

ICPCN is a global network seeking to improve acces to children’s palliative care. ICPCN’s network includes members in more than 140 countries. Members have access to ICPCN’s newsletter and online resources including educational content in many languages. ICPCN advocates for access and quality of children’s palliative care with the World Health Organization and other global platforms.

ICPCN

European Association for Palliative Care (EAPC)

EAPC is a professional organization “committed to supporting the promotion and development of palliative care throughout Europe and beyond”. Our Center staff frequently attend and present at the EAPC annual conference. In addition they serve in leadership positions and support the administrative work of the EAPC Reference Group for Children and Young People. Our Director, Meggi Schuilling-Otten is currently Chair of the EAPC Reference Group for Children and Young People. This group serves to promote children’s palliative care throughout Europe.

European Association for Palliative Care

Maruzza Foundation

The Maruzza Foundation works to ensure the right to access palliative care for all children who need it. The Maruzza Foundation hosts the Maruzza International Congress in Rome, a major gathering for paediatric palliative care researchers and clinicians.

Maruzza Foundation

Resources

Courageous Parents Network

CPN aims to orient, equip and empower families and others caring for a child with a serious medical condition and provide digital resources and an extensive media library used by families and clinicians.

Center to Advance Palliative Care

The Center to Advance Palliative Care is a US based organization that has supported the growth of palliative care as a specialty clinical service since 1999. Their website offers free resources on pediatric program development, marketing of palliative care, and educational offerings for operations managers and clinicians. Program Development. 

Center to Advance Palliative Care

Childhood Cancer International

CCI is the largest childhood cancer patient support organization, with member organizations in more than 100 countries.

Childhood Cancer International

Together for Short Lives (TFSL)

TFSL is a UK based organization that provides family support (emotional and financial), advocates for children’s palliative care in the UK, and providers resources to clinicians working with children who have life-limiting illnesses. TFSL also hosts an online provider network where clinicians can share expertise with one another.

Research Resources

International News

Building towards 2025: Steering Committee update

Planning 2025: Join us as we build towards a brighter future together!


In mid-November, our Steering Committee for the Reference Group Children & Young People gathered in the beautiful city of Prague. It was a special occasion—not only because we had the rare chance to spend a full day working together, but also because we welcomed a new committee member, Sergi Navarro. We are grateful to the Vlček Family Foundation for making this meeting possible, and to our facilitator, Simon Stiburek, for keeping our discussions focused and productive.

Looking ahead to 2025

The focus of our meeting was clear: planning for 2025. Here’s what you can look forward to:

  • An inspiring blog in the spring;
  • A webinar on the second Friday of October;
  • Four newsletters throughout the year;
  • An open group meeting in Helsinki during the EAPC Congress in May 2025. The detailed program for 2025 will be announced early next year, and we hope to see many of you at the Helsinki meeting!

Strengthening collaboration and angagement

Collaboration and networking have always been at the heart of our group. During our meeting, we discussed ways to involve you—the community—more actively in our work. We know many of you have great ideas, and some might want to take a more active role in our initiatives. This will be a key part of our 2025 plans, and we’ll share more details in the next newsletter.

Reflecting on our goals

In addition to planning for the future, we took time to reflect on our group’s goals. It’s been a few years since we became a Reference Group, and we feel it’s time to update our mission and priorities. A refreshed version of our goals will be shared on our website soon.

Connecting with the local community

After a day of productive discussions, we had the chance to meet with the local community in Prague. It was inspiring to share our work, exchange ideas, and strengthen connections.

Research Network Junior Forum

Building on our commitment to collaboration and knowledge sharing, we are excited to highlight an opportunity for those passionate about palliative care research. The EAPC Research Network – Junior Forum (RNJF) offers a platform for researchers and clinicians, who are interested in expanding their network and improving their research career in palliative and end of life care. The RNJF aims at helping expanding knowledge of palliative care research and providing possibilities of connecting and working with colleagues from worldwide.

Are you interested in becoming a member of the Research Network Junior Forum steering committee? Join them today and be part of a global network dedicated to advancing palliative care research knowledge. Learn more about the group here and join the forum.

The power of collaboration

We look forward to involving you in our plans and hearing your ideas. Together, we can continue to create a brighter future for children and young people.


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