The importance of palliative care for children facing life threatening illness and their families is now widely acknowledged as an essential part of care, which should be available to all children and families, throughout the child's illness and at the end of life. The new edition of the Oxford Textbook of Palliative Care for Children brings together the most up to date information, current knowledge, evidence, and developments of clinical practice in the field.

The book is structured into four sections. 'Foundations of Care' describes core issues, the foundations on which paediatric palliative care is based. 'Child and Family Care' looks at different aspects of psychological, social, and cultural care for the sick child or young person, and their family. These chapters cover the time course of the illness, around the time of death and support for the bereaved family. 'Symptom Care' focuses on the uses of medication, specific symptoms, and their management. Finally, 'Delivery of Care' examines practical approaches to care in different environments and the needs of clinicians.

Two new editors join the team from Canada and South Africa, reflecting our aims to contribute towards the development of care for children across the world, and to be a resource for both experienced clinicians and those new to the field.

Comprehensive in scope, exhaustive in detail, and definitive in authority, this third edition has been thoroughly updated to cover new practices, current epidemiological data, and the evolving models that support the delivery of palliative medicine to children. This includes two new chapters, looking in detail at 'Decision Making' and 'Perinatal Care', and a new section highlighting the emerging importance of 'Palliative Care for Children in Humanitarian Crises'. This book is an essential resource for anyone who works with children worldwide.

Richard Hain's profile page

Adam Rapoport's profile page

Michelle Meiring's profile page

Ann Goldman's profile page

Richard Hain is a Consultant and Clinical Lead in Paediatric Palliative Medicine in Wales. His clinical post is based at the Children's Hospital in Cardiff and he provides an all Wales specialist service via a managed clinical network. He also provides a secondary service for patients in Cardiff and the Vale University Health Board. Richard's academic background is varied and includes postgraduate degrees in pharmacology, professional education, and ethics and theology. He has co-authored over fifty research and review articles, four books on children's palliative medicine and a large number of book chapters. His primary research interest is in the principles and practice of paediatric palliative medicine, and he is increasingly focusing on clinical ethics in children at the end of life. He is honorary Professor in the College of Human and Health Sciences at Swansea University.

Adam Rapoport is a general paediatrician with a Masters in bioethics. In 2009, Adam joined the Temmy Latner Centre for Palliative Care at Mount Sinai Hospital as their pediatric consultant. In July 2011, he became the first Medical Director of the Paediatric Advanced Care Team (PACT), the palliative care service at SickKids. PACT provides both inpatient and outpatient palliative care to children with life-threatening illnesses, and their families, including grief and bereavement support. In 2013, Adam became Medical Director at Toronto's first paediatric residential hospice - Emily's House. Adam's academic work focuses on the intersection of his three primary interests' paediatrics, palliative care, and ethics.

Michelle Meiring is the founding director of Paedspal and a Paediatric Palliative Care Consultant. She has over 13 years experience in paediatric palliative care and in the NGO sector. Her task at Paedspal is to provide management oversight and clinical leadership. Michelle is a senior lecturer in Palliative Medicine at UCT, South Africa where she convenes the paediatric elective for the Postgraduate Diploma at UCT and is also the chairperson of PATCH-SA (a national paediatric palliative care network).

Ann Goldman is a paediatrician and is Vice President of Together for Short Lives. Ann was the first ever consultant in paediatric palliative care and, in 1986, established the Symptom Care Team at Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital, which was the first multi-disciplinary paediatric palliative care team. Ann has worked in clinical care for the children and their families, research and teaching, and has been at the vanguard of the development of palliative care services for children nationally and internationally. In 2004, she was awarded The Children's Hospice International Outstanding Leadership award. Ann was presented with the Vittorio Ventafridda Award at the Maruzza Foundation Rome Conference in November 2014. The award recognizes Ann's dedication and expertise in children's palliative care, both professionally and in her academic career.