Press Release

The All Ireland Institute of Hospice and Palliative Care (AIIHPC) is pleased to announce the launch of the newly redeveloped website, The Palliative Hub -Children and Young People.

The Palliative Hub – Children and Young People has been redesigned and updated to better serve the needs of parents and families of children with palliative care needs across the island of Ireland.

Originally established in 2013, The Palliative Hub – Children and Young People has been a highly valued resource for parents and families living with and caring for a child or young person with life-limiting conditions.

Karen Charnley, CEO, AIIHPC said:

“We are delighted to share the new site, and especially to have completed the review and update of all content to create a valuable and easy to navigate resource for all those who need access to information about palliative care for Children and Young People.

“The comprehensive redevelopment, which took place throughout 2024, was guided by a diverse group of people, including parents, families, medical and other health care professionals, and support staff, reflects a commitment to enhancing the user experience, ensuring families have access to practical, accurate, and easily accessible information and also emotional support and guidance throughout their journeys.”

A key stage in the redevelopment process included in-depth focus groups with parents to gain detailed feedback on the needs of parents and families who are the primary visitors to the site.

Sam Villena, Mum to Isabella said,

“Isabella our daughter was born with a rare neurological condition. We started our palliative care journey with Laura Lynn in 2012 and with Temple St in 2019. Palliative care has helped us to give Isabella the best quality of life which is so important. The new website is a much needed resource for families to find practical information and the new look website is very user friendly and has lots of advice to help families to navigate this world,” she said.

Maurice Dillon, HSE National Lead for Palliative Care, Access & Integration emphasized the importance of hearing from families as part of the redevelopment process,

“We hope that this new look website will provide helpful and accessible information for parents, families and carers of children with palliative care needs. It is reassuring that the project involved and listened to parents and families from an early stage to ensure their views and experience informed the new website.  The priority now is to ensure as many people as possible know about the resources that are available and can access them,” he said.

For more information, please visit or contact: Yvonne McCahill, Communications Manager, AIIHPC- email: ymccahill@aiihpc.org, tel. 087-0947148.

ENDS

Photo caption

Photo 1-Pictured at the launch of the redesigned website-The Palliative Hub-Children and Young People are l-r Debbie Wilkinson, Programme Manager for Technology and Innovation, AIIHPC; Sam Villena; Sam’s daughter Isabella and Karen Charnley, CEO, AIIHPC.

Photo 2- Pictured at the launch of the redesigned website-The Palliative Hub-Children and Young People are l-r Karen Charnley, CEO, AIIHPC; Sam Villena; Sam’s daughter Isabella and Debbie Wilkinson, Programme Manager for Technology and Innovation, AIIHPC.

Visit The Palliative Hub-Children and Young People- www.childrenspalliativehub.com

To view/download an information leaflet, click here.

About AIIHPC

The All Ireland Institute of Hospice and Palliative Care

The All Ireland Institute of Hospice and Palliative Care (AIIHPC) is a leading organisation with national and international influence promoting excellence in palliative care. AIIHPC is a collaborative of 28 hospices, health and social care organisations, charities and universities on the island of Ireland. AIIHPC’s aim, with our twenty-seven member organisations, is to ensure excellent palliative care is available for everyone at the right time and place across the island of Ireland.

  • involving service users, carers and communities in palliative care delivery and development
  • working to integrate palliative care across the health system so people are supported as early as possible
  • supporting the development of specialist palliative care services for everyone who needs them.