We share updates on the Hope4Kids project at its General Assembly in Trieste
The meeting brought together more than 100 professionals to take stock of the first year’s work and make progress towards improving paediatric palliative care for children with cancer in Europe.
On 28 and 29 September 2026, the Italian city of Trieste hosted the General Assembly of HOPE4Kids (Holistic Oncological Palliative Care 4 Europe’s Kids), the European Joint Action aimed at strengthening and harmonising paediatric palliative care for children with cancer across Europe. The meeting, organised by the IRCCS Burlo Garofolo, brought together more than 100 professionals from over 20 countries in person to review the progress made during the first year of work and to plan the next phases of the project.
Coordinated by the Princess Máxima Centre for Paediatric Oncology (Netherlands) and co-funded by the European Union through the EU4Health programme, HOPE4Kids brings together more than 70 organisations from 23 European countries with the aim of ensuring that all children with cancer and their families have access to high-quality paediatric palliative care, regardless of where they live.
Initial results and next steps for the project
The General Assembly served to compa rt the progress made across the various work packages and discuss the project’s next steps. Among the key developments presented were the initial findings from the mapping of paediatric palliative care in Europe, the development of harmonised, evidence-based guidelines, and the design of the four pilot projects to be implemented in various European countries.
During the event, participating countries exchanged experiences, proposals were gathered to facilitate the implementation of future recommendations, and an analysis was presented of the education and training initiatives currently available in Europe in the field of paediatric palliative care.
The meeting was also attended by representatives from leading organisations such as the International Children’s Palliative Care Network (ICPCN) and Childhood Cancer International Europe (CCI Europe), strengthening collaboration between healthcare professionals, researchers, patient organisations and public policy makers.
Promoting the evaluation, sustainability and pilot projects of Hope4Kids
As part of the project, the Institute, together with the KKZ Knowledge Centre for Paediatric Palliative Care Foundation, is leading the sustainability work package (WP4), which aims to ensure the continuity and impact of the project’s results once funding has ended.
Furthermore, it coordinates the pilot evaluation task, which is responsible for designing a common framework to measure the outcomes and impact of the interventions to be implemented in the various participating countries.
The Institute also leads one of the project’s four pilot schemes, focusing on digital support for home care, and is participating alongside Osakidetza in the pilot on shared decision-making in advance care planning.
During the General Assembly, the Institute’s team shared the progress made in these areas of work and took part in sessions dedicated to planning the future implementation phases.
A project to reduce inequalities in Europe
HOPE4Kids will run until September 2029 with the aim of reducing existing inequalities in access to paediatric palliative care in Europe. To this end, it will promote the development of common, evidence-based guidelines; training programmes aimed at healthcare professionals, families and carers; a European network of specialists; and various pilot interventions designed to improve the quality of life of children with cancer and their families.
Through this European collaboration, the project aims to ensure high-quality, integrated paediatric palliative care for children with cancer, centred on the needs of patients and their families, regardless of where they live.
