Hope4Kids Project Kick-off

Collaborating on Palliative Care for Children with Cancer

The HOPE4Kids project has officially launched — a European Joint Action dedicated to advancing palliative care for children with cancer. Over 70 organizations from 23 European countries will collaborate within this four-year initiative to provide personalized, compassionate care that meets the needs of children and their families. The project is coordinated by the Princess Máxima Center and co-initiated by Máxima International.

Each year, approximately 25,000 children in Europe are diagnosed with cancer. Pediatric palliative care focuses on improving the quality of life for these children and their families — from managing physical symptoms to offering emotional, social, and spiritual support throughout the illness.

While many hospitals primarily focus on disease treatment, specialized palliative care is often overlooked. HOPE4Kids (Holistic Oncological Palliative Care 4 Europe’s Kids) aims to change this by promoting knowledge exchange, developing European guidelines, piloting best practices, and creating education and training programs for healthcare providers and families.

The initiative brings together healthcare professionals, researchers, policymakers, and parent organizations to improve access to palliative care across Europe. Supported by a €12 million grant from the European Union, the project will also develop a European Individual Care Plan and digital tools to make home care and information for families more accessible.

The kick-off meeting took place in Amsterdam in October, gathering around 140 participants from across Europe to align on objectives and future collaboration.

HOPE4Kids is a Joint Action, funded by the European Union’s EU4Health Programme and is part of Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan. The funding was awarded by the European Health and Digital Executive Agency (HaDEA).

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 European Health and Digital Executive Agency (HaDEA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.