Shifting perceptions of children’s palliative care

Every childhood should be filled with joy, fun, and hope.

Children’s palliative care (CPC) makes that possible for seriously ill children and their families – helping them live as well as possible.

This expert, holistic care is provided by a dedicated team of professionals who support families at every stage – from diagnosis, throughout life, and into bereavement. It ensures children get to be children first, experiencing comfort, connection, and joy. It gives the whole family the medical, emotional, financial, and practical support they need to make the most of every moment together.

We partnered with Together for Short Lives to bring this vision to life in the Childhood Needs Magic video because we know that showing CPC at its best can change hearts and minds.

Why changing the narrative matters

Right now, the dominant stories about CPC focus on end-of-life and challenges, missing the full picture of what this care truly offers. 

Common misconceptions frame it as giving up hope, focus only on death and tragedy over joy and living well, and pit clinical teams against parents instead of celebrating collaboration.

These narratives have real consequences. Families may be less likely to seek support, fearing CPC means giving up. Misunderstandings can limit funding and investment in services. And parents can feel isolated when they don’t access the support they need.

These misconceptions are reinforced both by media portrayals that miss the full picture, and by inconsistent messaging within healthcare. 

That’s where we come in.

To truly shift narratives, we need a bigger, coordinated effort. 

Popular culture plays a key role, but real narrative change must connect communications across the whole system – including healthcare, charities, academia, and policymakers. 

Through our Children’s Palliative Care programme, we help people, organisations, and the media shift public perceptions so families feel more empowered, professionals and policymakers are better informed, and CPC is seen as life-enhancing care. We do this by:

1️⃣  Empowering families and professionals to tell their stories. We support spokespeople with direct experience to have their voices and perspectives heard – whether in the media, at events, or within their communities. 

“I am grateful to have the opportunity to meet other parents and receive the support and insight Heard’s team is sharing. It’s incredible to be part of a network of parents who want to drive change. Heard has a way of making me feel as if I am part of a team. It’s a supportive and collegiate environment.”

— Parent spokesperson

2️⃣  Helping the media tell more accurate, powerful stories. We connect journalists, filmmakers, and content creators with our spokesperson network to ensure more authentic, nuanced CPC stories are portrayed across popular culture.

“The Heard team put an extraordinary briefing together for us, providing a wealth of information about children’s palliative care and its spiritual dimension. Most importantly, it gave us the opportunity to meet ‘real people’ who knew this field first-hand. The session inspired me to develop a documentary idea for BBC Radio 4 and possibly other outlets.” 

— Kristine Pommert, Head of Radio, CTVC

3️⃣  Providing expert communication resources for professionals. We offer guidance on framing and strategic messaging, helping NHS healthcare providers, hospices and charities communicate consistently to overcome psychological barriers. 

“Our team really valued the work with Heard. It helped us to reflect on the way we communicate about our service with colleagues and parents, and added really helpful phrases and approaches into our ‘toolkit’.”

— Jo Elverson, CPC Doctor, CHIPS

4️⃣  Facilitating a coordinated sector-wide shift. We work with key organisations to align messaging and advocate for a stronger, more unified voice on children’s palliative care.

“We have really enjoyed working with Heard, and gaining a huge amount of insight into our communications. It feels good to be part of a whole movement to shift the way in which CPC is represented to the outside world.”

— Caz Warnes, Communications & Marketing Director, Julia’s House Hospice

Together, we can change the conversation, challenge misconceptions, and ensure every child gets the care they deserve.

Get involved

👉 Are you a journalist or content creator? Connect with us.

👉 Are you a professional working in CPC? Explore our resources to help shift perceptions.

👉 Do you have lived experience of CPC? Join our Spokesperson Network to share your story in a way that feels right for you.