The Children and Young People’s Community Palliative Care Team (CYPCPCT) provides a specialist community-based palliative care service for children and young people (CYP) between the ages of 0 to 18. The team continues to support children or young people until their 19^th birthday, to support with the transition to adult services.

The care given will be guided by the wishes of the individual child or young person and their family, whether in the children’s hospice, acute setting or in the community.

The CYPCPCT aims to meet the physical, emotional, social, and spiritual needs of each individual child or young person, focusing on enhancing the quality of life for the CYP, and support for the family.

Psychology services

The CYPCPCT can provide psychology input for CYP and their families. Psychological and emotional support is recognised as an important aspect of the holistic care the team aim to offer.

The psychology team can help families and CYP with the following:

• Adjustment to a diagnosis and treatment of the health condition, and support to cope with the daily demands of this
• Parenting advice and support in the context of also managing the health condition
• Support to explore and cope with difficult thoughts and feeling, which have appeared because of the health condition, such as depression, fear or anxiety, anger, panic reactions and phobias
• Support to manage the psychological impact of traumatic experiences
• Help to manage any difficulties in relationships or communication that have arisen because of the health condition
• Support for parents and young people about how best to talk to each other and other people about the health condition
• Help to manage stress-related difficulties
• Help to make difficult decisions related to the health conditions and in coping with significant life changes
• Help to think about ways to best manage the future, including end of life care and decisions
• Provide bereavement provision where appropriate (up to 18 months post death of the CYP).