There are an estimated 23,500 children and young people in the UK who will die before they reach adulthood.

Some of them will die when very young; others deteriorate slowly over many years. Families caring for these children and young people - often 24 hours a day, seven days a week - can feel under enormous emotional, physical and financial strain. Relationships can suffer; careers may have to be abandoned; well brothers and sisters can feel left out; and everyday family activities become almost impossible.

Children's hospice services offer a lifeline to these children, young people and their families, helping ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances to cope with the challenges of daily life. They provide a range of flexible, practical and free support at home and in the hospice to the entire family, often over many years and at any stage of the child's illness. This includes short breaks and daytime activities enabling families to get a rest; help with the control of pain or other distressing symptoms; and support for family members, including brothers and sisters.

When the time comes for the child to die, children's hospice services are there to provide end-of-life care and bereavement support for as long as it's needed, helping families and friends approach death with dignity and peace.

All children's hospice services are charities, relying overwhelmingly on public generosity to continue to provide their services to families that need their vital support.