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Navigating Transition in Palliative Care: Empowering Young People – A Healthcare Professional’s Guide

“Transitioning from paediatric to adult palliative care is a deeply sensitive process that demands careful coordination and genuine compassion.”

This practical Guide supports adult and paediatric clinicians, allied health professionals and GPs supporting young people with life-limiting conditions  to deliver structured, person-centred transitions that protect continuity, dignity and the voice of the young person and their family.

This guide aims to help health professionals understand the challenges and offer practical strategies to create a more seamless, developmentally appropriate transition experience for young people and their families. 

The guide includes:

  • Transition: the shift from paediatric to adult palliative care
  • Core components of a successful transition
  • Understanding the psychosocial needs of young people in palliative care
  • Inclusive care: Understanding and supporting additional needs
  • Planning ahead for care and decision‑making
  • Steps to transition
  • Health professionals’ roles in transition
  • Supporting the family
  • Supporting siblings
  • Quality improvement assessment

Transition - A Health Care Professionals Guide

A companion video

This video shares reflections from families and clinicians and highlights why thoughtful, collaborative transition planning matters. It can be used to support team learning, service reflection and implementation of the guide.

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Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are advised that this website may contain images, videos and voices of people who have passed on. Some of the content and topics covered might also cause distress. You are welcome here, and we want you to feel safe and take care.

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Palliative Care Australia is located in Canberra. We acknowledge the traditional custodians of the surrounding land and waters, the Ngunnawal and Ngambri Peoples and pay our respects to Elders past and present. We extend that same respect and acknowledge the continuing cultures and contribution of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples across Australia.

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