Decision-making with children, young people, and parents

Support in decision-making is a key part of paediatric palliative care (PPC). In this chapter, we explore some of the salient features of decision-making for seriously ill children and young people (CYP) with life-limiting or life-threatening illnesses and reflect on their implications for clinical practice. We begin with a discussion of two fundamental aspects of decision-making: defining the problem that the decision maker faces and eliciting preferences, goals, and values. We consider what each of the stakeholders—clinician, parent, patient—bring to the decision-making process and their roles in the process. We also address some of the problems and conflicts that can arise and practical approaches to resolving them.