Palliative care for children: a public health initiative.

This article draws parallels between the work of a children's palliative care team and the health promoting/ prevention focus of public health. From the primary prevention role in supporting decisions about screening for genetic disorders to advocacy for adequate respite, the palliative care team makes a significant but largely unrecognised contribution to community health. Reframing the palliative care service in this way may help organisations responsible for commissioning and delivering services to more clearly see the essential benefits to the wider community of such services and to locate them within their planning priorities.