Abstract
The chapter was included as an illustrative example of good practice in caring for seriously sick children and dying children and their families. It describes the very concept of the children's hospice: a new type of institution introduced by Sister Frances Dominica, a nurse and a nun based in Oxford, UK, who set up Helen House in 1982, the first hospice aimed at the well-being of children diagnosed with life-limiting and life-threatening conditions.
After a short explanatory expose, the development of the first Czech children's hospice by the Klíček Foundation (a Czech charity founded by the author) is described and its practical and ideological background - as well as its developmental vision - analysed. Special attention is paid to the principles of family-centred care in the context of paediatric palliative care.