Caring for a dying child and the family is one of the greatest nursing challenges. The way in which care is delivered will shape the experience they are about to face. Hope plays a crucial role in helping people cope, and healthcare professionals can foster appropriate hopes ethically, while maintaining open and honest communication. If palliative care is discussed with clients and families from the time of diagnosis, they can face realistic decisions better and not feel that they are ‘giving up’. They need to know that everything possible is being done to improve the quality of the time left to them.