Liam Byrne, parliamentary under-secretary of state for health, confirmed in Parliament last week that the best practice guidance would help primary care trusts (PCTs) allocate budgets for hospice provision.
Barbara Gelb, chief executive of the Association of Children's Hospices, said it would also cover all palliative care services, including voluntary sector and home visiting services provided by the NHS, for children with life-limiting illnesses.
And she said the guidance would help prioritise the field within PCTs' children's budgets.
"At the moment, PCTs have to consider children's palliative care as part of the gamut of services for children and it tends to get a pretty small slice."
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