Acceptance Criteria Our acceptance criteria for using our services is based on the four broad categories of life-limiting conditions described by children’s hospice charity, Together for Short Lives. All referrals must fit in to one of these categories: Group 1 Life-threatening conditions for which curative treatment may be feasible, but can fail. Whereaccess to palliative care services may be necessary when treatment fails e.g. cancer (usually solidtumours), irreversible organ failures of heart, liver, kidneys. Group 2 Conditions where premature death is inevitable, where there may be long periods of intensivetreatment aimed at prolonging life and allowing participation in other activities (e.g. cystic fi brosis). Group 3 Progressive conditions without curative treatment options, where treatment is exclusively palliativeand may commonly extend over many years (e.g. Batten disease, mucopolysaccharidoses,muscular dystrophy). Group 4 Irreversible, but non-progressive conditions causing severe disability leading to susceptibility tohealth complications and likelihood of premature death (e.g. severe cerebral palsy, neurodisability,birth injury, or an insult that follows an illness such as meningitis, encephalitis or head trauma).Children or young people being referred under this category should fulfi l most of the followingcriteria Total body involvement with poor head control Severe scoliosis that compromises respiratory function Ongoing need for intervention in order to maintain respiration Regular apnoeic episodes Poorly controlled seizures despite optimum treatment Frequent unplanned hospital admissions Underlying complex nutritional condition which, without accurate assessment, would be life-threatening.