Establishing a Music Therapy Programme in a Specialist Children’s Palliative Care Service in Aotearoa, New Zealand: Benefits and Challenges

Vollständiger Abstract

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This paper outlines the development and delivery of a philanthropically funded music therapy programme within a specialist paediatric palliative care (PPC) service in Aotearoa, New Zealand. Developed in partnership with a music therapy centre, the initiative sought to address needs of children with serious illness and their whānau (family), especially those experiencing medical fragility, social isolation, and limited access to therapeutic services. The programme, delivered predominantly in the home environment, utilised both in-person and telehealth modalities and was guided by carefully defined referral criteria to ensure equitable access within a limited service scope. Over nearly five years, music therapy supported 20 children and their families, offering benefits across multiple domains; emotional wellbeing, pain and symptom management, quality of life, and family connection. Despite these outcomes, the programme faced systemic challenges, including limited continuity, scheduling constraints, and interdisciplinary communication gaps, compounded by the absence of government funding. The findings underscore the value of embedding music therapy into standard PPC services. A formal partnership model is recommended as an interim approach, alongside further research to evaluate the lived experiences of children and whānau, and to further examine the clinical efficacy of music therapy within the PPC context in Aotearoa.