Introduction The review was commissioned by the Children's Hospices UK Diversity Reference Group to take forward the work of the Diversity Toolkit (2009) that was developed in collaboration with Help the Hospices.

The purpose of the review was to provide data on provision of Translation and Interpretation services (T.I.S) by children's hospice services and indicate what actions are needed to improve future services. The central aim was to gather views from children's hospice staff and diverse service user families. This would influence the provision and development of existing and future services to diverse communities.

The findings would provide recommendations that could be adopted by Children's Hospices UK in supporting member hospices in further developing their T.I.S provision.

Methods The review was carried out to include the provision of T.I.S services by all 44 children hospices in the UK. The review collected data by three principal means: an electronic survey questionnaire, telephone interviews and focus groups.

Findings The review identified some significant gaps in the provision of T.I.S services but also identified a great deal of good practice to incorporate into policy and guidance that can inform the development of locally appropriate provision. The findings stress the need for language and communication support provision to be an integral tool when conveying information between staff and families.

Conclusion The findings describe significant barriers that deter access to services as well as compromise the quality of care and support provided to families using services. The recommendations seek to address the challenges by enabling children's hospices to review their existing policy and provision and develop a range of mechanisms that will provide localised support to a diverse range of families.