The family holiday weeks in Davos offer relief for families with children and young people with a life-limiting illness and their healthy siblings. The offer is aimed at families who are resident in Switzerland or Liechtenstein. On various dates throughout the year, usually during the summer and autumn holidays, afflicted families can enjoy a week’s “holiday in the mountains”.
During the holiday weeks, sick children are cared for by qualified nurses if necessary. A team of local volunteers supports the children’s hospice foundation so that the whole family can benefit from this holiday week to the fullest.
Here you can find the latest feedback of participationg families from 2024.
From pilot project to a complete programme!
Since it was founded in 2014, the Davos Family holiday weeks have been a great success. What was launched as a pilot project has quickly established itself as a permanent programme offered by the foundation. Affected families are cordially invited to take part in the family holiday weeks and submit an expression of interest, which we can use to start the assessment process. We are delighted with every family that can be considered.
Note: The summer vacation weeks were held successfully. No more expressions of interest will be accepted for fall 2025.
We need some information to be able to process your enquiry:
holistic | relieving | unique
The Flamingo children’s hospice planned in Fällanden, Zurich, will be open to children and young people up to the age of 18 with life-limiting illnesses as well as their parents and siblings. The holistic care and support combined with the appropriate infrastructure should enable those affected to take a recurring break from their exhausting everyday lives.
The realisation of the Flamingo Children’s Hospice is made possible by the Swiss Children’s Hospice Foundation. Construction of the new children’s hospice in Fällanden, Zurich, has already begun.
The latest information on the construction project will be published regularly on the “Project status” page. To keep up to date with the progress of the Flamingo Children’s Hospice, it is worth subscribing to our free newsletter.
Thanks to the legacy of a generous bequeather, we were able to set up a support fund in spring 2024 to help families in need with one or more children with life-limiting illnesses with care costs.
According to the fund regulations, applications can be submitted for the assumption of care costs that are not covered by the cost bearers.
What is the support fund and what benefits does it cover?
How did the earmarked fund for the care costs of the children in need of the Swiss Children’s Hospice Foundation come into realization?
In her will, a single, wealthy testator from the city of Bern named the Swiss Children’s Hospice Foundation as her sole heir, with the condition that her estate assets be used to set up a fund for a specific purpose. The Board of Trustees has laid the necessary foundations for this and is delighted to be able to implement the wishes of the testator in a targeted manner.
For what purpose can support contributions be requested?
The fund assets may be used in accordance with the provisions of the testator’s will as set out in the fund regulations, i.e. to cover the care costs of needy children who are not covered by health insurance and to cover the care costs of needy families.
What kind of support do you expect to receive from affected families?
We will assess applications from families with one or more children with life-limiting illnesses. We can imagine that these will include, for example, support contributions to recommended therapies for the affected child, contributions to the costs of relieving the family through third parties or enabling services for healthy siblings, who often live in the shadow of the affected child.
Nicola Presti, Communications Officer of the Foundation, in conversation with the Vice President of the Foundation Board and Head of the Awards Committee, Prof Urs B. Schaad.
To the whole Interview
Fill out the application form and send it to us by post or e-mail.
Imbach Family Award for Pediatric Palliative Care
The Swiss Children’s Hospice Foundation is launching an award for outstanding achievements in pediatric palliative care (PPC). The “Imbach Family Prize for Pediatric Palliative Care” will be awarded for the first time in 2026.
Prize money
The prize money for the year 2026 is CHF 10,000.
Prize winner: inside
The prize is awarded to individuals or teams who make or have made an outstanding contribution to PPC thanks to their work and/or commitment.
Particular consideration will be given to scientific work on PPC in the fields of medicine, nursing or psychosocial care. The achievement should not date back more than three years.
Alternatively, the prize can be awarded to support the promotion of young talent in the form of scholarships for further or advanced training in the field of PPC.
Application
The application deadline for the 2026 prize is December 15, 2025.
Please send your application using the following form.
To the application form
Award committee
The prize committee consists of up to five members who either have specialist qualifications in the field of PPC and/or belong to the Imbach family. It is responsible for evaluating and nominating the award winners and for presenting the award.
Members of the award committee may nominate candidates provided there is no professional, institutional or personal relationship. The justification must be limited to a general motivation. Proposing members withdraw from the evaluation and decision-making process for this application.
Evaluation
The evaluation is based on the following criteria:
- Research work: relevance, originality, methodology, ethics, practical relevance, presentation, discussion, interpretation, implication, sustainability.
- Scholarship: professional requirements (training), previous achievements, motivation, type and quality of further training, personal characteristics, financial criteria.
Award ceremony
The prize is usually awarded every two years, for the first time in 2026. The award ceremony will take place during a conference on pediatrics or pediatric palliative care. The award venue for 2026 will be communicated at a later date.
Background on the award sponsor
The prize money is financed by the Imbach family’s dividend income and the prize is awarded by the Swiss Children’s Hospice Foundation. The foundation has set up a dedicated fund for this purpose, the development of which is reported in the foundation’s annual report.
Frequently asked questions
How is the operation financed?
Unlike in most European countries, Switzerland still lacks a legal basis for funding hospices. In several cantons, including Zurich, efforts are being made to strengthen specialized palliative care, including financially, e.g. as part of pilot projects.
With regard to financing the operation of the Flamingo Children’s Hospice, the Department of Health, together with other possible funding bodies and ourselves, is in the process of working out a viable solution. It is foreseeable that the operation will have to be financed by donations until the introduction of sustainable cost-covering daily flat rates.
Even though some medical care services can be billed via the IV and health insurance companies, these only make up a small part of the operating costs. The valuable moments between care and everyday life, such as therapy services for siblings, are only made possible by donations. With your support, you are giving exactly that: time and closeness in a special place where families can be together to recharge their batteries.
In addition, we are dependent on a minimum amount or a voluntary donation from the families concerned.
Are children’s hospices for dying?
Yes, children can die in children’s hospices. In the presence of their family, in a quiet environment, with professional palliative care. Children’s hospices are also there for the families after the child’s death. Death and grief are accepted as part of life. At the same time, children’s hospices are above all places of life. Families of children with a life-limiting illness often have a long journey. Sometimes it takes many years. In a children’s hospice, they receive the support and relief they need. The aim of the care is to achieve the best possible quality of life for the whole family.
I would like to get involved as a volunteer. How?
Please send the contact form Interest in volunteering to Barbara Weber.
What is the difference between a children’s hospice and an adult hospice?
A children’s hospice focuses on the care of children. But that is not the only fundamental difference. The aim of a children’s hospice is to offer sick children and their families a place of retreat for relief and recuperation. The time between the diagnosis and the death of sick children is often several years long. During this time, they and their families can repeatedly take time out at the children’s hospice. They can decide independently how and where to spend their end-of-life phase. Only a few sick children who stay in a children’s hospice also die there. Adult hospices have a much stronger focus on this end-of-life phase and thus enable a dignified farewell with as little suffering as possible.
What is pediatric palliative care?
Pediatric palliative care – adapted from the WHO definition – is defined in Europe as follows: “Palliative care for children is understood to mean active and comprehensive care that takes equal account of the child’s body, soul and spirit and ensures support for the affected family. It begins with the diagnosis and is independent of whether the child receives treatment with a curative objective.”
It is the task of the professional caregivers to assess and minimize the extent of the child’s physical, psychological and social stress. Effective pediatric palliative care is only possible with the help of a broad multidisciplinary approach that includes the family and public resources. It can be successfully implemented even when resources are scarce. Specialized Paediatric Palliative Care (SPPC) is provided by specially trained nursing staff.
In short, pediatric palliative care enables sick children and their families to enjoy a high quality of life despite their difficult situation.
Isn’t that a sad place, a children’s hospice?
No, quite the opposite. Our aim is to give the sick children and their families back a bit of quality of life. Despite the difficult situations, the children’s hospice aims to focus on the joy of life. Thoughts about death and death itself are accompanied and this will make the burden more bearable.
Do children’s hospices increase healthcare costs?
This cannot be assumed. Children with a life-limiting illness need care anyway, with children’s hospices the costs are merely shifted. Care in a children’s hospice is less cost-intensive than in a hospital. On the one hand, the hospice supports the parents and accompanies and cares for the siblings, so that the children can be cared for at home for longer at low cost. Hospital stays and follow-up costs due to overwork are reduced. This is a great preventative measure for the family system concerned. Compared to other patient groups, the number of seriously ill children is also low. However, this should not be a reason for politicians to forget them. The families are very dependent on the increased help.