This is a two-part paper: Part 1 provides the background and context of the challenges facing family carers of dying patients, Part 2 makes some recommendations for improving support and services to carers. The purpose of this European Association for Palliative Care (EAPC) White Paper is to highlight the contribution of family carers to the care of patients in the palliative phase of illness. It is written for clinicians, managers, educators and policy-makers working in, or responsible for, palliative care and hospice services in Europe. The information presented in this White Paper is the result of a scoping of the literature that focused on the situation of, and issues faced by, carers in palliative care settings internationally. It offers an integrative review of the most relevant, significant and oftcited papers from the palliative care literature published between 2004 and 2009 by recognised researchers.