Despite increasing attention on family involvement at end of life, this has not always been easy to achieve in the busy clinical environment of the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). This paper will explore the ‘place’ of families at end of life in the ICU through examining the evidence of what families want during transitional moments in care. Family experience and needs through such critical moments as in resuscitation, at family conferences, as end of life approaches, and after the death of their family member, will be discussed. Drawing on the evidence, recommendations for practice will be made to ensure that families remain at the heart of end-of-life care in the ICU.