Family Support

As well as social work and support for young adults transitioning into adult hospice services, we provide an extensive range of counselling, therapies and groups and events for the whole family. Whether it’s a creative therapy for the child, counselling for a parent or a support group for a sibling or grandparent, our dedicated therapists and counsellors look after everyone. We also offer complementary therapy giving parents a much-needed opportunity to switch off from the stresses of life and take a moment to relax.

Respite

Caring for a life-limited child or young person is emotionally and physically exhausting, particularly at times of change or when a child is nearing the end of their life. That’s why we offer respite to families when they need it most.

Planned respite

Planned respite at the hospice can give families the opportunity to leave their child overnight in a safe environment where they will receive all the specialist care they need as well as lots of opportunities to socialise and have fun.

Emergency respite

Occasionally, a family may require short notice support due to an unexpected situation that arises. This may include the child’s main carer being taken ill, deterioration of the child’s condition or a major facilities failure at home for a prolonged period.

End-of-life care

Our core mission is to provide expert nursing and medical care, including the management of difficult symptoms, for children at end of life. Our symptom and community nurses work to ensure families receive support in their preferred place of care – whether that’s at home, at our hospice or in hospital.

Symptom management

Many of the children we support have very complex symptoms which may change over time, particularly towards the end of life.

Our symptom management and palliative care enables very sick children to be supported and cared for both at home and at our hospices.

Palliative care

At end of life, our dedicated Symptom and Community Nursing Team work in collaboration with specialist teams at the Royal Marsden Hospital, Evelina London Children’s Hospital and Great Ormond Street Hospital to provide expert medical and nursing care, either at one of our hospices or in the child’s own home, 24-hours a day.

Bereavement support

We have a dedicated area at each hospice where a child can lay at rest, allowing their family to say goodbye in a familiar and supportive environment. Care does not stop after a child has died. We will continue to provide practical and emotional support for the entire family.

We do not need to have known a child before they died to provide support. Any family can self refer to us to access our services.

Grief is very individual and every bereaved parent, brother and sister will experience a range of thoughts and feelings at different times.  That’s why we offer many different opportunities for support for up to three years and three months after a child dies.