Part of the community

When a child or young person enters our care, their wider family becomes part of the hospice community too.

Caring for someone with a life-limiting condition can take its toll on family life. Often, carers are the ones holding everything together. That can be distressing and exhausting, so it makes a huge difference to have a safe space to explore their challenges. Our Patient and Family Support Team offer support to children, young people and family members. Our therapists, social workers and chaplain provide emotional support and spiritual care, along with social care, advocacy and advice. They work with people individually and in groups, in a range of different settings, from play therapy and relationship counselling to music therapy. Managing the needs of a child with a life-limiting condition is hugely complex. As well as administering medicines and personal care, carers are often fielding appointments with specialists at different hospitals, managing prescriptions or medical equipment and finding out what government assistance is available. They may be on their knees – worn out and exhausted from holding the family together. The Patient and Family Support Team can help them find ways to manage things. When a child has a life-limiting condition, it affects the whole family – from parents and siblings to grandparents. It can be very helpful for a family to know that we're alongside them at different parts of their journey. That journey will change course at different times, and they can access the support as and when they need it. It is a privilege to be invited into somebody's life to support them in their darkest hour, and to be able to bring some hope into that space.