The Child Cancer Foundation offers emotional and practical support to children with cancer and their families. This support is provided through the Family Support Coordinators in the divisions who are available to families from the time of diagnosis. The local branches have Family Support Workers who provide social activities for families in their area as well as practical, emotional and some financial support.

Family support

The Foundation recognises that the needs of families going through treatment are often quite diverse, as are the individual circumstances of each family. As a result we try to be as flexible as possible in responding to individual families’ needs.

The Foundation provides many services which assist families. These can include:

• Introductory kits containing information and items of practical use to all newly diagnosed families
• One on One practical assistance and emotional support depending on the needs of individual families
• Some financial assistance to help families manage their changed circumstances
• Assistance with travel, food expenses and meal vouchers
• Assistance with arranging accommodation close to treatment centres, mostly with the Ronald McDonald Houses
• Support for bereaved families
• Parent support groups
• Education and Information Sessions for parents
• Sibling support
• Referring teenagers to CanTeen for peer support
• Financial assistance for counselling
• A range of written resources and loan equipment, including books and videos
• Newsletters

The divisions and branches also have a commitment to assisting children and their families in the hospital through the provision of funds for health professionals staff training, resources or equipment which enhances the quality of care they receive on the ward. This has been used for areas such as conferences, medical books and journals and the purchase of items for the upgrading of paediatric oncology wards.