Supporting children and families
Emotional support
Our new ward counselling service provides children and families with emotional support during what can be long and difficult hospital stays. We fund music therapy that soothes and helps children express complicated emotions and a psychology service for families of the most critically unwell children on the paediatric critical care unit. You can read more about how we support the emotional wellbeing of families here:
The play team
The wonderful play team, which you help us fund, are here to ensure that children in hospital can still be children, despite the difficulties they face. Using their unique expertise in childcare and play, the team bring fun and a sense of normality to the hospital environment. Through the medium of play, they explain and demonstrate the daunting procedures that many children face, easing fear and anxiety and giving children back a certain sense of control. Read how Eden-Olive’s special relationship with her play specialist, Juliet, has supported her during her life-long hospital experience here.
Emergency parent packs
Though hospital admissions are often planned, may are not and in these instances, families can often arrive on a ward with only the clothes they are wearing. Our emergency packs contain essentials like a clean t-shirt, toiletries, snacks and a water bottle, to help parents through those first 24 hours when all they can really think about is their child.
Support for siblings
Children can feel confused, frightened and distanced by the experience of having a sibling in hospital. With so much going on, it can also be difficult for parents to find the right words to explain. That’s why, with your support, we’re able to fund sibling packs, designed to support parents and siblings during their hospital journey. You can read more about how the pack made a real difference to six-year-old Lacey while her baby sister was in hospital here:
A touch of sparkle
Our sparkle activities provide a little sprinkling of joy into the lives of long-term patients. Thanks to people like you, we can ensure that important occasions like birthdays and Christmas are still special for children in hospital. We arrange visits from favourite characters and our much loved therapy dogs and generally make the hospital a more fun place with treats and activities. Read about the difference that sparkle has made to four-year-old Olivia’s journey, here.
