-
Status
Received: on time
-
Income
£3.8M
-
Spending
£3.5M
Public benefits
The Cancer Fund for Children exists for the relief of need by reason of ill health amongst children and the families of children who are adversely affected by cancer through the provision of practical, social and emotional support. The benefits that flow from this purpose are several: The relief of financial hardship is met by the provision of
grants, which provide financial assistance towards meeting the costs of home heating, travel to hospital for treatment within Northern Ireland, travel for treatment outside Northern Ireland for treatment or surgery and travel to the Charity’s short break facility. The need to reduce levels of stress and anxiety and to relieve the social isolation experienced by families impacted by a cancer diagnosis, is met through the emotional and social support provided by the Charity’s Community Specialists both in the home and on the ward. Support is also provided through activities and events throughout the year, at parental residential weekends and therapeutic short breaks for the whole family. With regard specifically to the children and young people with a cancer diagnosis and their siblings, their needs for emotional and social support are addressed and met through the youth residentials, organised by the Cancer Fund’s specialists in which peer support and carefully designed group activities, whether physical or creative, help children and young people develop coping mechanisms and build resilience. Benefits are evidenced through independent evaluation and the positive and regular feedback from the Charity’s service users. This information is collected after every residential, event, activity or therapeutic short break. In the case of young people, the information is captured in an evaluation report and in the case of adults, information is collected by means of a short questionnaire. At the request of the Charity’s Board, the Services Department recently commissioned an independent consultant to explore the support needs of families of children who have received a cancer diagnosis and to evaluate the efficacy of the existing support provision. The survey indicated that satisfaction with the Charity’s service provision is high. Cancer Fund for Children is committed to providing services which are informed by family needs and which are supported by robust policies and best practice guidelines sourced from a number of professional disciplines and in line with government and policy and strategy. In order to meet the needs of families as effectively as possible, the Charity has decided to enhance its collection of evidence, by developing user-friendly on-line survey methods. In addition, the Charity is currently collaborating with Queen’s University on how best to define and measure service provision and effectiveness. The purpose of the Charity does not lead to harm. The beneficiaries of the Charity’s services are children and young people aged 0-24 who have been diagnosed with cancer and their families, including those families which have lost a child to cancer. In addition, families with children aged 0-24 where a parent has been diagnosed with cancer or where there has been a bereavement are able to avail of the Charity’s therapeutic short breaks and youth residentials for children and young people aged 8-24. In the advancement of the Charity’s purpose, it is necessary to purchase goods and services and to employ staff. This constitutes a private benefit to those concerned. However this private benefit is both essential and incidental to the fulfilment of the Charity’s purpose. A private benefit flowing from the purpose is that gained by a Trustee who has a child diagnosed with cancer and whose family receives the Charity’s services. This benefit is incidental, as the trustee meets the same criteria as the Charity’s other beneficiaries.
... [more] [less]What your organisation does
1. Assessment: On receipt of a formal referral from social work teams and healthcare professionals across NI - or a self-referral - Cancer Fund for Children will undertake an individual assessment of need to determine the level and type of support to be offered. 2. One-to-one Support: is offered to diagnosed children and siblings. Individually
tailored and purposeful to help children and young people cope with the diagnosis. 3. Group Work: delivered in the community or at 'Narnia' within our Shimna Valley Complex, offers peer support and opportunities for independent living. 4. Therapeutic Short Breaks: delivered at Daisy Lodge, a 12-bedroomed facility within our Shimna Valley Complex.
... [more] [less]The charity’s classifications
- The relief of those in need by reason of youth, age, ill-health, disability, financial hardship or other disadvantage
Who the charity helps
- Carers
- Children (5-13 year olds)
- Parents
- Preschool (0-5 year olds)
- Youth (14-25 year olds)
How the charity works
- Advice/advocacy/information
- Counselling/support
- Medical/health/sickness
- Youth development
