Our services for children and families

The Irish Cancer Society provides free services to all those affected by cancer, including children and their families.

Parent Peer-to-Peer Support 

Would you like to speak to a trained parent volunteer who really knows what you are going through, and understands what it is like to have a child with cancer?

We run a Parent Peer-to-Peer Support programme along with  Childhood Cancer Ireland and CanTeen Ireland.

The programme connects parents of children with cancer with trained parent volunteers who have children who have been treated for cancer in the past.

This service is also available to other adult family members (eg grandparents, aunts etc).

The Irish Cancer Society's Children's Fund

Information about childhood cancer

We produce booklets specifically for children with cancer. These books are sponsored by the Irish Cancer Society or produced in partnership with specialist paediatric centres and healthcare professionals: 

• Children and Young People with Cancer (A Guide for Parents) – This booklet is written for parents whose child has been diagnosed with cancer.
• Understanding brain and spinal cord tumours in children - A guide for parents of children with a brain tumour
• My child has finished cancer treatment - A guide to follow-up care and adjusting to life after treatment for parents and carers 
• Precious Times - A handbook on palliative care for parents of children with cancer
• Guide for families of children receiving proton beam therapy - This leaflet will tell you all you need to know if your child is going to have proton beam therapy abroad. (Download only)
• Supporting brothers and sisters of a child with cancer - A practical information guide for parents and other adults who are caring for siblings of a child with cancer
• When your child's cancer comes back - Information for parents and families of a child or young person with relapsed or refractory cancer.

We cover design, print and distribution costs for these materials, working with specialist paediatric centres and healthcare professionals on the content.

All of our publications are available by calling the Support Line on Freephone 1800 200 700 or in hospitals and Daffodil Centres across the country. You can also download them.

Help with transportation costs to hospital

Travel2Care is a fund, made available by the National Cancer Control Programme and managed by the Irish Cancer Society. It is for patients who are having difficulty getting to and from their treatments while attending one of the centres of excellence or their satellites.

Free support over the phone and email

Our Support Line nurses can give advice on all types of cancer, coping, supports available and more. You can ask to talk to our Children’s Cancer nurse. Our Support Line is free to call on 1800 200 700 for parents of children with cancer. You can also email the nurses at supportline@irishcancer.ie.

In-home end-of-life nursing care

We provide end-of-life care for cancer patients in their own home. Our specialist palliative care nurses care for patients of all ages, including children.

Read more about palliative care and our Night Nursing service for children.

One-to-one advice and information

Our Daffodil Centres are located in 13 hospitals nationwide. The centres are staffed by cancer nurses and trained volunteers who provide confidential advice, support and information to anyone affected by cancer, including children and family of children going through cancer.

Childhood Cancer Fertility Project

The Childhood Cancer Fertility Project is a partnership between the Irish Cancer Society and Merrion Fertility Clinic which aims to ensure that, where possible, lifesaving treatment for children does not come at the cost of their future dreams of parenthood. Read more about the project and its aims. We also have information on fertility and children's cancer.