Facing childhood cancer together
Services and supports for families affected by childhood cancerA childhood cancer diagnosis can affect the whole family, but you’re not alone. The Irish Cancer Society is here to guide and support you
9am-5pm Mon-Fri
9am-5pm
Financial and practical support
The Irish Cancer Society’s Children's Fund offers financial support to the parents of children with cancer. This is to help them with the unexpected expenses that a diagnosis brings, such as travel expenses to cancer treatment appointments, heating bills and childcare costs.
This one-off payment of €3,000 is not means tested.
We're here for you if you need help getting your child or young person to their appointments.
The CAYA (Children, Adolescents and Young Adults) Transport Service is a free transport service available to patients under the age of 18 travelling from within the counties of Dublin, Meath, Kildare and Wicklow to CHI Crumlin and St Luke's Hospital for chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy treatment.
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.
To learn more about this fund you can get in touch with our team on financialsupport@irishcancer.ie
Care Kits
A childhood cancer diagnosis brings so many challenges and we know families may often find themselves in hospital suddenly or without time to prepare. Our free Care Kit is an overnight bag filled with some essentials that you can have ready to go for when you need it.
What’s included: Designed to help provide a sense of comfort, care and organisation when families need it most we’ve created the packs in consultation with families and expert nurses and it includes useful personal care items such as deodorant, moisturiser and practical things like a reusable cup and a cool bag.
Children under 16 years of age will receive their pack upon completion of the Irish Cancer Society’s Children's Fund application.
Special thanks to Boots Ireland for contributing to the Care Kits.
Emotional supports
We have a range of supports designed to help you and your family cope with the emotional impact of a childhood cancer diagnosis or the diagnosis of cancer in a teenager or young adult. You can find out more about any of these services by contacting our Support Line on Freephone 1800 200 700.
The Irish Cancer Society runs various Barretstown camps for children and their families living with cancer. Attendees enjoy a free weekend away full of activities, adventure, creative play, and relaxation.
24/7 medical support behind the scenes and information on cancer resources and support are also available.
We run camps each spring and autumn. For more information on dates and the applicant process for the camps, please email the CAYA team on caya@irishcancer.ie
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 Support programme, which 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 (e.g., grandparents, aunts, etc.)
To be referred to one of our trained parent volunteers, please call the Irish Cancer Society Support Line at 1800 200 700 or email supportline@irishcancer.ie.
The Irish Cancer Society funds Hand in Hand - Children’s Cancer Charity.
Hand in Hand provides in-house and external play therapy support to children around Ireland who have a cancer diagnosis, and their siblings. Play therapy allows children time and space to play out and express their feelings through their most natural method of communication: play.
The new playroom within their centre in Loughrea, Co. Galway, holds the play therapy ‘tool kit’, which includes sand, clay, puppets, role-play, art materials, therapeutic stories, creative visualisations, and music/movement.
Hand in Hand also provide adult counselling for parents across the country. Face-to-face counselling is available in the West of Ireland, and secure online counselling support is available in the rest of the country.
Requests for these services can be made to Hand in Hand directly.
For CAYA patients and their siblings from 0-24 years old we fund creative arts therapies to support the psychosocial needs of a young person. This service is available nationwide, at home or as locally as possible.
In-hospital support
Our Children’s Cancer Nurse is in CHI Crumlin every week. She can provide information about all of our services and how to access them.
She can be found around the playrooms, wards and clinic areas of the hospital. Every week there will be posters in the hospital for times and days that she is available. You can also ask staff when she will be in.
You do not need to make an appointment to see our nurse you can drop it at anytime when she is on site.
Julie Wren complementary therapies
The Irish Cancer Society funds a haven on St John’s Ward in Children’s Health Ireland (CHI) at Crumlin, which provides massage, reflexology, mindfulness and meditation to children and their parents/guardians when in hospital.
Fertility services
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.
A range of fertility services are provided under this project.
Call the Irish Cancer Society's Freephone Support Line on 1800 200 700 if you would like to discuss any of the services available.
Palliative care
Palliative care is the phase of treatment where cure is no longer possible. Palliative care describes the supportive care and treatment given to ease symptoms and improve quality of life, but with the knowledge that it will not lead to a cure.
Palliative care is an approach to care, from diagnosis, through death and beyond ensuring your child’s comfort and dignity are the priority. It can be introduced at any point, it is completely individual. Some children may require palliative care from diagnosis; others only as their condition deteriorates. Palliative care aims to enable a child/family get on with daily life and be as independent for as long as possible in the most satisfying way they can, within the limits of their illness.
Whether or not further treatment is available, it is often a good idea for you to get to know the people who can help you and your child during their last weeks or months.
A team of people from different disciplines and different organisations, some of whom will already be well known to you, will come together to plan your child’s care. The clinical nurse coordinator forms a link between you, the hospital and your community specialist palliative care team. This team may include:
- Hospital consultant
- Clinical nurse coordinator
- Clinical nurse specialist
- Palliative care consultant
- Palliative care nurse specialist
- Social worker
- Your GP
- Public health nurses
- Community palliative care team
The progression of your child’s disease to this stage may have been expected, or come as a total shock to you. Either way, you are most likely feeling devastated. Good practical support from professionals may help to relieve the stress and help families find ways to manage.
In-home end-of-life nursing care
The Irish Cancer Society's Night Nursing Service is available so that you and your child will receive nursing care, practical support and reassurance in your own home. We aim to keep your child comfortable and free of pain. Your nurse will work with you to give your child the highest standard of nursing care and ensure their comfort and dignity throughout the night. The night nurse will usually attend from the hours of 11pm – 7am.
All the Night Nurses are registered with the Nursing & Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI), Garda vetted and Employees of the Irish Cancer Society.
First, contact the health professional who is looking after your child- they need to make the request. The health professional that can make these requests are:
- Member of the community palliative care team
- Member of the palliative care services in hospital
- General practitioner
- Public health nurse
Once your health professional makes the booking, we make contact with a local night nurse, and arrange for the nurse to visit your family.
Unfortunately, we can't take Night Nursing bookings directly from you, but if you have any questions at all, please phone the Support Line on Freephone 1800 200 700.
Additional supports
Children’s cancer charities and support groups
A registered charity that provides practical assistance and support for families in need who have a child with cancer. It takes referrals through St John’s Ward at Children’s Health Ireland at Crumlin.
Tel: 01 240 1332 Website: www.aoibheannspinktie.ie
A specially designed camp for children with serious illnesses and their families.
Tel: 045 864 115
Email: info@barretstown.org
Website: www.barretstown.org
A registered not-for-profit organisation that provides outings for children who have a life-threatening or long-term illness, or are disadvantaged in some other way.
Tel: 086 262 8888
Email: info@bubblegumclub.ie
Website: www.bubblegumclub.weebly.com
A nationwide professional medical transport service for long-term sick and seriously disabled children. It transports children in a fun environment from home to their treatment centres.
Tel: 083 00 44 444
Email: info@bumbleance.com
Website: www.bumbleance.com
A nationwide support group for young people aged between 12 and 25 who have or had cancer, and also for their siblings and friends.
Tel: 01 872 2012
Email: info@canteen.ie
Website: www.canteen.ie
A registered charity founded and led by parents of children with cancer and survivors. It raises awareness about childhood cancer, advocates for improved services and funds vital supports for affected families.
Email: info@childhoodcancer.ie
Website: www.childhoodcancer.ie
An organisation that works directly with children in hospitals to help them cope with illness and being in hospital. It also provides ongoing support to their families.
Tel: 01 290 3510
Email: info@childreninhospital.ie
Website: www.childreninhospital.ie
An association that supports and assists families of children with leukaemia in the Munster region.
Tel: 021 494 9801
Email: info@cla.ie
Website: www.cla.ie
A registered charity that provides financial help for hidden costs in caring for critically ill children in Ireland.
Tel: 061 331 333
Email: info@clionas.ie
Website: www.clionas.ie
A registered charity in the Republic and Northern Ireland that provides support to families. Its cancer support specialists (CSS) work in CHI Crumlin and the community, providing practical and social support to families. It also provides a purpose-built therapeutic centre offering short stays to families impacted by cancer. Daisy Lodge is based in Co Down and there are plans to build a second lodge in Mayo.
Tel: 01 562 1580
Website: cancerfundforchildren.com
A national support service that provides practical support for families of children with cancer.
Tel: 087 660 0103
Email: support@handinhand.ie
Website: https://handinhandcharity.ie
Watch this video from Denise Gordon a play therapist with Hand in Hand. Denise's role is funded by the Irish Cancer Society.
This organisation grants the wishes of children aged between 3 and 17 living with life-threatening medical conditions to bring hope, strength and joy. It is an affiliate of the International Make-A-Wish family.
Tel: 01 205 2007
Email: info@makeawish.ie
Website: www.makeawish.ie
An international charity that provides accommodation in a caring and supportive environment for families whose children are seriously ill in hospital or undergoing treatment at Children’s Health Ireland at Crumlin.
Tel: 01 456 0435
Email: ronaldhouse@rmhc.ie
Website: www.rmhc.ie
A registered charity that provides assistance to families who are travelling abroad for specialist cancer treatment that is not available in Ireland.
Tel: 01 201 6030
Email: info@thegavinglynnfoundation.ie
Website: https://tggf.ie/
Useful websites
US children’s charity that provides useful resources.
This programme enables children to use colourful beads as symbols of courage that show the milestones they have hit while being treated for cancer. They receive beads for various treatments and procedures, as well as special courage beads along the way. This international programme was brought to Ireland, and is funded by, Childhood Cancer Ireland.
Based in the US, this is the world’s largest organisation devoted exclusively to childhood and adolescent cancer research.
A UK charity for children with cancer that publishes a wide range of books, including storybooks.
Website: www.younglivesvscancer.org.uk
An Irish charity that focuses on supporting the mental health needs of young people aged 12-15.
This website contains video content of people talking about a range of health conditions. One section focuses on cancer in young people. It covers topics such as symptoms, side-effects, coping strategies and self-image.
Website: https://healthtalk.org/introduction/cancer-young-people/
This is an anonymous and confidential place where young people can talk about their health and mental wellbeing.
Irish website with information and support for young people with long-term illnesses who are moving from child to adult health services.
Global support community for adolescents and young adults with cancer.
Cancer information and support forum for teenagers with cancer.
UK organisation that provides information and support for teenagers and young adults with cancer.
A charity which funds real hair wigs for children in Ireland and the UK.
International cancer information websites
CCLG is a leading children’s cancer charity and the UK and Ireland’s professional association for those involved in the treatment and care of children with cancer. CCLG produces a wide range of publications – books, booklets and factsheets – based around many aspects of children’s cancer. These can be downloaded from its website.
Website: www.cclg.org.uk
A UK charity that provides in-depth information on lymphoma.
Helpline: 0044 808 808 5555
Website: www.lymphoma-action.org.uk
A UK charity that provides specialist healthcare, information and financial support to people affected by cancer.
Tel: 0044 808 808 0000
Website: www.macmillan.org.uk
The US government's main agency for cancer research and training.
Website: www.nci.nih.gov
A UK charity dedicated to finding a cure for neuroblastoma.
Tel: 0044 20 3096 7890
Email: hello@neuroblastoma.org.uk
Website: https://www.neuroblastoma.org.uk
A UK charity that funds vital research and offers support for anyone affected by sarcoma.
Email: info@sarcoma.org.uk
Website: www.sarcoma.org.uk
Blood cancer research charity in the UK.
Website: https://bloodcancer.org.uk/
