Charities Launch Enhanced Support for Bereaved Parents
Cancer Fund for Children, in partnership with The Children’s Cancer Unit Charity, is proud to launch dedicated bereavement support for parents whose child has died from cancer.
This new initiative will provide much-needed, enhanced support to parents who have been under the care of the Haematology/Oncology team at the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children (RBHSC) and who experience the death of their child.
Central to the service is the appointment of a new Parental Cancer Support Specialist. Working within the community, they will maintain close and vital links with the social work team and the wider multidisciplinary team at RBHSC. The role will be jointly supported and guided by both charities, ensuring a coordinated and compassionate approach to care.
This collaboration reflects a shared commitment by Cancer Fund for Children and The Children’s Cancer Unit Charity to ensure families feel truly understood and cared for, with support shaped around what feels right for them.
Every week in Northern Ireland, 3 children and young people (aged 0-24) will be diagnosed with cancer. A Childhood Cancer diagnosis is a life changing and challenging experience for the diagnosed child and their entire family circle. When a family experiences the death of a child, the impact is profound, and the support required must be flexible, responsive, courageous and sustained. We are delighted to be working alongside The Children’s Cancer Unit Charity to provide enhanced, compassionate support to parents navigating bereavement.
Neil Symington, Director of Services at Cancer Fund for Children
The death of a child is unimaginable, and the grief that follows can feel overwhelming and isolating. It affects the entire family, and no parent can ever truly prepare for such heartbreak.
We are incredibly proud to partner with Cancer Fund for Children to launch this dedicated bereavement support service, ensuring parents who have experienced the death of their child have access to specialist, compassionate support when they need it most. With an experienced bereavement support worker dedicated to the service, families will have someone who understands the unique challenges they face and can walk alongside them as they navigate this time in their lives. We hope this new service will provide comfort, understanding and practical support, helping bereaved parents feel less alone.
Jane Hoare, Chief Executive at The Children’s Cancer Unit Charity
At Cancer Fund for Children, we have been providing in-reach support at the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children (RBHSC) for over 40 years. Today, dedicated Youth Support Workers based on the hospital ward are an integral part of the multidisciplinary team (MDT), and we play a key role in the regional Adolescent and Young Adult (AYA) Service for Northern Ireland.
Every child or young person aged 0-16 who is diagnosed with cancer or a complex blood disorder in Northern Ireland will be treated at the Children’s Cancer Unit in the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children.
The Children’s Cancer Unit Charity provides direct support for this Unit, to ensure the best possible treatment and care for children and their families. The charity provides a range of resources and support by investing in specialised staff roles and equipment and infrastructure within the Unit. It also supports training and development for the staff in the Children’s Cancer Unit and funds vital research into paediatric cancers. In addition, it offers a range of services directly to families, from practical and financial support, home-from-home comforts, a specialist Robotics programme aimed at preventing social isolation, a dedicated family room at the charity’s HQ to allow families to access some much-needed breathing space, and a range of family events.
To find out more about the bereavement service, click here!