List of Support Groups Nationwide
There are many organisations in Ireland who provide support, advice and services to families affected by serious illnesses. We have listed some of these organisations below.
Anam Cara
Anam Cara is an all Island organisation that offers support services for bereaved parents and their families after the death of a child. Anam Cara supports all bereaved parents regardless of the age of the child or circumstances of their death, or whether this was recent or not.
Our services include Parent Evenings where bereaved parents can connect in a safe and comfortable setting, Bereavement Information Evenings (with guest speakers), Remembrance/Celebration of Life Events and Family Events. We have a website with access to Private Message Forums and videos with parent testimonies.
Our Information Pack contains eight booklets on different aspects of parental grief such as A Dad’s Grief, A Mother’s Grief, Supporting My Family and Coping with Sudden Death. The pack can be ordered free of charge by contacting Anam Cara. For more information:
Address: HCL House, Second Avenue, Cookstown Industrial Estate, Tallaght, Dublin 24
Phone: +353 1 4045 378 Phone NI: +44 28 9521 3120
Email: info@anamcara.ie
Website: www.anamcara.ie
Aoibheann’s Pink Tie
Aoibheann’s Pink Tie was set up in 2010 to provide practical, emotional and financial support to families who have children fighting cancer. Some of the services offered include emergency financial support, respite days for families, hickman drysuits for swimming and showering.
Tel: 01-2401332
Website: http://aoibheannspinktie.ie/
Barretstown
Barretstown was founded by Hollywood actor Paul Newman in 1994 after the success of his Hole In The Wall Camps in the USA. Barretstown offers free, specially designed camps and programmes for children and their families living with a serious illness – supported behind the scenes by 24 hour on site medical and nursing care. Our camps and programmes have a profound effect and lasting impact on our campers and their families. After participating, children go home with increased confidence, self-esteem and more importantly the reassurance that happiness is not just for healthy children. Barretstown has grown from serving 124 children in a marquee in 1994 to over 30,000 children and their families from across Europe. The site has grown to offer a first-class facility for children with serious illness with an excellent medical centre and a unique therapeutic programme backed by the medical community.
For more information on Barretstown:
Website: http://www.barretstown.org
The Bubblegum Club
The Bubblegum Club is an Irish registered not for profit organisation whose mission is to provide extraordinary outings for extraordinary children, many of whom suffer from life threatening illness, long term debilitating illness or are disadvantaged in some other way.
Over the last 20 years they have developed great experience and supportive contacts which enables The Bubblegum Club to put on a fantastic show quickly, efficiently and cost effectively.
Website: http://bubblegumclub.weebly.com/
BUMBLEance
BUMBLEance is the most modern children’s ambulance service on the planet and it is the world’s first interactive ambulance purposefully designed for children. It provides a FREE national service for critically and seriously ill children, who require transportation between their home and children’s hospitals, hospices, national treatment centres and respite centres. Bookings can be made by parents or through nurses, social workers and other healthcare professionals in direct contact with the family of a sick child. The top of the range onboard entertainment, which includes a PlayStation, Sensory Lighting, Netflix, iPad Air, Beats Headphones, Apple TV and Apple Music, is a distraction and removes many of the child’s anxieties.
The charity provides specialised Angel Trips; these are designed to give support and comfort to the family of terminally ill child who is making their final journey on earth.There have been over 11000 trips nationwide since BUMBLEance’s inception and there are hundreds of families availing of the charity’s services. As part of the fleet, the Heffernan’s have also created both the Children’s Chemo Cab bringing children to and from Cancer Treatments, and BUMBLEair, a free air transport service for sick children.
The Saoirse Foundation, 2 James St, Tralee, Kerry. V92 T6PH
General enquiries: 083 00 44 444
Bookings: 086 1451470
Email: info@BUMBLEance.com
Website: www.bumbleance.com
CanTeen Ireland
CanTeen Ireland is a registered charity and the nationwide support group for young people between the ages of 12 and 25 years who have or have had cancer. We were founded by a group of dedicated health professionals in May 1990 and have since grown from strength to strength. Our aims are to support, empower and develop young people who have, or have had cancer. CanTeen Ireland provides an opportunity for young people who have been affected with cancer to meet up in a relaxed and informal setting and to attend fun activity weekends away together as a group. Membership is free to our 260 members.
It is a testament to the success of the group that many of our members are now volunteer leaders, including our current Chairperson.
For more information on CanTeen.
Website: http://www.canteen.ie
Children In Hospital Ireland
Children In Hospital Ireland (CHI) is a National non profit organisation committed to promoting and ensuring the welfare of all children in hospital and their families.
CHI uses its expertise to deliver unique daily and weekly play sessions that support children parents and staff in 13 hospital wards and playrooms nationwide.
CHI supports parents before, during and after a child’s hospital stay.
CHI Volunteers are on hand in 13 hospitals to entertain children and to allow parents to take time for a coffee, a shower or a short nap. CHI has published a series of information leaflets, booklets and comprehensive reports to help support and inform parents, health professionals and policy makers about the rights and needs of sick children.
CHI has been involved in the planning and development of services in children’s hospitals for four decades. The organisation provides a voice for all hospitalised children and their parents and participates in and contributes to a wide range of local consultative and national forums. The Charity aims to make hospital a happier place for children through play and advocacy.
Suite 211 3-4 Burton Hall Road, Sandyford, Dublin 18
Tel: 01-2903510
Email: info@childreninhospital.ie
Website: https://www.childreninhospital.ie
Children’s Leukaemia Association
Started in the 1970’s as a result of an awareness of the lack of services in the Cork region the association provides the following:
Free home from home accommodation in an apartment purchased (through fundraising) and maintained by the Charity for families who have travelled long distances while their child is being treated in the Children’s Leukaemia Unit.
Funds additional nursing staff at critical periods during the child’s illness.
Provides financial support when problems or acute needs are experienced during the course of treatment for leukaemia, cancer or other serious blood disorders.
Provides essential medical equipment.
Funds necessary counselling for the child and other family members and any other therapy services required.
Organises and funds a trip to Lourdes for the child and parent after treatment.
Organises special outing for children and their families including a Christmas Party, Parents Night Out and a Family Day Trip.
Funds Leukaemia Research focusing on quality of life for the child and family.
Funds educational support for staff who work in the Children’s Leukaemia Unit.
Arranges regular Parent Support Evenings with guest speakers specialising in areas affecting the family.
9 Dyke Parade, Mardyke, Cork
Tel: 021- 494 9801
Website: http://www.cla.ie/
Cliona’s Foundation
Cliona’s Foundation is a charitable organisation founded in 2007 and provides financial assistance to families of children with a life limiting illness to help them with the multiple non-medical costs of caring for their child. These costs can range from accommodation, transport, food, car parking fees, childcare cost and cost of specialist home care equipment.
Cliona’s Foundation is the only Charity providing this type of assistance across all life limiting conditions from birth up to the age of 16 years of age and supports families all over the country.
What Cliona’s Foundation does is ease the family’s struggle in a small but very important way and gives them the breathing space to cope.
Roselawn House, University Business Campus, National Technology Park, Limerick.
Telephone: 061-331333
Email: info@clionasfoundation.ie
Website: https://www.clionasfoundation.ie
Fairy Footprints
Fairy Footprints is a charity that was established in 2015 in memory of Róisín Redmond and Holly Gorey. The charity was initially started by the girl’s parents Carol Gorey and David and Lynda Redmond in memory of their daughters. Our main focus is on providing special Memory Boxes to families that experience the bereavement of a child.
Our hope is that our Memory Boxes will provide comfort at a time of great sadness. It is our most sincere wish that in times when wisps of memory are not enough to console us, that the Memory Box will give us something which is tangible and real. We hope that the items in the box will become treasured pieces that create a link in an unbroken chain from ourselves to the little one we miss so much.
We work with hospitals and outreach nurses all over the country.
Email us : fairyfootprints2015@gmail.com
The Gavin Glynn Foundation
The Gavin Glynn Foundation was founded in 2015 by John & Jayne Glynn in memory of their son Gavin who passed away from Rhabdomyosarcoma. John says “We know first-hand what it is like to have to travel to other countries with your child to receive treatment. We want to take this financial burden and stress away from the families so they can focus all their time on their child and family”.
The Gavin Glynn Foundation’s mission is to be able to assist families who have children battling cancer with:
Transportation costs (Flights, Car Hire etc.).
Transportation to and from the designated Airports.
Accommodation within, or close to, the designated medical centre.
Food and living expenses for the duration of the child’s treatment while abroad.
Travel pack to include toys for the child and siblings travelling.
For more information contact:-
Telephone: 01-2016030
Website: http://thegavinglynnfoundation.ie
Hand in Hand National Children’s Cancer Charity
Hand in Hand is a non-profit organisation which provides the families of children with cancer with much-needed practical support.
The Charity supports families who are affected by childhood cancer by giving them access to professional service providers.
By availing of the services, families find they have more precious time to spend with their children rather than trying to keep on top of household chores.
The Charity is unique in that it is the only organisation that offers this type of practical support to children and their families throughout their cancer treatment.
They engage professional services suppliers to provide the following support to all families before, during and after their child’s cancer treatment:
support with child care
domestic cleaning services
household laundry
family meals
Families who contact Hand in Hand are individually assessed so that they can tailor the services available to their needs. The services are driven by user needs identified through feedback from affected families, and they aim to continually adapt to families’ needs.
Hand in Hand Ltd,
Main Street, Oranmore, Co. Galway
Tel: 091483694
Out of Hours: 087 6600103
Mobile: 087 6600103
Email: info@handinhand.ie
Website: https://www.handinhand.ie
HopeSpace
HopeSpace is a free, one-to-one listening service. We meet with children and young people aged 4-17 years who are experiencing loss from bereavement and help them to process their grief.
Parent/Guardian contacts us to refer their child through the website, by phone, email, Instagram or Facebook.
We talk to you about the service, and if appropriate, book you in for an appointment. If you are not eligible for the service, we will give you information on alternative service.
In the first session, we meet the parent/guardian without the child. We explore the opportunities to help the child/young person.
The trained volunteer normally meets the child/young person for one-to-one sessions (each lasting about 45 minutes). On average, children attend six sessions during which the volunteer encourages them to talk about their grief and help them to identify their emotions around these feelings.
HopeSpace,
Unit 16, The SCCUL Enterprise Centre,
Castlepark Rd, Ballybane,
Galway, H91RH32
Email: support@hopespace.ie
Tel: 091 342566
Jack & Jill is a nationwide charity providing in-home nursing care and respite support for children up to the age of 6 with severe to profound cognitive delay.
This may include children with brain injury, genetic diagnosis, cerebral palsy, and undiagnosed conditions. Another key part of our service is end-of-life care for all children up to the age of 6, irrespective of diagnosis.
Please note, we do not provide a service to children with a primary diagnosis of Autism (regardless of their cognitive delay) or children with complex medical needs without a severe to profound cognitive delay (This includes children with tracheostomies, muscular atrophies and muscular dystrophies).
Phone: (045) 894 538 or (045) 894 660
Email: info@jackandjill.ie
Address: Johnstown Manor, Johnstown, Naas, Co Kildare, W91 DYT2, Ireland
https://www.jackandjill.ie/
Laura Lynn-Ireland’s Children’s Hospice
Laura Lynn provides palliative care and support for children (0-18 years) with life-limiting conditions and their families, from the point of diagnosis to end of life, and throughout bereavement.
Working in partnership with the child’s primary care team, our specialised supports can be delivered in our hospice, at hospital, in the community, or in the family home, depending on the child and family’s preference. All care is provided free to families.
Laura Lynn’s holistic approach ensures we support the whole family, allowing parents to have time to be Mum and Dad rather than full-time carers. Each child/family has a unique care plan which outlines the particular services/supports that are most pertinent to them.
The range of family supports we offer includes: Symptom Management; Planned short hospice stays (respite); Unplanned hospice stays (emergency care); End of Life Care; Music & Play Therapy; Psychological & Bereavement support; Therapeutic Family Work; Social Worker and Chaplaincy.
For further information:
Website: www.lauralynn.ie
Make a Wish
Make-A-Wish Ireland grants wishes to children age 3-17 living with a life-threatening illness. Your child may be at the start, in the middle or nearing the end of their treatment, and what better way to reward their bravery than applying for a wish on their behalf? A wish can help them forget about the injections, treatment and hospital visits and give them a chance to be a child again. If you would like to apply for a wish, please click here to download an application form or call their Wishgranting Department on 01 2052011.
Make-A-Wish ® Foundation
2 Leopardstown Business Center, Ballyogan Avenue, Leopardstown, Dublin 18, Ireland
Tel: 01 2052007
Website: https://makeawish.ie
Ronald McDonald House
The first Irish Ronald McDonald House was opened in 2004 on the grounds of Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital.
The Ronald McDonald House provides long term accommodation, care and support for families from all over Ireland whilst their children are seriously ill in Crumlin Children’s Hospital.
Since the House opened in 2004 it has been a home to over 3,000 families from all over Ireland. The House has 16 ensuite family bedrooms, 3 kitchens, a dining room, a TV room, a toddlers’ room and a utility room. There is an outdoor play area for children and a small garden. There is also a 4 bedroom house situated directly across from the main house at 45 St. Mary’s Drive, Crumlin which provides an additional 4 family bedrooms.
The charity plans to open a 53 bedroom Ronald McDonald House alongside the new National Children’s Hospital when it opens.
The Ronald McDonald House provides accommodation, care and support for 20 families every night while their seriously ill child is an inpatient or receiving care in Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital, Crumlin
The House enables families to stay together so that they can be with their sick child at what is a very traumatic time for them all.
Many families travel far from home to get treatment for their seriously ill or injured children. Often, it can be a long time to be away from home and divide a family. For children facing a serious medical crisis, nothing seems scarier than not having their mum and dad close by for love and support. The Ronald McDonald House program provides a Home for families so they can stay close by their hospitalised child at very little cost. The House works on the simple idea that nothing else should matter when a family is focused on healing their child – not where they can afford to stay, where they will get their next meal or where they will lay their head at night to rest.
Ronald Mc Donald House, Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital, Crumlin, Dublin 12
Tel: 01-456 0435
Email: ronaldhouse@rmhc.ie
Website: https://www.rmhc.ie