To recognise Children’s Hospice Week (22nd-28th June) we want to share some stories about how Charlie House helps and supports local families, now and in the future.
Here at Charlie House we are lucky to have a dedicated and passionate team of staff and volunteers to support the families we work alongside.
Our services team is managed by Leigh, our Children & Family Support Manager.
Leigh works closely with families to identify their needs and to provide information and support tailored to each individual and family. This support is given at home, in the community or in a healthcare setting – wherever the family require. Emotional support is a key element of how Leigh works with families, enabling them to talk about their fears and worries and empowering them to make decisions about their child’s care. She also works with the whole family before and after a child has sadly passed, and helps them keep their precious family memories safe. Leigh works very closely with the Community Team at the Royal Aberdeen Children’s Hospital and with the rest of the Charlie House Services Team to make sure families get as full and varied a support system as possible.
Our Activities Co-ordinator, Beth, is responsible for arranging and delivering a wide range of activities for the families we support to take part in. These can range from exciting trips dolphin watching and visits to Jump In trampoline park, to more relaxed activities like sensory storytelling. Beth works closely with families to identify the sorts of activities they would like to be able to do together, then finds a way to make those activities accessible. She also organises dedicated activities for parents and for siblings to give them a short break from their caring responsibilities and let them meet others who may be going through similar experiences to them. She also organises our annual short break to Kielder Forest Park in Northumberland where families can stay in fully accessible accommodation and take part in activities that they may never have thought they would be able to do together including canoeing and a climbing wall.
Joan is our Volunteer & Information Co-ordinator. She is instrumental in recruiting and training volunteers to provide support to activities throughout Charlie House, including dedicated volunteers to support our children and family activities. She is the first point of contact for anyone interested in volunteering to support Charlie House and she works closely with volunteers to look at their passions and strengths and to identify the most suitable volunteering role for them. She manages our volunteer training, rotas, and provides ongoing support to volunteers throughout their time supporting Charlie House.
The final member of our Services Team is Fiona, our Children’s Community Nurse who is based at the Royal Aberdeen Children’s Hospital. She works alongside families in hospital, at home and in the community to make sure they feel confident and supported with their child’s individual care needs. This includes providing practical nursing care, teaching and supporting families with specific tasks like tube feeding, helping manage symptoms, and supporting families to transition from being in the hospital to living at home.
Alongside our services team we also have a dedicated team of fundraising, admin and support staff and an incredible team of volunteers who give their own time to support our work. Thank you to each and every one of them for being part of Charlie House and for helping us to support children and families across the North-east.
To enable us to provide vital support to families now and in the future, we need your help to Support Our Services. Please text CHARLIESOS to 70085 to donate £5 (texts cost £5 + one standard network message).
Motivated to make a larger donation? Click here to donate and remember to tell us in the comments if you would like to support our Big Build Appeal.
