Kay Johnston, Head of Cancer Support Services at Clan Cancer Support and Naomi Murdo, Team Leader - Children & Family Services at Clan Cancer Support.
Clan Cancer Support has received £187,103 from National Lottery funding to help children and families impacted by cancer.
The funding will be used by the charity’s Children and Family Services (CFS) covering Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Moray, Orkney and Shetland to deliver therapeutic support to children, young people and their families.
Clan’s CFS practitioners support children and young people who are dealing with a cancer diagnosis or a loss in the family, with sessions delivered in dedicated ‘child-friendly’ rooms within Clan centres, Royal Aberdeen Children’s Hospital or at the young person’s school or family home.
The last 12 months have been the busiest since the charity launched the service in 2014, with an average of five new referrals per week.
In the last year, 29% of Clan’s CFS clients have been supported through the death of a parent or guardian, with 35% of referrals coming from organisations including schools, social workers and health professionals.
Kay Johnston, head of cancer support services at Clan, said: “We are incredibly grateful to National Lottery for this significant amount which will sustain this service for three years. As a commercially independent charity this funding is essential.
“We work with around 300 children and young people every year, often through what can be the most difficult time of their life because they or someone they’re close to is going through a diagnosis, or there has been a bereavement.
“Parents, teachers and caregivers will often share with us they ‘don’t want to say the wrong thing’. That’s why Clan’s here, to provide age-appropriate and professional support until the client feels back in control of their situation.”
Clan’s Children and Families Service is available for any family requiring support, information and advice during a cancer journey with individuals able to self-refer for the service directly through Clan’s website.
Clan has five dedicated CFS practitioners with career backgrounds in psychiatric nursing, psychology, primary teaching and autism specialist work.
The practitioners are located in Aberdeen, Elgin and Shetland and work with clients on a one-to-one basis, allowing them a safe and confidential space to explore and express their feelings. Currently a digital service is available to families in Orkney.
Every session is client-led and age-appropriate with additional resources available for young children and those with additional support needs to express themselves. Parents and caregivers are welcome to attend to help foster positive family communications.
Clan also provides listening support, wellbeing support, complementary therapies and patient and family accommodation. Services are available to those with a diagnosis and their loved ones.
National Lottery players raise over £30million a week for good causes across the UK. Thanks to them, last year (2023/24) the National Lottery Community Fund awarded over half a billion pounds (£686.3million) of life-changing funding to communities across the UK, supporting over 13,700 projects to turn their great ideas into reality.