Together for Short Lives

Guest blog:  Lizzie Chambers.  Development Director, Together for Short Lives.

There are an estimated 49,000 children and young people in the UK living with a life-threatening or life-limiting condition that may require palliative care support. This number may seem small compared to the global need, but for each child and their family, the impact on their daily lives is huge.
Together for Short Lives is here to help make sure that every one of these children and young people and their families gets the best possible care whenever and wherever they need it. 

These children and their families rely on a network of many excellent and invaluable services which make up children’s palliative care across the UK – hospitals, children’s hospices, community children’s nurses, social care providers, educators, wish-granting charities, therapists, psychologists, sibling workers, bereavement counsellors – and many, many more.

We work closely with all these different organisations and professionals to help them to provide the best possible care and support to all the children and families that need it.  This short film from Richard House highlights some of the wonderful work carried out by this children’s hospice based in London.

Together for Short Lives is proud to have been actively involved in setting up the International Children’s Palliative Care Network (ICPCN) and to now be able to celebrate the charity’s 10 year anniversary with the NOW Campaign.  Our challenge in the UK is to make sure that every single baby, child or young person is able to access the care and support that is appropriate for them, whether that is at home, in hospital or in a hospice setting.   The challenge across the globe is even greater and in many countries is about providing the most basic pain relief to children who are suffering needlessly.

We hope that through raising awareness with these Little Stars films we can shine a light on the fantastic support that can be provided to children and families by children’s palliative care services around the world.  Please donate to ICPCN to help us to make this a reality.  www.icpcn.org/donate-to-icpcn