CLIC Sargent for children with cancer

Every day, 10 children and young people in the UK hear the shocking news they have cancer.

Treatment normally starts immediately, is often given many miles from home and can last for up to three years. Being diagnosed with cancer is a frightening experience and the emotional, practical and financial implications of treatment are intensely challenging for the whole family.

CLIC Sargent is the UK’s leading cancer charity for children and young people, and their families. They provide clinical, practical, financial and emotional support to help them cope with cancer and get the most out of life. They are there from diagnosis onwards and aim to help the whole family deal with the impact of cancer and its treatment, life after treatment and, in some cases, bereavement.

CLIC Sargent recognises that every child or young person with cancer has a different experience. A cancer diagnosis also affects the whole family in many different ways, so they take time to listen and understand. Their aim is to help ensure that the whole family receives the support which works best for them.

• They provide clinical, practical and emotional support to children and young people with cancer, and their families
• They give financial support including grants and benefits information to children and young people with cancer to help deal with the financial impact of cancer
• They provide free ‘Home from Home’ accommodation close to specialist hospitals, so that families can be close to their children during treatment
• They offer free holidays and short breaks so that families can spend time together, with the support of our care professionals, away from the everyday challenges of childhood cancer
• They provide children, young people and families with a wide range of valuable information on childhood cancer and its impact
• They campaign and influence others to raise awareness of the needs of children and young people with cancer and to improve the support they receive.

Here's a summary of just some of the ways they helped during 2011/2012:

• They provided emotional support to over 6,200 children and young people with cancer
• Their nurses supported over 1,000 children with cancer and their families
• They awarded 4,828 grants with a total value of nearly £1 million
• There were 1,894 family stays at their Homes from Home, enabling families to be near their child during treatment
• 387 families spent time together at Malcolm Sargent House, their holiday home in Scotland.