July 2023 – December 2023 Update
“This quarter has seen some significant changes to the LATCH Social Work team, with us saying a sad farewell to the longest standing member, Katie Thomas. We have however been very pleased to welcome a new social worker to the team, Helen Braidwood. Helen has settled in well and is adjusting to the varied and complex work in this setting. We continue to see a steady stream of new patients with complex diagnosis and social issues, so having someone start so quickly has been essential.
Sadly, we have continued to see the high level of bereavements with 7 children passing away within this period. We support each family following the death of their child and are led by their needs in the support that is offered. We have worked closely with other professionals and agencies including Ty Hafan and the Paediatric Oncology Outreach Nurses to ensure that the best care is provided during the most difficult of times. We offer 1:1 support for families for 13 months post bereavement. Following this we will remain involved with families as they will be invited to our annual summer Walk to Remember indefinitely. We also held our annual Remembrance Lunch on the 25th November 2023. Families are invited to this for up to 5 years following the loss of their child. This allows them the opportunity to share their memories and experiences with others who truly understand the difficulties of what they have been through. This peer support is so vital and we feel it is essential that we provide this safe space for bereaved families to come together.
We are pleased to have been able to provide some positive opportunities for families of children on treatment to socialise with each other and spend quality time together away from hospital. We had our annual trips to Build a Bear on the 7th and 16th November, which were thoroughly enjoyed by the children on treatment and their siblings. This was followed by drinks and snacks at the Clayton Hotel in Cardiff. The feedback from families about these events has been overwhelmingly positive. With people saying that it provides an opportunity for them to allow their children to mix and play with others in a way that feels safe, given their impaired immune systems.
LATCH has also been celebrating their 40th anniversary this year and this included a Family Fun Day on 8th July at Howell’s School. Again, this was a lovely opportunity for families to get together away from hospital and for the children to play. It has been a pleasure to be able to offer these events to families and be able to build our working relationships with parents, siblings and the child on treatment in more relaxed and fun settings.
We are now heading into the busy Christmas period where a large focus of the whole LATCH team is on the preparations for gifts and events. We are always overwhelmed by generous gift donations and spend a large amount of time receiving and organising these, before ensuring that each child on treatment and their siblings receive a special gift for Christmas. For those children who will unfortunately be inpatients over Christmas, extra time is spent ensuring that Christmas can still be as special for them as possible.
We also organise special events and visits on the ward, with Father Christmas himself visiting on the 22nd December. All of these things are so important in ensuring that the children and their families have some happy and positive memories of their time on treatment.”
Photos taken by the LATCH team.
April – June 2023 Update
“This quarter has sadly been marked by an unusual concentration of loss, with 6 children passing away. We have been supporting each of their families, in varying circumstances through this incredibly difficult time. For some families, their loss was unexpected and occurred in hospital, while others had time to prepare and were able to make choices about their child’s end of life. The LATCH Social Workers have been available to the families throughout, responding to their immediate needs, whether in hospital, at home or in the local hospice. They have provided much needed emotional support as well as practical support such as making arrangements for memory making or funeral planning. The LATCH Social Workers have utilised their skills and experience to facilitate difficult conversations with families so that they feel supported at a time when they are feeling most vulnerable. The LATCH Social Workers will continue to offer one-to-one bereavement support to these families for 13 months as well as ongoing group support.
The impact of these losses on other children and parents who are supported by LATCH cannot be ignored. The LATCH Social Workers are in tune with those who are most likely to be affected and have been proactive in reaching out to offer emotional support. Similarly, the LATCH Social Workers have been available to offer support to colleagues who are also touched by these deaths. We have commenced support with a high number of newly diagnosed children and their families during this quarter, as well as recommencing our work with those who have relapsed. The issues that these families have faced giving rise to the need for Social Work support have included complex diagnoses bringing uncertainties around treatment and prognosis, as well as a range of existing social needs such as complex family dynamics, relationship difficulties, diversities in culture and language and the additional needs of children like those with autism and ADHD. The ability of the LATCH Social Workers to build relationships with a diverse range of children and their families promptly and in such difficult circumstances has been pivotal to the families experience of feeling supported when in crisis.
It has been a pleasure to re-establish our programme of events to support children and families. The Social Workers facilitated a siblings surfing event at Porthcawl in May, providing an opportunity for the children to have fun, doing an activity that they otherwise would not be able to enjoy because they have a sibling receiving treatment. This was followed by our Walk to Remember, where the Social Workers supported bereaved families to come together in sharing their experiences and remembering their children. Finally, the Social Workers facilitated a family trip to Heatherton World of Activities in Tenby (photos below). The feedback that we have received from families about these opportunities has highlighted the wide-reaching positive impact that they bring. They provide a vital opportunity for the Social Workers to build on their relationship with the children and families and also an opportunity for families to access valuable peer support. The trips arranged by LATCH are experienced by families as being safe and reassuring at a time when they are feeling vulnerable. They provide families with a sense of hope and help to provide a balance to the many challenges the families are facing. All of which are essential in enabling families to build resilience for their journey ahead.”
Photos taken by the LATCH team.
Funding Announcement
From left to right:
Mrs Susan Gwyer-Roberts DL (LATCH Executive Chair), Roger Coombs (1910 Trust Chair), Judge Philip Price KC (LATCH President), Menai Owen-Jones (LATCH Interim Chief Executive), Jan Johnson (1910 Trust CEO)
LATCH has been awarded £90,000 grant funding by the 1910 Trust over the next three years. LATCH was established in 1982 to provide support to children, young people and their families, who have received a cancer or leukaemia diagnosis and are under the care of the Oncology Unit at the Children’s Hospital for Wales, in Cardiff.
Today, LATCH supports an average of 120 families at any one time, and the catchment area is the entirety of South Wales. The core objective of providing unconditional support to children and families remains largely unchanged over the past forty years, although LATCH has grown and expanded its services since its inception.
The charity’s aim now is to enhance the care provided on a clinical level by the Paediatric Oncology teams based in the Children’s Hospital for Wales to ensure that quality of life for children and young people and their families is vastly improved and to support all levels of their wellbeing.
Menai Owen-Jones, interim Chief Executive of LATCH said: “Big thanks to the 1910 Trust for their very generous support and for awarding this grant to LATCH Welsh Children’s Cancer Charity. It will really make a difference to our families. We look forward to working with the 1910 Trust in the years to come.”
Jan Johnson, 1910 Trust CEO stated: “The 1910 Trust are delighted to award LATCH £30,000 of funding each year for the next three years to support the fantastic work they carry out. We are dedicated to providing the communities of South Wales with aid and support for a wide range of organisations, groups and individuals.
Green Willow Funerals has provided funeral services for 25 years and all their profits on an annual basis are made to the 1910 Trust which distributes within communities through their applications which can be found on their Website: https://1910trust.co.uk. It should be noted that the £30k annual applications are now closed until 2025, however, the £5k applications are available under the conditions contained within our website.”
Official press release – written with contributions from Green Willow Funerals, The 1910 Trust & LATCH.
