The Sick Kids Friends Foundation Drop In Centre
The Sick Kids Drop In Centre has been opened to provide an informal setting where children with life limiting or long-term illness and their families, friends and carers can meet others in similar circumstances, access information on welfare services, counselling, complementary therapies, take part in activities and classes and gain informal support. The friendly environment of the centre, whilst being close to the hospital, invites families to take time out and gives them a non-institutional place they can call their own.
The conditions which it is envisaged will be encompassed within the Centre include leukaemia, cancer, cystic fibrosis, cerebral palsy, arthritis, epilepsy, spinal problems, neurological and respiratory conditions.
There are currently 3000 children on the hospital's Special Needs Register, from all over East and Central Scotland - the project aims to involve a minimum of 20% of these children in the first year, rising to 50% after 3 years.
The Drop In Centre will be run by 2 members of staff plus a part-time administrative support, a part time youth worker and a group of volunteers. The centre's trained staff will provide support by encouraging, motivating and teaching. The centre will provide a safe haven where families can meet others in a similar situation, and feel they are not alone. The programmes that will run will allow families to be involved as little or as much as they wish. There will be a weekly programme of individual and group sessions, sessions which can be booked by children and parents, and a constant supply of tea, coffee and juice for round the kitchen table informal meetings. The centre will help people develop their own strategies for coping with their situation. Every family's needs are different - these will vary from wanting a quiet place away from the hospital to have a cup of tea, to wanting help with the minefield of information they may face, to learning relaxation techniques.
There will be a need for a few separate activities for some groups, whose resistance to infection is low, but generally it is planned to maintain an "Open Door" policy for all children and families.
There will be a strong "stakeholder" involvement in the planning of activities and emphasis of the Centre. Parents and children have already responded to surveys indicating their interest in contributing to the conceptual development of the centre.
The activities of the centre will be provided free of charge to children and parents and the revenue or on-going costs of the Centre will be funded by the Sick Kids Friends Foundation. The costs will be approximately £100,000 for capital funding and £150,000 annually to run the Centre. We are delighted that the Wooden Spoon Society has pledged £50,000 towards the capital costs and we have applied to the Big Lottery Fund for some of the revenue funding.
The Centre opened on 20th May 2006.
For further information, and to hear about our ongoing work and funding commitments please contact the Sick Kids Friends Foundation on 0131 668 4949
