Key messages

Every day 10 families are told their child has cancer. CLIC Sargent is the only charity that offers them all round care and support. That’s because we’re there… caring every step of the way:

During treatment – specialist nurses, doctors, play specialists, Homes from Home
In hospital & at home – specialist social care and family support
In the community – specialist youth services, holidays, grants, helpline
After treatment – helping survivors, supporting those bereaved, research

CLIC Sargent provides the widest range of services and the highest number of care professionals. Our services are tailored to family-needs, using feedback from our service-users.  As advocates we give children, young people and their families a strong national voice, helping them to be heard and understood. Our clinical research looks at ways of improving treatment and managing side-effects, to help patients and to improve quality of life for survivors.

You wouldn’t send a young person to primary school to get the best education. The same is true when it comes to cancer treatment. For the best outcome, care should be tailored to age and stage of development.

But only 30% of 15-24 year olds get care that’s appropriate to their age and stage of development.

CLIC Sargent funds posts and services specifically for young people. We are the provider of social care for young people, and are part of the National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE) Working Group to implement national guidelines to meet young people’s needs.

It doesn’t matter where they live, what job they have… when a family is told their child has cancer, it becomes the focus in their lives.

The emotional and physical strain is enough, but being a carer puts financial demands on families too. That’s because many parents give up work or reduce their hours to care for their sick child.

CLIC Sargent believes that the Government should do more to help people forced into this situation, with financial and emotional support. Working with caring organisations and employers, CLIC Sargent is developing ‘best practice’ guidelines to help working parents. 
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When a child has cancer money is the last thing on a parent’s mind. But the extra expenses that come with treatment - such as travel, accommodation and phone bills - quickly add up.

By the time they get any help with benefits, the average family will have spent £1,500. The financial strain adds to their anxiety.

CLIC Sargent is calling for a change to the benefits system, so families can get a bridging payment while they wait for benefits. We want to simplify the claims process and to cut out the waiting period for children undergoing chemotherapy or radiotherapy.
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Did you know that many of the drugs given to child cancer patients are simply reduced doses of adult cancer drugs? Though they are effective in treating cancer, they can cause more side-effects and long-term health problems. And there’s a risk of dosage errors.

That’s why CLIC Sargent is calling for age-appropriate drugs to be researched.

But pharmaceutical companies are reluctant. The costs are high, approval regimes complex and the market is limited. So we are asking the Government to incentivise research into children’s drugs. In the meantime, we propose the Government adopts NpfIT - an automated and accurate way to manage drug dosage and treatment for child cancer patients.
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When a child is diagnosed with cancer, their life changes dramatically and so do the lives of those around them. People are affected in many different ways - socially, emotionally and psychologically.

CLIC Sargent plays a crucial role in helping patients and family members cope, focusing on meeting individual needs through a range of services – at home, on the ward and back in the community.

We believe in strong and effective partnerships between the voluntary sector and Government. We urge the Government to commit to these partnerships as our role is to add to – not to replace - state provision.
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Today around 75% of people with childhood cancer survive. That is encouraging news, but isn’t the end of their problems. Survivors face huge challenges – medically, socially and emotionally.

For instance they may have ongoing health problems, with their kidneys, heart or lungs, restricted growth, or infertility. Their work or education may suffer, due to so much time in hospital. They may find it hard to reintegrate with their friends and peers too.

After treatment is completed, CLIC Sargent continues to help survivors of childhood cancer, both in treatment and in remission. And we urge the Government to do more to recognise and act upon the diverse needs of this 20,000 strong group.