Community Play Specialist

I provide play activities in the family’s home, to help children or young people with cancer to understand what will happen in the months ahead. Through play they can come to terms with their condition, treatments or other related issues. I aim to make an abnormal situation as normal as possible.

My work takes place in the home, which is a great place to get the whole family involved in a relaxed, undisturbed and secure environment. Play has been successfully used to relieve stress and anxiety so by using play I can prepare the whole family for the various treatments, investigations or operations that the child will have.

By using play I can design specific activities which help the child intellectually, physically and emotionally. These help me to focus on areas that may have been interrupted due to illness, hospitalisation or infrequent school attendance.

Brothers and sisters are also encouraged to take part in all play activities at all times when I visit their home. It is vital that they understand what is happening around them. It is also very important to ‘make them feel part of it’.

Play is medicine too. It is a great way to provide lots of fun and enthusiasm. It encourages parents and carers to work with the programmes provided which can bring endless pleasure, trust and good communication which increase the child’s and family's confidence.

Play is also a tool to provide helpful information for the child or young person and it is a great way for them to express their emotion. I can be an advocate for the child or young person with cancer in expressing their worries or anxieties to the other members of the care team that supports them.

Written by a CLIC Sargent Community Play Specialist.