We have a Big Ambition at Tŷ Hafan — to support every family who needs us. Of the families in Wales who live with the unimaginable reality that their child’s life will be short, a shocking 90% currently do so without the support of a children’s hospice.
Life is often unthinkably hard for families whose child has a life-shortening condition. Families tell us that they feel isolated, afraid and alone. Tŷ Hafan has always supported families in West Wales, but we’ve always been conscious that the distance these families live from the hospice has limited the amount of support we could offer. So, in January, we developed a local team to help us reach more families in West Wales.
We spoke to the new West Wales team to find out more about the impact they’re having.
Meet Tŷ Hafan’s West Wales Family Support Team
“I feel very privileged to be working as the new Child and Family Support Worker in West Wales. Over the last few months I have been incredibly lucky to have met so many wonderful Tŷ Hafan children and families whilst being supported by the most dedicated team.”
“Being a Child and Family Support Worker means my role is varied, including working directly with children facilitating play and memory making sessions whilst providing emotional support to parents and carers.”
“I also have the responsibly of organising events across West Wales such as community hubs, coffee mornings and family days. With the West Wales area being so vast I am very keen to engage with families to gauge what they would like to see in their specific areas and look forward to working with them to enable this. I feel very blessed to be part of the ever-growing service in the area and to be delivering good quality provision that encompasses Tŷ Hafan values.”
Alison, West Wales Child and Family Support Worker
“I’m honoured to work as the new Family Support Practitioner within Hywel Dda. Tŷ Hafan has been a significant part of my personal journey for over 10 years. As a proud Tŷ Hafan parent, taking on this role feels incredibly rewarding.”
“Over the past 3 months I’ve had the privilege of meeting so many incredible families and working with
the most passionate team to deliver community events like coffee mornings and Community Hubs. With so many events planned for the coming months, I’m excited to see how the service within Hywel Dda will flourish in the near future.”
Sara, West Wales Family Support Practitioner
This team is already helping us reach more families who need us, as well as reducing our West Wales waiting list and boosting engagement from local families through increased social and event opportunities.