Support for families: September 2026

“Thank you so much for meeting us in clinic. we really appreciated the chat and the goodie bag. You calmed us all down” — heart mum

52 families supported in September

27 families received a tailored package of Family Support
24 families engaged with
12 travel grants given
27 supermarket vouchers given
116 visits to the ward
5 one to one Youth Work sessions
9 Comfort & Care packs given
45 received Wellbeing Support

Support at every stage

Baby essentials delivery

This month the Family Support team visited PICU’s Breastfeeding Room, the neonatal ward and Eckersley house to deliver bundles of baby wipes and baby bath wash to new parents.

New Comfort and Prayer packs ready to launch

We worked closely with the Muslim chaplaincy team to create our new Comfort and Prayer packs – to make sure we get them just right for what families need.
The Muslim chaplain will also be supporting CHSF to develop posters in Urdu and Punjabi which will enable families to request packs when needed.

Study packs

September saw the start of a new school year and for some young people that fell while they were in hospital. CHSF have provided Study Packs to teenagers on the ward, making sure they have everything they need to continue to do school work and revise as needed.

Family stories and messages

Four months of support in hospital

We spent four months supporting the family of a newborn in the hospital – from meeting the family on the neonatal ward hours after he was born, to saying goodbye to them on Ward 51 hours before they were discharged. Every step the family took during their hospital journey the CHSF Family Support team were there to walk beside them.

Some examples of how we helped: providing a grant to Dad so he could travel to take care of home life and older sibling; giving weekly food vouchers to encourage Mum to take time away to eat, refuel and meet her own needs; offering mindfulness resources and essential toiletries; making plans to ensure big sister felt involved and cared for; and being a present and familiar face to Mum during the long isolating days on the ward. CHSF were a constant source of support.

When a family has no control over the big things, we support them to plan and control what they can. This support plan is more than a grant and a smile – for some it’s a lifeline.

On the day of discharge Mum had some wonderful feedback to share:

“The travel was amazing, but the constant drop-ins have helped so much. Whether i was happy or sad you would give your time and a personal touch to the support we had. Even as a whole family – offering ideas to help when i hadn’t seen my daughter and she was struggling. You really bridge the gap between the medical and personal side of being in hospital I can’t think of anything that was missing. You have been amazing”

Teamwork makes the dream work

“Good morning, Sarah, just to let you know we’ve been discharged and we are home now and would love to say a big thank you to all the members of your team for all your care and support all through our stay in the hospital, once again we appreciate you all, thank you” – message from a heart dad

In a world of constant change and sudden storms, a familiar face can be an anchor

Following a long-term hospital admission and spending months on the children’s heart ward, one of our families was transferred to another ward in Leeds Children’s Hospital – still under Cardiac Care but receiving support for other health needs.

On Ward 51, the family received a full package of tailored support and regular check in’s from Children’s Heart Surgery Fund. They had Family Support visits, a Katie Bear delivery and many Wellbeing Wednesday’s. With a whole new ward to get settled into, a new routine and new faces to build trust with, the family struggled with the change.

We visited the family on their new ward to let them know that Children’s Heart Surgery Fund were still here for them and we delivered a bag of activities and Comfort and Care items. Mum was overcome with emotion. She told Head of Family Support Sarah that they were happy tears and said how nice it was to see somebody familiar.

“The kindness and the little things mean so much to us, the support has been great” – heart mum

CHSF offers belonging, community and understanding

“I have been told that we cannot go home yet. I told the nurse I needed to make a phone call and the only person I wanted to ring was you. I thought I need to tell her what I am struggling with because you will understand, many people don’t like to get involved. I am on my own and you treat me like family, you are always there for me

“I will always pray for your family, I wish you all good health and happiness. You always give me the strength I need, and I will forever be grateful to you and the charity. Even the girls that came with the drinks and snacks on the ward (wellbeing trolley) the kindness is amazing and makes me feel less alone.” – message from a mum to Sarah, Head of Family Support