By Pandora Patterson, General Manager of Research, Policy & Patient Programs
At Canteen, we know how incredibly important parental support is in helping adolescents and young people impacted by cancer.
That is why we are thrilled to have been awarded a grant as part of Cancer Australia’s Supporting people with cancer (SPWC) Grant Initiative 2022.
Working with our partners Redkite and Camp Quality, the funding will be used to further the work we do to support parents impacted by cancer, to help them better cope and communicate openly with their children.
Research has shown just how critical this parental support and open communication is in helping to relieve the stress and anxiety felt by adolescents and young people impacted by cancer. We also know that the better parents feel psychologically, the more effectively they can support and care for their family.
With this in mind, we will be using the Cancer Australia grant to create an online parent program to build the psychological wellbeing of parents and adolescents, as well as help with parenting strategies to assist during what can be an extremely distressing time.
The aim of this program is to help reduce distress, improve psychological flexibility, and build skills and confidence in parents of children and adolescents (aged between 6 and 17 years old) diagnosed with cancer.
The project continues our exciting cancer support collaboration with Redkite and Camp Quality.
Our three organisations just recently launched the groundbreaking service, Cancer Hub, making it easier for families impacted by cancer to get the practical and emotional support services they need. support.
Cancer Hub will build on the expertise and resources across three organisations to ensure all the cancer support on offer across the country can be easily accessed and navigated.
Cancer Hub will support more than 90,000 Australians impacted by cancer over the next two years through navigation, counselling services and peer connection.
