Acorns Children’s Hospice 21/22 review

Acorns Children’s Hospice provides care, support, fun and laughter for children and their families across the West Midlands.

A parent never imagines their child will be diagnosed with a life limiting or life threatening condition. But when the unimaginable happens, Acorns steps in, helping families cope at every stage of their child’s life and beyond, wherever and whenever they need it. Our dedicated teams provide specialist palliative care for babies, children and young people, and support for their families. This support is offered from our three children’s hospices, based in Birmingham, Walsall and Worcester, and in the community.

The babies, children and young people that we care for at Acorns have been diagnosed with a life limiting or life threatening condition and not yet reached their 18th birthday. We accept referrals from children in one of four medical categories, as set by Together for Short Lives, the national charity for our sector.

Category 1: Life threatening conditions for which curative treatment may be feasible but can fail.

Category 2: Conditions where premature death is inevitable.

Category 3: Progressive conditions without curative treatment options.

Category 4: Irreversible but non-progressive conditions causing severe disability, leading to susceptibility to health complications and likelihood of premature death.

At Acorns we provide care 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to children and families who need us most.  We rely heavily on the generosity and donations from the general public to do this, as around 60% or £6 million of the money needed to run our care services comes from the local community.

Over the past year, Acorns has supported 704 children and 940 families, including those who have been bereaved. Childlife supporters make this possible with their ongoing support and dedication.

On behalf of the children and families we support, thank you so much.

Christina is the Senior Manager – Individual Giving & Legacies at Childlife member charity, Acorns Children’s Hospice.