Haven House Children’s Hospice is a special place for special children. We care for children and young people between the ages of 0 to 19 who have life-limiting conditions and who are unlikely to reach adulthood. We help families by providing a range of services that include day, short break and end of life care, together with therapeutic play in the community. Families can find the support they need when they need it most at no cost to themselves. Haven House Children’s Hospice is a charity looking after children and their families in Central and North East London and West Essex.
The White House
Short Care Breaks
The majority of work that Haven House undertakes is providing parents and carers with much needed rest. We provide specialist care within a homely environment to ensure that parents and carers have time to catch up on some undisturbed sleep and to plan some time for themselves.
Day Care
It is hard to leave your child in the care of others and day care provides the opportunity for a child to be left for a shorter period at Haven House so that they and their family can familiarise themselves with the staff and surroundings. In addition it allows the parents to come to the hospice and receive support from the staff and other parents who are attending.
End of Life
When a child or young person is reaching the end of their life it is important that they are provided with as many choices as possible which will include expert medical care and an appropriate and dignified environment. Our staff team is able to accommodate the family and to facilitate friends visiting as requested.
Post Death Care
Haven House has a bereavement suite and separate chapel to care for a child or young person once they have died. We believe that it is crucial to provide a private space for family and friends to come and grieve and we are able to provide support from our staff team and also assist in making any plans for the funeral. We also hold a Memory Day service once a year to which all families are invited.
Community Services
- Specialist Play
Play is an essential part of any child’s development and we aim to create laughter and fun within our care of children and young people who access our services. It is though important to offer this care in their homes as well, so this is what we do.
- Home Loan
We recognise that it is important that a child or young person doesn’t simply access specialist equipment when they are with us at the White House but that it should be available to them at home. We then provide specialist toys free of charge to families to use in their own homes.
- GOSH
Great Ormond Street is the leading Hospital in childcare and we are delighted to be working with them as they provide on-going visits to the White House and to people’s homes to ensure that the children and young people are receiving the best care possible.
Contact Nicole King for further information nicoleking@havenhouse.org.uk
Family Support
The impact of caring for a child with a life limiting illness is considerable for the whole family. We therefore aim to provide a number of services to assist the whole family throughout this process.
- Coffee Mornings
It is good to talk over a cuppa and we have found that our monthly coffee mornings have provided an informal opportunity for parents to talk about their experiences of the White House and to just generally get to know each other.
- Counselling
Haven House employs counsellors, a family therapist to ensure that we can provide the best level of care and choice to family members. Referral is through the named nurse.
- Family Social Events
It can be difficult to sometimes go out as a family so we aim to provide different events throughout the year for everyone. Activities include a Christmas Party, Easter Egg Hunt, Family Picnics, wheelchair friendly walks and a Summer Fayre.
- Sibling Support
Being the brother or sister of a life-limited child can be hard. Through our Buddies groups we encourage brothers and sisters to have fun but we can also provide the listening support that they may need.
Referral Form
To download our Referral Form, please click here
For further details please contact Care Admin.
Email: care@havenhouse.org.uk
Telephone: 020 8506 5513
Safeguarding children
Click here to download our Child Protection Policy.
User Feedback
It is always helpful to hear the views of families who use Haven House services. An independent market research company has helped us to develop an on-line survey that is quick and easy to use. It only takes a couple of minutes and it means families can give us feedback soon after using the services. This helps us to make services more responsive.
Just follow this link to complete the survey. www.capitalblue.co.uk/survey/havenhouse
Alternatively, a hard copy of the survey can be obtained from the Care Administrator on 020 8506 5513 or email care@havenhouse.org.uk
