Taking our work into the community highlights what hospice care can offer throughout the life of a child and beyond.

Our community services have grown in the last few years, particularly as a result of Big Lottery funding which enabled the expansion of our toy home loan service beyond North East London into Haringey and Islington.

Toy Home Loan

Haven House grew out of this unique community service which was a first in 2001 and continues today. It meets the needs of parents in accessing specialist toys and equipment for them to use with their children at home.

The service is available to children and young people between the ages of 0-19 years, with complex medical needs and disabilities.

Parents can access the Home Loan Catalogue via email and can choose toys and equipment which they feel their children will benefit from. The toys and equipment are delivered to and collected from the family home, although some families like to come to the hospice and look through the stock for themselves. Toys can be loaned for up to three months.

The Haven House toy service has been amazing. I also have a two-month-old baby girl so it's hard to get out and about. Having a new set of toys for Kristian will keep him happy for hours.

Buddies

Children, just like adults, need to be given the opportunity to express their feelings. They often find it hard to deal with the common but painful and confusing feelings of shock, guilt, anger and despair when confronted with the illness or loss of their brother or sister.

We provide regular support groups for siblings to meet other brothers and sisters of children with life-limiting illnesses or those who have experienced bereavement. The service is housed in our Buddies Hut in our grounds.

The groups are divided between Juniors (aged 5-11) and Teens (12-18). For both groups it is an opportunity to have fun together and enjoy activities and outings. Most importantly, children are able to discuss common fears, joys and concerns and for some, share their feelings around grief.

The activities that we run at Buddies try to build skills, confidence and resilience in children and young people. 

Siblings of a child who uses or has used Haven House are eligible to receive sibling support from the Buddies group.

Our brother Cameron first came to Haven House 11 years ago. We've been going to Buddies since 2008 and it has given us so many opportunities to meet and socialise with people who have gone through the same experiences as us, and has helped us cope with many of our problems and fears.

To discuss a referral to our community services please contact:

Family and Community Services Team
020 8505 9944

For more information about our referral criteria please visit our Refer a Child section.