Vote for LATCH this September in the MFVC Charity Poll and aid their Mission of helping Children with Cancer or Leukemia
About LATCH Charity
LATCH charity in Wales provides a wide variety of support services for children and their families who have received a cancer or leukaemia diagnosis, and are receiving treatment at the Children’s Hospital for Wales.Each year they receive around 70 new referrals which are then combined with their existing patient caseload. On average, they support 130 families at any one time, and they need your help and support so they can continue providing services for children in need and their families.
What Services Do LATCH Offer to Those in Need?
Their key services include “home from home” accommodation which enables families to stay together whilst their child is undergoing treatment as an ‘in-patient’; this is a particularly vital service to families who live up to 120 miles away from the treatment centre.
They also provide a crucial Social Worker Service - The Social Worker is the person that a family/patient goes to not only when they have practical concerns such as being unable to afford their rent payment on a particular month, but also, when they are in need of emotional support and a trusted confidante who can guide them towards additional support such as psychological interventions, bereavement groups or reliable information sources. Without the LATCH Social Worker Team, families across South Wales would receive very little care or support beyond the clinical medical needs of the patient; and additionally, there would be increased pressure and strain on clinical resources who may be expected to provide support in the absence of Social Workers.
In addition, they operate a Family Grant Programme where they provide financial support in the form of “no strings attached” payments directly to families to help with additional costs associated with their child’s diagnosis. For example, parents and carers often give up work to care for their child during treatment; this sudden loss of income can force families into positions of financial hardship. LATCH will help with domestic bills, mortgage/rent payments, the purchase of household goods and even food bills whenever a family is struggling. These grants mean that families can focus solely on providing care and support for their child, safe in the knowledge that other aspects of their lives will remain intact.
This is a snapshot of the support put in place by LATCH, they also offer services such as Support for siblings, Trips and events, Caravan holidays, Ward based Support Workers, Provision of a specialist Psychologist, Maintaining and refurbishing the Paediatric Oncology ward and More
How Can I support LATCH?
LATCH needs to raise on average £700,000 a year to cover the costs of supporting families. With no paid fundraisers, they rely heavily on the hard work of volunteers and supporters. Putting it simply, LATCH makes life easier for children and their families so that they can focus purely on the treatment and health of their child, without letting anything else get in the way.
If in any way you are able to support LATCH, they would be forever grateful for your generosity, and it can be as effortless as just submitting a vote for them in our September poll. For more information on their work and how to donate, please follow through to their website https://www.latchwales.org/