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Social Work Service
LATCH provides a dedicated team of four Social Workers to support the families of children receiving treatment for cancer and leukaemia.
Our Social Workers
The LATCH Social Work Team provides practical, emotional, and financial support to families in a caring and confidential environment.
While the team is based at the Children’s Hospital for Wales, they also visit families at home across Wales, ensuring support is always within reach.
On average, the team cares for more than 120 families at any given time. While family and friends often play an important role, the impartial advice and guidance of an experienced professional can make a world of difference during such a challenging journey.
Our social workers offer a trusted, compassionate presence, helping families navigate difficult situations and access the support they need.
Our social workers offer a trusted, compassionate presence, helping families navigate difficult situations and access the support they need.
How We Help
LATCH social workers are trusted confidantes, offering both practical and emotional support.
Our Social Work Team is at the heart of what we do, benefiting not only children with cancer but also their families. Delivered from the Children’s Hospital for Wales and through home visits, this service has quickly become one of the most valued aspects of LATCH’s support, according to the families we help.
Whether a family needs help paying rent, assistance navigating housing or social care services, or someone to guide them toward psychological support and bereavement groups, our social workers are there every step of the way.
Without this service, many families would receive little support beyond the clinical care of the patient. Our social workers ensure families have access to the help they need.
Making a Difference
The impact of our Social Work Service is far-reaching, offering families the tools to cope and thrive, even in the most difficult circumstances.
It’s difficult to put into words the full impact of the LATCH Social Work Team. Each family’s needs are unique, and our social workers tailor their care accordingly. Although their work often goes unseen, the difference they make in the lives of our families is truly immeasurable.
Our Social Work Team provides:
- Home visits
- Support applying for LATCH grants
- One-on-one support sessions
- Bereavement support
- Events for children, siblings, and families
- Collaboration with social care, housing providers, medical teams, and Third Sector organisations
Emotional Support for Parents
The LATCH Social Worker Team is experienced in helping parents to cope with the shock of diagnosis and the long-term turmoil of treatment. Emotions can range from anger, despair, guilt and helplessness.
They run various support groups for the parents as well as one to one sessions. They also organise treats and get-togethers for the parents as it’s widely reported that being with people in a similar situation often helps and just doing something different can act as a much needed tonic.
Emotional Support for Brothers and Sisters
The LATCH Social Worker Team also dedicate time to the brothers and sisters who often feel alienated when a sibling is taken ill, as family life is disrupted and daily routines are changed. They run a siblings support group and offer advice to parents on how to deal with any family problems that may arise. Trips are also arranged for siblings so that they aren’t feeling left out and have a chance to meet friends in similar situations.
Benefits Advice
The LATCH Social Worker Team can help guide parents through the complex benefits system, supporting families in claiming disability living allowance and other relevant benefits available to them and their children during what can often be a very difficult financial time.
Advocacy
The LATCH Social Worker Team can help families deal with other agencies and organisations that will often need to be contacted such as employers, mortgage lenders, grant making bodies and council departments such as education, housing, council tax and blue badge.
They also help liaise with the medical team on the Oncology Unit as often families can find the medical treatment plan complex, confusing and over-whelming.
Signposting
The LATCH Social Worker Team can direct and refer families to other agencies and organisations for specialist help and advice as needed.