Families of seriously ill children in Ireland are facing costs of up to €15,000 simply to remain by their child’s side during treatment, highlighting the financial and emotional strain placed on parents at the most critical moments of their lives.
Cliona’s Foundation and Bluebird Care Ireland have now launched a new partnership effort aimed at raising awareness and strengthening support for families navigating childhood illness, with both organisations working together to help ensure that no family must face these challenges alone.
Across Ireland, it is estimated that there are 4,000 children living with serious or life-limiting conditions requiring ongoing hospital care. For many families, the financial burden goes far beyond medical bills. Travel, accommodation, lost income, and day-to-day living costs can quickly escalate, placing immense pressure on parents already dealing with the emotional toll of their child’s illness.
Cliona’s Foundation has supported over 1,700 families in these situations, providing direct financial assistance that helps parents to remain close to their child during treatment, without the added stress of mounting costs.
SPACE TO FOCUS
The organisation says it continues to see families struggling with the hidden costs that come with childhood illness, even when medical treatment itself is covered.
Speaking at the launch, Miriam O’Callaghan, ambassador for Cliona’s Foundation, said when meeting families, ‘it brings home just how overwhelming the reality can be.’
“No parent should have to worry about how they are going to afford to stay close to their child in hospital. What Cliona’s Foundation does is incredibly important, it gives families the space to focus on what really matters, being there for their child.”
For Cliona’s Foundation, the issue is not only the emotional toll of a child’s illness, but the very real financial pressure that can build quickly around it.
Brendan Ring, co-founder of Cliona’s Foundation, added, “We see first-hand the pressure families are under when a child becomes seriously ill. The focus should be on the child, but the reality is that many parents are also trying to figure out how they are going to afford to stay close to them. That is where Cliona’s Foundation steps in. Our role is to ease that financial burden so families can be where they need to be, with their child, without that added stress.”
“This partnership will help us reach more families caring for seriously ill children in their homes at the most difficult times in their lives. Together, we can make a meaningful difference where it matters most.”
As part of the initiative, Bluebird Care Ireland is also highlighting the role of nurse-led paediatric care in supporting families beyond the hospital setting, helping to enable more care to take place at home where appropriate, and easing pressure on both families and the wider healthcare system.
“At Bluebird Care, we know the stress and pressures illness places on families in caring for a loved one and particularly paediatric care, where it’s never just caring for one child, because it impacts sisters and brothers, older and younger,” Mark McInerney, chief operating officer of Bluebird Care Ireland, said. “That’s why in Bluebird Care we say, we hear you, we know your pain and we support you.”
Cliona’s Foundation is now calling on the public, businesses and communities to support its work, ensuring that more families can access the help they need during some of the most challenging times of their lives.
