Psycho-social support

Acorns has a team of community workers who offer an extensive range of support services to children and families in their own homes.

All the hospices have their own Community Team. They are a group of experienced health and social care professionals from a wide range of backgrounds, whose role it is to provide psychosocial support for families who are receiving a service from Acorns.

After a child has been referred to Acorns and accepted as a client, a Community Team Worker will visit you at home to find out more about your child and your family. They will discuss with you what services Acorns can offer you. It also provides an opportunity to identify what your needs are and any language support that we will need to provide for you.

The Community Team Worker will then arrange for you and your family to visit the hospice and meet the staff who will be looking after your child. If you decide that you would like your child to come to Acorns for short breaks then your Community Team Worker will have responsibility for booking your child’s stays in the hospice.

The Community Team will also continue to visit you in your own home and can offer emotional, practical and bereavement support. They will assess your family’s needs, organise short breaks and support you. They will also liaise with other professionals and agencies involved in your family’s care. Community Team Workers are, however, not able to provide nursing care, child minding / sitting service or domestic help.

Finally, the Community Team operates an on-call service so you are able to access support and advice from the team 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

You can find out more about referring a child or young person to Acorns here.