As the nation wakes up to a new government, families cared for by Acorns across the West Midlands and Gloucestershire remain in a precarious position.

Caring for a child with complex needs can cause immense pressures on families. Acorns exists to help take the strain, and for many families that we care for that means literally pulling them back from the brink.

To imagine a future where a service like ours no longer exists, leaving families completely alone; it doesn’t bear thinking about.  

However, because of ongoing funding challenges, that is the reality Acorns and the UK’s children’s hospices are facing.

Across the sector, a key source of our income – the ringfenced, £25 million Children’s Hospice Grant is at risk, meaning children’s hospices will be unable to deliver the range of essential services families rely-on.

The grant is confirmed this year, but the picture after this is unclear and questions remain about how much (if any) of the current grant children’s hospices will receive.

Without this guarantee, right now Acorns and many other children’s hospice providers are being forced to make difficult decisions about cutting vital services.

As the new government is formed, and Sir Keir Starmer selects his cabinet, this is the primary issue our sector wants firmly on the agenda. We owe it to the countless children and families across the UK who rely on our services, before it’s too late.

We are calling on the new government to protect and maintain the Children’s Hospice Grant as a directly distributed, ringfenced grant, so Acorns, and every children’s hospice in England can continue providing the care children and families desperately need.

To give Acorns and local families the assurances we need, we are also asking the government to guarantee the Children’s Hospice Grant for at least five years and increase it by the rate of inflation, every year. 

By guaranteeing this funding, it will allow Acorns to be there for every child and family who needs us. Please consider campaigning for Acorns to help spread the word.

Download our template letter and contact your new local MP to ask them what steps they would take to ensure Acorns and our vital work is protected, now and forever.  

Trevor Johnson,
Acorns Chief Executive  

www.acorns.org.uk/campaign