About Tŷ Hafan

Tŷ Hafan, the family hospice for young lives, provides comfort, care and support for children and young people in Wales who are not expected to live beyond the age of 19. We also help their families deal with these unimaginable situations. From diagnosis to bereavement and beyond, we take our support right into the heart of the family home.

Tŷ Hafan is a hospice, not a hospital. A hospital aims to find a cure for an illness: the children and young people supported by Tŷ Hafan have incurable conditions which will shorten their lives. These conditions are often degenerative and progressive; that is the child will slowly and progressively deteriorate over a number of years. Many of the conditions are hereditary and genetic, which means that some families might have two or three children with the same condition. Tŷ Hafan provides short breaks at the hospice to give children and young people the chance to have fun with others in similar situations. This gives families relief from the constant care and attention their child needs, and allows them to spend time with their other children. The hospice itself is located on a stunning site overlooking the Bristol Channel in the Vale of Glamorgan but much of the care and support it offers is felt throughout the southern half of Wales, as far west as Pembrokeshire, as far east as Monmouthshire and as far north as Aberystwyth.

The comfort, care and support Tŷ Hafan provides is not just confined to the hospice. A growing team of Family Support practitioners also visit the families in their own homes in between stays at the hospice. This busy team provide help with accessing other professional services, sourcing the necessary equipment needed for a severely disabled child and helping with the heartbreaking decisions to make with regards to end of life.

Play and activity provision is used to great effect at Tŷ Hafan. The charity is one of the first in the UK to establish a Toy Library which includes specialist equipment to stimulate and encourage the children to express themselves through play.

Complimentary therapy is a growing area within our service provision. Aromatherapy and relaxation treatments such as physiotherapy and massage can control the children and young people's pain and physical discomfort. These services can be extended to other family members to alleviate the stress and worry of looking after a very sick child 24/7.

A qualified Outreach Play practitioner also travels out to visit families between stays to help them make full use of any equipment recommended.

Music plays an important part in alleviating any stress and frustration a child may be experiencing. A trained music therapist attends the hospice once a week to help the children make music and by using the latest technology, they can make music with the faintest flutter of an eye lid. The music therapist also travels to the family home to give therapy sessions.

Tŷ Hafan has a Mums and Dads group to allow those who are all in a similar position to meet up socially and realise that they are not on their own coping with a life limited child.

Siblings are supported as much as their parents as they often feel left out when there is a very poorly brother or sister getting a lot of attention. That support is more important at the time of bereavement and the family's support worker will continue to visit the family for as long as it is needed after their child has died.

We provide end-of-life care at the hospice, and continue to support families after the death of their child for as long as they wish. All Tŷ Hafan's services are completely free to the families who need them. With no guaranteed statutory funding, Tŷ Hafan relies almost entirely on the generosity and support from the people of Wales and organisations who help to raise the millions of pounds needed every year to keep it running.