Bear Cottage

$1.18 million provided

Bear Cottage is the only children’s hospice in NSW and one of only three in Australia. It’s the only one in the world directly affiliated with a children’s hospital. It is a very special place that’s dedicated to providing support, respite and end of life care for children with life-limiting conditions and their families.

Kids with Cancer has provided invaluable assistance to families since funding our first time Social Worker position.

Bear Cottage Social worker

Sharing the Social Work Role

Kathy Taylor & Elizabeth Teasdale funded by Kids with Cancer Foundation

Bear+cottage+social+workers

Funds Raised for Bear Cottage

Over $1million to date

  • 2012 $96,301
  • 2013 $109,766
  • 2014 $112,510
  • 2015 $115,064
  • 2016 $124,938
  • 2017 $128,061
  • 2018 $127,034
  • 2019 $134,554
  • 2021 $113,496

We asked Bear Cottage how we could help them in 2012. They requested a full time social worker. That was the first year we supported Bear Cottage in Manly, Sydney. We initially pledged to support a full time social worker (Bear Cottage’s first) for a minimum 3 years. 5 years on we’re still proud to provide that level of support and it will continue.

That full time position made it our 4th social worker position supported out of 5 in total. We also supported 2 at Westmead, 1 at Sydney Children’s (now funded by NSW Health) and 1 at Monash Children’s in Victoria.

From Bear Cottage

We (Bear Cottage) have asked for the assistance of Kids with Cancer Foundation to help us continue our vital support of the children and their families that come to Bear Cottage.

It is the brain-child of Dr John Vu, CEO at the time and Dr Michael Stevens from the Oncology Department of the Hospital. Bear Cottage is an initiative of The Children’s Hospital at Westmead. It is designed to be a medically supported home away from home. It offers families a physical and emotional break from the stressful task of caring for such a sick child.

Our environment is as far removed from a hospital environment as possible. Our staff do not wear uniforms. No medical procedures are carried out in the bedrooms. The children’s rooms are designed to look like a normal bedroom, and we even have a family pet, Frankie, our adorable Labrador. That said, Bear Cottage is set up to provide excellence in paediatric medical care 24 hours a day. Our affiliation to The Children’s Hospital at Westmead means we have access to the best medical resources in the world.

Bear Cottage is available at no charge to families.

Families do not pay for any Bear Cottage services. All operating costs are raised entirely through donations from the community. Making this service available to families at no charge means they can take a break and re-charge their batteries. They can feel safe in the knowledge that their child is being cared for by the best staff available. They can enjoy time with one another without having to worry about the housework and cooking. Most importantly, they can spend quality time together and create special memories that will last long after their child has passed away.

For the special kids that stay with us, there is no happy ending, no miracle cure. This is heartbreaking to think about. But that’s only part of the story.

“When a child accesses Bear Cottage for end of life care the social work role is heavily involved and accepted by families. End of life care is understandably very emotional for our parents and siblings. As a result of developing close relationships with the families during respite admissions social work has a well-established rapport with them. We work closely with the children and families at the end of the child’s life, providing information, counselling, sibling support, supportive conversations, attending medical appointments and preparing parents, siblings and other family members for their child’s death and the immediate few days after when they may stay at Bear Cottage.

We’re here to assist

We also assist with funeral planning, financial assistance and referrals for specialist ongoing support. Social work plays a role in memory making at Bear Cottage. Social work supports parents and children to make tangible memories with their child before saying goodbye. Memory making helps parents create keepsakes to keep the memory of their child alive. Allowing them to feel forever connected to their child once he or she is gone.

Even though the outlook for these kids is a sad one, Bear Cottage is actually one of the most uplifting and inspiring places you could ever visit. Here, children laugh and play. Life is celebrated, lived to its fullest and also fondly remembered.

At Bear Cottage we believe that life, however brief, should be enriched, enjoyed and celebrated. Ours is a home full of special moments and cherished memories. Here, life is for living.