Overview
Redkite is a not-for-profit organisation that provides financial, emotional, and practical support to families affected by childhood cancer. Our critical support services help families to survive through and beyond the cancer experience.
Over the past 8 years, we have implemented four resources/interventions initially developed by the Behavioural Sciences Unit at the Kids Cancer Centre, Sydney Children’s Hospital - ‘By My Side’ and the related ‘Walking Alongside', ‘Cascade’, and ‘Refresh Kids’ Eating’ (previously known as ‘Reboot’).
‘By My Side’ is a free book that shares the experiences of bereaved parents – in their own words. Since implementation in 2016, ‘By My Side’ has been requested by 357 families through Redkite’s online services platform, ‘myRedkite’, and disseminated through our in-hospital and community-based social workers. ‘Walking Alongside’ complements ‘By My Side’ to provide guidance to health professionals, using insights from bereaved parents, on how best to support newly bereaved caregivers.
‘Cascade’ is an online, group-based, cognitive behavioural therapy intervention that equips caregivers with useful skills to manage their cancer-related concerns early in their child’s survivorship period and how to live ‘life after cancer’. Having been recently implemented in mid-2022, ‘Cascade’ has now been delivered to 14 parents by our Redkite social workers. Quality improvement evaluations are underway.
As a part of myRedkite, we are currently adapting and implementing ‘Refresh Kids’ Eating’, an online, parent-led intervention to improve fruit and vegetable intake in children who have finished their cancer treatment. ‘Refresh Kids’ Eating’ will be launched on myRedkite in Q3 2023, to complement Redkite’s other online services such as the Financial Assistance program.
Presentation objectives
In this presentation, Redkite will share their experiences in partnering with the Behavioural Sciences Unit over many years to develop and implement high quality resources/interventions, and the critical success factors for impactful research-to-practice partnerships.