Making the transition to adult care – new youth group launches

Published on: 04/02/2025

Last year, Chestnut Tree House celebrated 21 years of providing children’s hospice care. Over the years, the way we deliver care has evolved in response to the needs of children and their families.

One of the most important developments is that the young people we care for are living longer and with more complex conditions. Where previously many of those with life-limiting conditions would have died in their primary or early secondary school years, they are now outliving our service and moving into adult care.

That prospect can be scary for children and young people, some of whom will have been coming to Chestnut for as long as they can remember. We’ll have been there throughout their schooldays and for many of their life’s milestones.

So, it’s vital that we support them through the transition to adult services. Recently, we’ve been talking with adult hospices in the area to find ways we can work together.

One of those initiatives is now up and running and proving very popular. Rowans Hospice in Hampshire cares for young people and adults aged 16+. We knew we had a high proportion of teenagers in this area and have worked with Rowans to launch a monthly youth group. Siblings are welcome to attend too. “Young people don’t decide to be friends just because they’ve all got life-limiting conditions,” says Chestnut Tree House Activities Lead Jack Northeast. “The inspiration for making it a mixed group was one of our older teenagers, who became good friends with the elder sister of a child she met at Chestnut.”

The venue for the group is Rowans’ Living Well centre, and parents are invited to relax in a separate room and have a cup of tea and a chat while their children have fun together. They’ve even had the opportunity to enjoy some reflexology.

For young people, it’s a chance to hang out with their peers and enjoy some independence. The group leader, Chestnut Tree House Activities Co-ordinator Jenny Taylor, says: “The group ranges in age from 12-18 so they’re all interested in different things. I think the most popular are crafts, PlayStation, Lego, puzzles and games. One month we did karaoke. One of the boys absolutely loved it and was singing at the top of his voice!

“Some of the girls have developed a lovely friendship and they mainly enjoy the chance to chat and be together. I think being at Rowans feels a bit more grown-up to them, and it’s a chance for them to meet the staff there as well.”

Sharon Wheeler, Head of Clinical Services at Chestnut Tree House, said: “Transition to adult services forms part of our care strategy, which has been developed to respond to the changing landscape of children’s palliative care. We’re really pleased to be partnering with Rowans Hospice and supporting our families as they look to the future.”

How to get involved

The youth group meets once a month at Rowans Hospice, Hampshire, on a Friday evening. Upcoming dates are: 7 February; 14 March; 4 April. To attend Chestnut families should contact their keyworker.