Very Special Kids

Very Special Kids is a unique organisation that supports families throughout their experience of caring for children with life-threatening illnesses, from diagnosis through to recovery or bereavement. Such illnesses include cancer, muscular dystrophy, neuro-degenerative and genetic conditions and rare syndromes. Sadly, many of the children will not reach adulthood. Very Special Kids provides a range of physical, emotional, social and spiritual support, which is offered:

• holistically
• centred on the family
• to all Victorian families of children with life-threatening illnesses
• with specialist staff and more than 200 trained Family Support Volunteers
• with the engagement of the community

Currently, we support more than 800 families across Victoria. Our services include trained volunteer support, counselling, bereavement support, hospital visiting, a sibling program, family camps and activities, mothers activities, fathers activities, newsletters and care at Very Special Kids House, Australia’s first children's hospice, offering respite and end-of-life care.

It costs $4.5 million per year to keep the doors open at Very Special Kids. As we rely on the generous support of the community to carry out our services, which are offered free-of-charge to families, all donations are gratefully accepted and can be made at www.vsk.org.au