How can I get care and support for my child?
Caring for a child with a life-shortening condition can place unimaginable demands on families, physically and emotionally.
Quite simply, we're here to lighten your load.
Find out below how you can get care and support for your child.
How to make a referral
CHAS offers a range of care and support services to children and young people living in Scotland aged 0 - 21, with new referrals up to age 18.
If you're looking for support, you can let us know about your situation by making a referral - this can be done by yourself or a health professional on your behalf.
If you have any doubts on how to proceed don't hesitate to give us a call on either of the numbers below.
You can also use our online referral form, should you wish to self-refer.
However, if you require an urgent referral and admission, please call us first on either of these numbers:
Rachel House: 01577 865 777 or Robin House: 01389 722 055.
What happens when you make a referral to CHAS
Applications for a referral to CHAS can be made by lots of different people - you and your family or the health and social care professionals involved in looking after your child. It's important that you discuss the referral together so that the best care and support can be offered for you and your child.
Making an emergency referral
Usually, referrals are planned, but sometimes we need to respond to an emergency at very short notice. This can be because your child has suddenly become much more ill, or is possibly approaching the end of their life.
In this situation, we'll aim to visit your child at home or in a hospital and either admit them to Rachel House or Robin House that day or arrange to have the CHAS at Home team come to you as quickly as possible.
If you feel you require an emergency referral please don't hesitate to give either of these numbers a call:
Rachel House: 01577 865 777 or Robin House: 01389 722 055.
Ask to speak to one of the nursing or medical teams about an urgent referral.
When your referral is planned and non-urgent
A planned referral is made using the CHAS referral form which you can make using our online referral form or get in touch by calling either of these numbers and we can help you make a referral.
Rachel House: 01577 865 777 or Robin House: 01389 722 055.
Assessing your situation
When a referral is made, it's assessed by a doctor, senior nurse and a social worker who look at both your current level of palliative care and also your child's prognosis.
We'll speak to the people already involved in caring for your child at home or in hospital, and we'll come and see you at home so that we can discuss your situation and how you're feeling about CHAS's involvement.
At this stage we'll invite you to come and visit one of our hospices, giving you the opportunity to look around and get an idea of what this experience might offer you and your family.
What do people say about CHAS?
Making care choices for your child can be a daunting prospect. We'll do everything we can to let you know about the care and support CHAS offers but we know it can be valuable to hear from others who have already been helped by CHAS.
We've teamed up Care Opinion - an independent not-for-profit service - to gather feedback on the care and support CHAS provides.
You can see the stories already gathered by Care Opinion below.
Please don't hesitate to get in touch to discuss your care needs by calling either of these numbers:
Rachel House: 01577 865 777 or Robin House: 01389 722 055.
Alternatively, you can use our online referral form: