Psychosocial and Supportive Care Programme

CCF – Psychosocial and Supportive Care Programme (PSCP) for Paediatric Oncology

What is the CCF PSCP about?

KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital (KKH) offers a comprehensive range of services for children with cancer with the support from a multi-disciplinary team comprising medical doctors, specialists, nurses, allied health professionals (AHP) and caseworkers from Children’s Cancer Foundation (CCF).

Children with cancer and their families face many challenges related to the impact of treatment and adjustments required to manage a severe illness. Treatment can last from months to years, which can mean long stays in hospital, resulting in time away from home, siblings, friends and school. Side-effects from the cancer and its treatment may also cause the child to be unwell and inactive. All of this can affect a child’s development, social and emotional well-being.

Over both the short and long term, the child may experience difficulties in his/her learning, emotions and behavior. The child’s diet is also very important during his/her treatment and different nutritional plans are necessary to maintain a healthy weight. Because of all these challenges faced by the family, support is required from multiple healthcare professionals.

To meet these needs the CCF Psychosocial and Supportive Care Programme for Paediatric Oncology (PSCP) was officially established on 1st March 2017 under the SingHealth Duke-NUS Paediatrics Academic Clinical Programme. This PSCP was made possible through the generous support of the Children’s Cancer Foundation (CCF). The CCF PSCP is a holistic supportive care programme where our multi-disciplinary team provides children with tailored interventions according to their individual needs. We aim to optimise emotional, cognitive and physical outcomes through timely neuro-psychosocial, rehabilitative, and nutritional care. See Figure 1: Program Overview.

Figure 1. Overview of CCF PSCP

The CCF PSCP will fund children diagnosed with cancer for their inpatient and outpatient sessions with KKH Psychology Service and Dietetics sessions. Rehabilitation sessions still remains as a crucial part of our programme, with Financial Assistance also available when needed. Further clarifications about the funding will be provided by the treating therapist.

Psychology Service
At KKH Psychology Service, we provide assessments and interventions for children and their families to help them cope with the emotional, cognitive and behavioural challenges they may face. Our psychologists will conduct an initial assessment session to gain a better understanding of the presenting concerns. Further assessment or intervention may be recommended, including a neuropsychological assessment to understand any cognitive difficulties and generate recommendations for school. We also consult with your child’s teachers and external professionals involved in your child’s care (upon parental consent) for a holistic understanding to better support your child.

Nutrition and Dietetics
All children and caregivers under the program will receive nutrition counselling from the dietitian upon diagnosis to guide caregivers on handling food safely to minimize food-related infections and strategies to maintain good nutritional status for optimal treatment outcomes. Throughout the treatment, your child and yourself will be supported by dietitians or dietetic technologists via face-to-face or video counselling to optimize nutritional status. This will include strategies to cope with treatment side effects, cooking and preparing a high calorie and protein diet, building healthy eating habits after cancer treatment to reduce risk of future cancers and chronic diseases.

Rehabilitation
Rehabilitation is a crucial aspect of recovery for children with cancer, particularly for children with brain tumours. Professionals such as physiotherapists, occupational therapists, speech and language therapists as well as music therapists, play an important role in the assessment and rehabilitation of underlying issues presented after the diagnosis of cancer. All work to support your child to optimise their daily living skills and quality of life. In the course of their treatment some children may have difficulties with their daily activities such as the ability to move around, communicate and feed/swallow independently. Rehabilitative services can target these areas to maximise their potential to function and cope whilst receiving medical treatment.