| Children's Hospice Association Scotland (CHAS) | |
|---|---|
| Formation | 1992 |
| Type | Registered charity |
| Purpose/focus | To provide palliative care to children and young people with life-shortening conditions |
| Region served | Scotland |
| Website | www.chas.org.uk |
Children’s Hospice Association Scotland (CHAS) is a Scottish charity that provides the only hospice services in Scotland for children and young people with life-shortening conditions.[1] Scottish charity number SC 019724.[2] CHAS offers children’s hospice services, free of charge, to every child, young person and their families who needs and wants them.[3] CHAS was formed in February 1992 by a group of professionals and parents of children with life-shortening conditions who travelled to England for hospice care.
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Work to build Rachel House, Scotland’s first children's hospice, started in December 1994. The land to build Rachel House in Kinross was donated by the Montgomery family who owned Kinross House which stands next to the hospice. Rachel House was named after Lady Rachel Workman MacRobert in recognition of a £2 million donation by The MacRobert Trust. A 17-month fundraising appeal by the Daily Record (Scotland) newspaper raised £4 million towards the £10 million building cost and the full target was raised 13 months later. On 16 December 1994 celebrity supporter Philip Schofield cut the first turf for Rachel House, assisted by children from Kinross Primary School. The hospice was opened in March 1996[4] by The Princess Royal.
In 2003 Rachel House at Home launched, offering a home care service to families in their own homes. The service originally operated out of The Highland Hospice in Inverness and moved to Ardross Terrace, Inverness in June 2009.[5] In December 2008 Rachel House at Home became known as CHAS at Home. In December 2011 CHAS at Home will launch an Aberdeen base at Rosemount Place, Aberdeen[6]
A fundraising appeal to build Scotland’s second hospice Robin House in Balloch near Loch Lomond began in 2001 with readers of the Sunday Post helping raise the £10 million needed to complete the project. Robin House was named after the European Robin bird. In May 2003, the work began on the building with celebrity supporters Ewan McGregor and Sharleen Spiteri cutting the first turf with six year old Robyn Watterson who at the time used Rachel House.[7] Robin House opened in August 2005.
CHAS published two pieces of research in 2007 undertaken with the Cancer Care Research Centre, University of Stirling. The first evaluated future research priorities for CHAS[8] and the second identified the existing home care service.[9]
In 2008, the Scottish Government published the report Living and Dying Well, a national action plan for palliative and end of life care in Scotland.[10] CHAS staff members were integral to the consultation on children’s and teenage palliative care.[11]
In June 2011 a new research project undertaken by the Cancer Care Research Centre at the University of Stirling was published investigating the experiences and symptoms of children and young people with life-shortening conditions.[12]
For the financial year 2010-11 it cost £6.8 million to fulfil CHAS services. CHAS employs 232 staff across 11 sites in Scotland, as well as 79 bank relief workers within the hospices. Over 900 volunteers support CHAS in care services, fundraising, retail and administration.[13]
CHAS receives between 12% and 18% of its funding from local authorities and NHS health boards. The majority of its funding is provided by the general public through voluntary donations.
In addition to Rachel House, Robin House and CHAS at Home in the north of Scotland CHAS operates four fundraising offices in Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Kinross and Stepps which cover all areas of Scotland. CHAS Trading has a small retail team based in Kinross who manage the CHAS gift shop, two second hand charity shops, called Bazaar, and a shop in the Kingsgate Centre, Dunfermline. Teams based in Head Office in Edinburgh: Chief Executive, Finance and Administration (IT, Finance and Facilities), Fundraising and Communications (Fundraising, Public Relations and Marketing) and Organisational Development (HR, Learning and Development and Voluntary Services).