When time is limited by a serious illness, time becomes more precious than ever. Rainbow Trust pairs each family with a dedicated Family Support Worker to help them face and make the most of each new day. Meet some of the Family Support Workers who enable us to support families caring for a seriously ill child.
Jaimie is a Rainbow Trust Family Support Worker in the North East Care team and shares her typical week with us.
"My weeks are always so different and my diary can change from one moment to the next……I absolutely love my job and I love just making a difference to the families lives that we work with! I always feel so privileged to part of the families lives."
Jodie is a Rainbow Trust Family Support Worker in the Essex Care team and shares her typical week with us.
"My week as a Family Support Worker starts in the previous week. Towards the end of the week on a Thursday or Friday I will check my diary and see which appointments are booked in for the following week. I will send a text to the families I have booked in and just check that everything is still going ahead as planned for my visit. This gives them the opportunity to let me know if any changes have happened and if they need to change any details with me for the visit."
Georgia is a Rainbow Trust Family Support Worker in the Greater Manchester Care team and shares her typical week with us.
I’m a Family Support Worker in the Greater Manchester team, and I joined Rainbow Trust in February of 2022. I jumped at the chance to be a family support worker for Rainbow Trust to make a difference to families by providing whatever support I can to them through the difficult times they are experiencing.
I always say if I can make a difference to one person, I’ve done my job, and it’s a job I love doing!
Michelle is a Rainbow Trust Family Support Worker in the Southampton Care team and shares her typical week with us.
I love how varied and rewarding my role is.
It is great being able to make a difference to the lives of families who are struggling or in crisis. Sometimes the support to us can seem small but the impact on the families is massive.
Ellen is a Rainbow Trust Family Support Worker in the South West Care team and shares her typical week with us.
"I joined Rainbow Trust in October 2020 after working as a Primary School teacher. I was looking for a role that would give me more opportunities to support children's emotional wellbeing and becoming a Family Support Worker was the perfect change for me."
What do you love most about your job?
"The support I provide to families doesn't only help seriously ill children, it has a positive impact on their siblings and parents too. I find it really rewarding to know that the work I do helps to make difficult situations families are going through that little bit easier and I always look forward to the smiles I see on children's faces when I arrive to play with them."
Jayne is a Rainbow Trust Family Support Worker in the London and South East Care team and shares her typical week with us.
"I started working for Rainbow Trust in September 2007 so I am celebrating my 15th anniversary this year. The families I have supported and currently support are all very different: they have different needs, the children’s conditions are varied, the families’ situations are diverse and living with childhood illness and the trauma and stress this may cause manifests in many contrasting ways."
"I like to look after and comfort people and that is what makes caring for and supporting seriously ill children and their families so rewarding to me."
Megan is a Rainbow Trust Family Support Worker in the Liverpool Care team and shares her typical week with us.
I have been a Family Support Worker for a year having previously worked in education for fourteen years. This job is such a special job, and you go home every day knowing that you have made a difference. It is such a special feeling working with families as they are going through the unimaginable and knowing that you can help in some small way is amazing.
Joanne is a Rainbow Trust Family Support Worker in the North East Care team and shares her typical week with us.
When my 16-year-old son was diagnosed with cancer my world was rocked. It is at times like this that you need people who understand what you are going through and really care.
After my son recovered, I began to work at Rainbow Trust. It is the most humbling job and I absolutely love it.
24/7 support for families across the country, from diagnosis and beyond.
Emotional support for the brothers and sisters of seriously ill children.
Practical and emotional support to families at home - both in person and virtually.
Supporting families with hospital stays, appointments and admissions.
Providing safe transport to vital medical appointments and hospital visits.