Caolin Healy

Barretstown, Ireland’s leading provider of psychosocial care for seriously ill children and young people, has announced its intention to establish Ireland’s first Psychosocial Clinical Research Hub. The announcement comes as the charity welcomes its 175,000th camper and launches a new strategy that will expand its remit. It also reflects the organisation’s commitment to ensuring that psychosocial care is a part of every treatment plan for children and young people in Ireland living with cancer and other serious illnesses.

Psychosocial care is the medical term for care that addresses the full picture of a young person’s recovery, including their emotional wellbeing, confidence, independence and self-esteem. It is evidence-based, WHO-recognised and government-endorsed healthcare that has been proven to have a profound impact on restoring the lives of seriously ill children and their families. While psychosocial care is included in the National Cancer Strategy, it is not yet consistently integrated into clinical care for every seriously ill young person and their family in Ireland.

For over thirty years, Barretstown has been the leading provider of psychosocial care in Ireland and has generated approximately €2.2 billion in social value. This demonstrates what dedicated psychosocial care can achieve and the important role it can play in addressing gaps within the Irish healthcare system.

Barretstown’s new strategy aims to build on this work. Ireland’s health landscape for those under 25 faces extraordinary challenges. According to the National Cancer Registry Ireland, an average of just under 370 young people are diagnosed with cancer every year in Ireland, while almost one in five children have a long-standing illness or health problem. This creates additional pressure on young people and their families, who need greater access to support alongside their clinical care.

To provide this support and restore more lives, Barretstown is expanding its work to make psychosocial care the standard across Ireland. Its new strategy, which will see this expanded remit come to fruition, is built on four key pillars that will shape best practice, lead pivotal research and transform national care systems. These pillars include:

• Programme Development & Innovation: Through research-based evidence, Barretstown will continuously strengthen and refine its therapeutic recreational camps and programmes, helping to identify psychosocial needs earlier and tailor programmes to individual needs. Barretstown will also work to embed its programmes further into the national clinical pathways to ensure psychosocial care becomes a standard part of every treatment plan.
• Establish a Psychosocial Clinical Research Hub: The first of its kind in Ireland and led by Dr Chiara Besani, a world leader in the field, this Hub will lead cutting-edge, evidence-based research into psychosocial interventions, helping to shape new standards, support transformative change in national care systems, and inform policy and practice both nationally and internationally.
• Establish a Training Centre of Excellence: Which will equip healthcare professionals, educators and carers with the knowledge, skills and practical tools to deliver outstanding psychosocial care in the community. This will enhance the reach and impact of psychosocial care for seriously ill children and their families in Ireland, while also strengthening evidence for advocacy.
• Advocacy: Barretstown is deepening its commitment to advocacy to ensure that psychosocial care becomes an embedded part of every treatment plan. Powered by research, Barretstown will champion the importance and impact of psychosocial care and will share evidence openly to inform policy and practice.

The launch of this new strategic direction also coincides as Barretstown unveils a new brand. Driven by the Barretstown Youth Board, who are past campers, the new brand reflects the new identity and direction that the charity is taking.

Minister for Health, Jennifer Carroll MacNeill said: “I am delighted to join Barretstown in celebrating the launch of its new strategy and the establishment of Ireland’s first Psychosocial Clinical Research Hub. For more than 30 years, Barretstown has transformed the lives of children and young people affected by cancer and other serious illnesses by providing a place where they can experience the joy, confidence and sense of normal childhood that every child deserves.

The creation of this Research Hub marks an important new chapter, recognising that supporting children through serious illness requires more than medical treatment alone. By advancing research into the social, emotional and developmental needs of children and families, this work will help strengthen evidence-based approaches to psychosocial care and contribute to improving outcomes across our health system.

Barretstown’s impact extends far beyond its camps, reaching families, siblings and communities. It has delivered immeasurable benefits to tens of thousands of children over the past three decades. I commend the staff, volunteers, supporters and former campers whose dedication has made this success possible”.

CEO of Barretstown, Dee Ahearn added: “Over thirty years ago, Paul Newman established Barretstown with the vision of creating a place where seriously ill children and young people can simply have fun and be children again. This is reflected in Barretstown’s reputation as a place of magic. However, there has always been a science behind this magic, and that is called psychosocial care.

Psychosocial care is at the core of Barretstown. It is evidence-based, WHO-recognised and government-endorsed. And it is a crucial part of every young person’s recovery after a serious illness. But it is not yet a consistent extension of clinical care for every seriously ill young person in Ireland.

As leaders in this care, it is our responsibility to ensure that psychosocial care is embedded in our national healthcare. This next chapter of Barretstown will expand our remit to address this and will help to shape best practice, lead research in this field and inspire transformational change in our national care systems. This is crucial in enhancing the delivery of psychosocial care nationwide, and advocating for this care to become standard, funded and accessible across Ireland.

We are reminded of the importance of this ambition as we welcome our 175,000^th camper Hayleigh. We greatly appreciate the support so far from Government, the Department of Health and HSE, our stakeholders and the incredible team in Children’s Health Ireland, and we look forward to continuing our work together to ensure that psychosocial care can become a standard part of treatment for children and families across Ireland.”