Annual Review 2015 supporting children, teenagers and young adults with cancer National and NSW office contents Level 8, Tower 1, 1 Lawson Square Redfern NSW 2016 PO Box 3220, Redfern NSW 2016 In 2015 Our vision and experience 04 Tel: (02) 9219 4000 Redkite provided more From our Chair and CEO 06 Fax: (02) 9280 1518 than $1.9million in financial assistance 2015 highlights 08 Queensland office to almost 1700 families Level 3, 80 Petrie Terrace Support at diagnosis 09 Brisbane QLD 4000 Support through treatment 14 PO Box 2224, Milton QLD 4064 Tel: (07) 3087 4750 Support beyond treatment 18 Fax: (07) 3087 4799 Our community of supporters 24 Victorian office Governance and regulation 32 7/71 Victoria Crescent, Abbotsford VIC 3067 2015 financials 36 PO Box 1221, Richmond North VIC 3121 Tel: (03) 9066 0566 Western Australia office Lower Ground Floor, 2v29 Stirling Highway, Claremont, WA 6010 Tel: (08) 6188 2900 Fax: (08) 6188 2949 You can reach us wherever you are in Australia on 1800 REDKITE (1800 733 548) Redkite.org.au [email protected] facebook.com/redkitesupporters twitter.com/redkite Instagram.com/redkitecharity 2 Redkite Annual Review 2015 Redkite Annual Review 2015 3 our vision we believe our promise today We believe the best way to support a to families Redkite is a leading national cancer child or young person with cancer is to You are not alone with cancer. We will charity with over 30 years’ experience To support every support the whole family. We believe respectfully listen to you and your in providing professional and essential in walking alongside the whole family family, and respond with essential support to children and young people for the whole cancer journey; that all support from hospital to home. with cancer and their families. We child, teenager families have strengths and resilience, rely on the generosity of individuals, and cancer does not define a person. community groups and corporate and young adult We believe in equity – that no family of beginnings Australia to deliver our programs and a child or young person facing cancer The man who inspired the founding we receive no government funding. should be disadvantaged by their socio- of Redkite, Sir Malcolm Sargent, was a with cancer, and economic circumstances. We believe brilliant musician and internationally in our people and collaboration and renowned conductor who often in ensuring that all who engage with directed his support to children and their family, who Redkite feel valued, connected and young people. His compassion and supported. love of music is felt to this day in cancer wards across Australia through Redkite’s need us. our purpose Music Therapy Program. Originally named ‘The Malcolm Sargent Cancer To provide essential support to children, Fund for Children’, Redkite was founded teenagers and young adults with cancer in Australia in 1983 by Sylvia Darley (up to the age of 24) to ensure the best OBE, Sir Malcolm Sargent’s long-time possible quality of life for them and their Secretary and Manager. Sylvia identified families – now and into the future. the need for assistance with family essentials and established Redkite to provide practical, must-have care. 4 Redkite Annual Review 2015 Redkite Annual Review 2015 5 a message from our Chair a message from our CEO Today there are around 40,000 people in Australia who are affected by With clear purpose, passion and direction we have again managed to take childhood and youth cancer. These children and young people undergoing significant steps toward bridging the gap in need for children and young treatment—and their parents, siblings and grandparents—need information people with cancer and their families across Australia in 2015. and support. When you add to this the thousands of partners and other Just over four years ago, we launched ‘Real Connect ‘, a services expansion carers affected by childhood cancer, the great need for Redkite’s support is plan that included a clear focus on strengthening sector collaboration. It was clear. a plan that firmly positioned young people and their families at the centre. We recognised the need for a more seamless and connected experience In 2015 we expanded Redkite’s support to reach more of these young that ensured timely and easy access to high quality services and information people, their families and carers with information and counselling, financial across their entire cancer experience. We also knew that there was a serious help, and education and career support. lack of age-specific support for teenagers and young adults and their families both in hospital, and when they returned home. We were also able to achieve a 4% increase in fundraising revenue over the previous yearto ensure increased support, and kept our administrative and So where are we now? The plan has been executed with great success; new marketing costs to 9% alongside our continued commitment to constant and expanded services are in place, and successful sector collaborations improvement. have been established. One in two, rather than one in four teenagers and young adults are now supported by Redkite at diagnosis. With our dedicated We know that the pressures faced by many Australians in the current donors and volunteers, real support and connection has been achieved. We economic environment are amplified for those facing their child’s cancer. are particularly grateful to the Kinghorn Foundation and the Coles team and Redkite is there for them at this time of need. We reached 13% more customers for their generosity in making this possible. families with financial assistance last year, providing $1.9 million in direct While we are proud of our progress, particularly expanded financial, grants through this program alone. We anticipate the demand for financial counselling and educational support, we remain committed to bridging the assistance will continue to increase in 2016 as more young people and gap so no child or young person is alone through cancer. We continue to families discover Redkite and find themselves experiencing financial focus on reaching all families who need us. Some of our achievements in 2015 challenges. included: Our committed corporate partners and community of supporters across • increased telephone support groups, including new groups for parents the country, along with our Board, Club Red members, workplace givers, pro of children with brain cancers, grandparents and fathers of young bono supporters, ambassadors and volunteers, are enabling us to support people with cancer more young people and families than ever before. We look forward to • significant expansion of our Education and Career Support Program, continuing this important work together – now and in the future. the only national service of its kind for young people living with the effects of cancer Bruce Morgan • the opening of face-to-face counselling rooms in our four offices Chair • partnerships with researchers to investigate how the sector currently supports young cancer patients and what more needs to be done including the Youth Friendly Cancer Care project led by Professor Susan Sawyer, where vital national research was conducted into the needs of young people with cancer and their parents, and what a best practice model of supportive care could look like • expanded support for bereaved families through tailored telegroups and a new support pack • evaluation of our parent support groups at Camp Quality camps and our Care Pathways program at Lady Cilento Hospital in Brisbane, which improves connections to Redkite support and other community services for families once they leave hospital. We were also pleased to be able to take custodianship of the Westmead Family Support Program last year, continuing the work of Cure Our Kids, an organisation set up by parents, for parents and supporting families with children at Westmead Children’s Hospital in Sydney. None of this could support could happen without our loyal community of corporate supporters; our experienced, engaged and committed Board; our warm, professional and hardworking team, our many volunteers who give their time and energy year after year; and the children, young people and families who inspire all of us with their strengths, resilience and willingness to share the reality of their cancer journey. We have come a long way together. We know we still have a way to go. I thank you for continuing on this journey with us, a journey and future that will include further collaboration and embracing digital opportunities to ensure even greater ease of access to information and support – where, when and how young people and their families need it. Jenni Seton CEO 6 Redkite Annual Review 2015 Redkite Annual Review 2015 7 why your support matters to every six hours children and young people a family in Australia facing cancer is told their child has cancer Today more than 25,000 children and young people, parents and siblings are directly affected by childhood Redkite reaches almost all children in and youth cancer. Thousands more grandparents, partners and other carers in their support networks are major children’s hospitals at the time also affected. of their cancer diagnosis. We are now reaching 1 in 2 young people (15-24 They need the essential, practical support Redkite provides. years). Too many teenagers and young people with cancer do not know how we can help them. Many of them are treated in the adult hospital system, where they are likely to feel isolated and without access to age-appropriate support. Similarly, families of younger children may not know the full extent In 2015: of support available to them. Our vision is to support every child, THROUGH TREATMENT teenager and young adult with cancer AT DIAGNOSIS and their family who need us. We still have a lot of work to do.