Hi there! If you’ve found your way to this blog, there’s a good chance that: 

• You’re going through lots of changes as part of your cancer experience, whether that’s your own treatment, someone close to you has/is going through cancer, or you're grieving the death of a family member;  
• And you’re curious about getting some additional support right now, but aren’t quite sure how or where to begin. 

Although there is a lot of community-based support available, it can sometimes be confusing and time-consuming for young people and families to find out what types of support are available to them. In Australia, Canteen, Camp Quality and Redkite under the banner of the Cancer Hub are working together to provide wrap around support to young people and their families.

Young people and their families (with children aged 0-25) can easily access a range of cancer support services including cancer counselling, cancer support, programs and events and more with just one phone call – all they need to do is get in touch with our Intake team on 1800 945 215 (in Australia – for Aotearoa New Zealand, see below). Or you can book an intake appointment for your preferred time via the Cancer Hub website by clicking on the blue BOOK A CALL button: Cancer Hub | Support Services for Families Facing Cancer 

You just need to select the day and time you would like to receive a call, fill out the information prompts and then one of our awesome intake clinicians will call you at your selected time. 

If you’re under 16 years, make sure a parent or guardian knows about the booking and can be there with you at the beginning of the call. 

So, I’ve made a booking... what will the intake call be like? 

An intake appointment is a 20–30-minute, one-on-one phone chat. In Australia, the Cancer Hub National Intake Team has specially trained clinicians who understand that making that first call can be scary, and they know what a big step it can be. They know how important it is for you to feel comfortable, and they will give you the room to talk lots, or just a little, about your cancer experience; and listen to what you need. They know each person's experience is different, and they will take the time to make sure you feel supported and heard. Intake Clinicians also have an amazing knowledge of the different services available at Canteen, Camp Quality, Red Kite and other organisations, so if you don’t know what you need (which is completely okay) – they can help you work that out too!  

If you have other services supporting you at the moment too (like a treatment team, GP, psychologist etc.) that’s completely okay – let the Intake Clinician know that too. 

What happens next? 

At the end of your intake call your clinician will discuss with you the support you have chosen - this is to ensure you are both on the same page and you agree on the support being offered. That could include being linked in to counselling support , events, cancer navigation or sending you further information, or even a referral into a different service (depending on what you want!). Once you hang up from the call, the clinician will forward and email about the next steps (including when staff might be in contact), along with any information they advised they would forward to you. 

What if I have more questions first?

If you still have a few questions about the support, we can offer or would like more information before you Book A Call (or are wanting more info on behalf of someone else), another way to get in touch is to fill out our online referral form.

Once your online referral is received one of our amazing team members will reach out to you within 48 hours to provide you with information, answer any questions you have and book an intake appointment for you if needed. 

What if I live in New Zealand? 

For our rangatahi living in Aotearoa New Zealand, you can find out what support is available by sending an enquiry to the amazing team at Canteen Aotearoa here