• CCF established the CCF Cellular Therapy Programme as an expansion of the Tan Cheng Lim – CCF Professorship in Paediatric Oncology in the effort to establish the Paediatric Bone Marrow Transplantation and Cellular Therapy Centre (BMTCTC).

• CCF forged collaborations with National University of Singapore to support the CAR-T Cell Immunotherapy Programme to fund clinical trials for the treatment of relapsed or high-risk Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia in children. The programme also aims to improve the survival rates for the children.
• In collaboration with the Singapore Hospice Council (SHC). CCF was appointed Professional Partner at SHC’s inaugural Grief and Bereavement Conference.

• CCF has pledged $200,000 towards Cellular Immunology Research with NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine with the goal of identifying transformative and new cost-effective treatments for childhood cancer.
• CCF has collaborated with Assisi Hospice to provide a continuum of care in its new paediatrics ward for families with children suffering from cancer. CCF also provides toys and media resources for the playroom located inside the paediatrics ward.
• In 2017, CCF contributed a total of $2,702,056 in support of research and education in paediatric oncology and other collaborations with medical partners and organisations such as Singapore Cord Blood Bank.

• • In a key collaboration with National University Hospital and VIVA Foundation, CCF pledged $4 million to set up the VIVA-NUS Centre for Translational Research in Acute Leukaemia (VIVA-NUS CenTRAL) for leukaemia diagnosis and translational research.
  • CCF contributed $1.2 million to the psychosocial component of the VIVA-KKH Paediatric Brain and Solid Tumour Programme.
  • In collaboration with KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital, CCF contributed $1.738 million to fund CCF Psychosocial and Supportive Care Programme for Paediatric Oncology to develop a holistic paediatric oncology and supportive care programme.

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• CCF contributed a total of $2.3 million in support of research and education in paediatric oncology and other collaborations with medical partners and organisations such as KKH, NUH and Singapore Cord Blood Bank.

• • CCF pledged $2.5million in a strategic partnership with The SingHealth Duke-NUS Paediatrics Academic Clinical Programme to set up the Tan Cheng Lim-CCF Professorship in Paediatric Oncology. With dollar-to-dollar matching from the Singapore government, the fund was doubled to $5million.
  • CCF continued to fund a research assistant at National University of Singapore
  • CCF continued to fund a Bone Marrow Transplant (BMT) coordinator at National University Hospital

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• CCF contributed 12 sets of 3D Smart LED TV and 12 Arm Brackets for TV installation to KK Women’s & Children’s Hospital
• CCF continued to support the development of Singapore Cord Blood Bank with a funding of $250,000 for units of cord blood successfully banked
• CCF continued to fund a research assistant at National University of Singapore
• CCF continued to fund a Bone Marrow Transplant (BMT) coordinator at National University Hospital

• • CCF provided a $5000 funding to Singapore Hospice Council for the Singapore Pallative Care Conference 2012
  • CCF funded KKH’s Clinical Research Coordinator Management Course
  • CCF continued to fund a Bone Marrow Transplant (BMT) coordinator at National University Hospital

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• CCF funded a Bone Marrow Transplant (BMT) coordinator at National University Hospital
• CCF funded a total of $40,000 for 80 local delegates who attended St Jude-VIVA Forum
• CCF contributed three laptops and overhead laptop tables to KK Women’s & Children’s Hospital
• CCF continued to fund a Research Assistant at National University of Singapore
• CCF continued to support the development of Singapore Cord Blood Bank with a funding of $250,0000 for units of cord blood successfully banked

• CCF supported a Medico-Psychosocial study on Paediatric Sibling Donors of Blood and Marrow Transplant with a pledge of $1,318 in funding
• CCF continued to support the development of Singapore Cord Blood Bank with a funding of $250,0000 for units of cord blood successfully banked

• CCF continued to fund a Research Assistant each at KK Women’s & Children’s Hospital and National University Hospital
• CCF also provided funding of $30,000 to the 3rd St Jude-VIVA Forum

• CCF introduced video-conferencing in the wards allowing our beneficiaries to keep in touch with friends and family during their prolonged hospital stay
• NCSS has chosen CCF to be the anchor tenant of the newly opened Social Service Hub at Central Plaza

• CCF pledged a further funding of $150,000 per year for 2007 and 2008, to support Singapore Cord Blood Bank’s second phase of development. In addition to building the inventory of cord blood, the funds enabled SCCB to carry out training, development and education activities in support of their operations.
• CCF funded two physicians from Indonesia to train in KK Women’s & Children’s Hospital
• CCF funded The Children’s Hospice International 18th World Congress held in Singapore. Participants included paediatric, palliative and hospice care providers from around the world
• CCF helped to fund the first St. Jude-VIVA Forum with a focus on training of medical professionals in Singapore and the ASEAN region

• CCF pledged $1.2million to KK Women’s & Children’s Hospital for renovation and building of new bone-marrow transplant room (BMT) at KKH-CCF Children’s Cancer Centre
• CCF collaborated with the Department of Social Work and Psychology, National University of Singapore, to study parents’ adjustment to chronic illnesses of their children
• CCF continued to provide direct support to KK Women’s & Children’s Hospital and National University Hospital for the development and maintenance of childhood cancer registries/databases as well as research studies

• CCF collaborated with the Department of Social Work and Department of Psychology in National University of Singapore to conduct research and studies on siblings and caregiver coping with childhood cancer
• First sum of $1million disbursed to National Cancer Centre to establish a CCF Research Programme

• Launch of the Singapore Cord Blood Bank and Regional Outreach programme, both funded by CCF
• CCF made an in-principle agreement to support the efforts of the National Cancer Centre by funding one of its Research Laboratories to establish new research collaborations into childhood cancers using state of the art technology

• CCF pledged $500,000 to set up Singapore Cord Blood Bank
• CCF was co-sponsor for the ASEAN Childhood Cancer Workshop

• Two psychosocial research and several evaluation studies were completed

• CCF organised a psychosocial workshop on childhood cancer in the inaugural SIOP Asia Conference in April 2000
• With funding support from CCF, the Paediatric Inpatient Cancer Centre at NUH was established

• Collaborating in a research initiative with the Department of Social Work, Arts Faculty, National University of Singapore
• Providing funding for training of local nursing staff in advance paediatric care
• Sending two social workers on overseas training and attachments

• Lessons from a collaborative needs assessment with a focus on programme planning for caregivers of children with cancer

  In this poster presentation, we outlined a collaboration by the research team and case workers cum programme planners from the Caregiver Support Services (CSS) to design a practice research project that deliberately emphasizes programme planning needs and retrieval of actionable results, while managing the robustness of the study. Three key learnings have emerged from the study process that would help to facilitate future collaborations between researchers and practitioners, namely: (i) Negotiating the balance between representative and actionable results (ii) Managing the expectations of researchers, practitioners and service users in the process and (iii) The potential benefits of the service user-led approach in practice research. The poster was presented at the 6th International Conference on Practice Research in Social Work and the SASW Social Work Practice Research Seminar in 2023.

• Implementing the psychosocial standards of care in a childhood cancer setting in Singapore

  This presentation outlines CCF’s experience as an organization in meeting the standards of psychosocial care. In 2015, fifteen evidence-based Standards for Psychosocial Care for Children with Cancer and Their Families (Standards) were published to help ensure that children with cancer and their families receive essential psychosocial care. Children’s Cancer Foundation, Singapore (CCF), conducted an exercise to look at how the organization’s psychosocial services and programs vis-à-vis the established Standards. Evidence-informed model of care taking into consideration the needs of children with cancer both within the hospital and community context allowed CCF to provide psychosocial care to children with cancer and their families. Constant review and monitoring of programs and services allowed the organization to keep up to date with the needs enabling us to go beyond the provision of essential psychosocial care that was outlined in the fifteen Standards. This presentation was shared at the 15th Childhood Cancer International Asia Conference in 2023.

• Riding through the Pandemic Parenting a child with cancer during COVID-19

  This study studied how the pandemic has impacted the caregiving experience of parents of children with cancer via a closed-ended online survey with 78 parents in October 2020. We found that caregiving demand has increased during the pandemic, and two in five parents were severely impacted by the pandemic. Parents did not experience a significant change in social support and were coping well with the stressors during the pandemic. The study highlights both the challenges faced as well as the strengths exhibited by these parents amid the pandemic. The findings were also presented at the 2nd Singapore Social Work Practice Research Conference 2021 hosted by NUS Social Work Department

• CCF Employee Survey: Investigating The Impact Of New Work Arrangements on Staff

  This study seeks to investigate the impact of changes in work arrangements on the staff in CCF, their coping, and support required during the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite an increase in stress levels, staff were adapting well to the current work arrangement and agreed that CCF took appropriate measures to ensure their health and well-being. However, providing services through virtual platforms was also challenging for social workers and specialists. Despite the challenges, staff in CCF felt that they were generally well-supported, and the organisation’s new work arrangements were appropriate during this pandemic.

• Rehabilitation needs and associated challenges of childhood cancer survivors in Singapore

  In collaboration with students from NUS Chua Thian Poh Community Leadership Centre, a research study was conducted with 71 caregivers and allied health professionals to understand childhood cancer survivors’ rehabilitation needs and challenges. About one in three required rehabilitation at the hospital, and the main challenges were time constraints and transportation issues. At home, the leading issues faced by parents were the child’s unwillingness to do the rehabilitation exercises, discomfort and lack of time.

• Do you know? Awareness and perception of childhood cancer in Singapore

  Findings from this study showed that there is generally good knowledge about childhood cancer in Singapore. Compassion for children with cancer was also high. However, knowledge and awareness appeared to be independent of direct support for children with cancer. A sizeable number of respondents were unsure how they could interact with or help children with cancer. It highlighted the need to provide practical tips to the public on the roles they could play in the lives of children with cancer and their families.

• Needs assessment for siblings affected by childhood cancer: Parents’ Perspectives

  This study was conducted to investigate the psychosocial impact on siblings from the parents’ perspective. It included a review of their coping strategies and the sources of support they deemed necessary and helpful. Spending quality time together and engaging immediate family members to provide caregiving support were the coping strategies adopted by most parents. Negative impacts detected were diverse but for the majority of siblings observed, positive impacts were more apparent. However, these acts of maturity should not be assumed as signs that they were coping well. Parents and support services should also be attentive to the needs of siblings at different developmental stages and provide age-appropriate intervention.

• Needs of children with cancer who have returned to mainstream school

  This study captured the sharing of 16 parents and four youth survivors on the challenges faced in returning to school after cancer treatments. Along the illness trajectory, parents and youths had engaged various systems including CCF, school, family and medical to support the schooling needs. This finding denotes the importance of the coordinated efforts needed to support children with cancer in their reintegration to school.

• The aftermath of losing caregiver to cancer: Assessment of psychosocial impacts from children and adolescents’ perspectives

  This study captures the voices of 13 children and adolescents, aged seven to 16, who invited us into their worlds to reveal their lived experiences in the face of their parents’ cancer and eventual death.

  Be it pre- or post-death period, all of them experienced some form of emotional impacts and practical disruptions in daily life. Yet, all of them had their own coping strategies, primarily by engaging themselves with some forms of activities and distracting themselves from the resulted distress

• An exploratory study of bereavement care in Singapore: the needs, coping experiences and service provision

  A collaboration with Singapore Hospice Council, this study aims to understand and examine the needs of bereaved persons and examine how far the current support network has supported the bereaved in their grief.

• Siblings’ Coping with A Brother or Sister with Childhood Cancer: The Parents’ Perspectives

  This study sought to understand the psychosocial impacts of childhood cancer on siblings. Eleven parents were interviewed through two focus group interviews. Siblings experienced tremendous changes and impacts resulting from a childhood cancer diagnosis. Parents attempted to attend to the siblings’ needs and facilitate their adjustments which helped the siblings to gradually cope and adapt over time. Such attempts often took a toll on parents juggling between the child with cancer and these siblings, and thus require additional resources to support them in this process.

• The Needs of Children with Cancer Returning to School

  This study explored the schooling needs of children with cancer who are planning to return to school, to augment what is already known and to identify any other areas of needs or service gaps. Focus group and individual interviews were conducted with 12 parents. When their child was preparing to return school at the end of treatment, parents expressed the following concerns and needs with regards to schooling:
  1. Physical / medical constraints
  2. Psychological and emotional wellbeing
  3. Academic performance
  4. Socialisation and interpersonal relationships

  By addressing the needs and concerns identified in this study, it can help to ease the transition back to school for children with cancer.