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The Inside Line

James Morrison

Nothing Ever Hurt Like You

New Partnership Effort Launched For Seriously Ill Children's Non-Medical Costs

Wednesday, 8 April 2026 13:29

Bluebird Care and Cliona's Foundation are teaming up to raise awareness on the issue.

Families of seriously ill children in Ireland are facing costs of up to €15,000 simply to remain by their child’s side during treatment.

Bluebird Care Ireland, which has a branch in Athlone, along with Cliona’s Foundation is launching a new partnership effort aimed at raising awareness and strengthening support for families navigating childhood illness, with both organisations working together to help ensure that no family must face these challenges alone.

Across Ireland, it is estimated that there are 4,000 children living with serious or life-limiting conditions requiring ongoing hospital care.

For many families, the financial burden goes far beyond medical bills.

Travel, accommodation, lost income, and day-to-day living costs can quickly escalate, placing immense pressure on parents already dealing with the emotional toll of their child’s illness.

Bluebird Care Ireland is highlighting the role of nurse-led paediatric care in supporting families beyond the hospital setting, helping to enable more care to take place at home where appropriate, and easing pressure on both families and the wider healthcare system.

Mark McInerney, Chief Operating Officer of Bluebird Care Ireland, says:

“There is a growing recognition that care does not begin and end in hospital.

Supporting families in the home, particularly in paediatric and complex care, is a critical part of the overall healthcare journey.

Our role is to work alongside families and organisations like Cliona’s Foundation to ensure children can receive the care they need in the most supportive environment possible.

At Bluebird Care, we know the stress and pressures illness places on families in caring for a loved one and particularly paediatric care, where it’s never just caring for one child, because it impacts sisters and brothers, older and younger.

That’s why in Bluebird Care we say, we hear you, we know your pain and we support you.”

Cliona’s Foundation has supported over 1,700 families in these situations, providing direct financial assistance that helps parents to remain close to their child during treatment, without the added stress of mounting costs.

The organisation says it continues to see families struggling with the hidden costs that come with childhood illness, even when medical treatment itself is covered.

Miriam O'Callaghan, ambassador for Cliona’s Foundation, says:

“Meeting families who are going through this brings home just how overwhelming the reality can be.

No parent should have to worry about how they are going to afford to stay close to their child in hospital.

What Cliona’s Foundation does is incredibly important, it gives families the space to focus on what really matters, being there for their child.”

For Cliona’s Foundation, the issue is not only the emotional toll of a child’s illness, but the very real financial pressure that can build quickly around it.

Brendan Ring, co-founder of Cliona’s Foundation, added:

“We see first-hand the pressure families are under when a child becomes seriously ill.

The focus should be on the child, but the reality is that many parents are also trying to figure out how they are going to afford to stay close to them.

That is where Cliona’s Foundation steps in.

Our role is to ease that financial burden so families can be where they need to be, with their child, without that added stress.”

Cliona’s Foundation is now calling on the public, businesses and communities to support its work, ensuring that more families can access the help they need during some of the most challenging times of their lives.

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