Partnership aims to improve childhood cancer survivorship care

Children’s Cancer CoLab and Redkite have signed a memorandum for research and advocacy initiatives.

Surviving childhood cancer is just the beginning of a complex journey that can be lifelong and impact all areas of life. That’s why Children’s Cancer CoLab has joined forces with one of Australia’s leading childhood cancer charities, Redkite, to address the ongoing challenges faced by young cancer survivors and their families.

Driven to improve long-term outcomes for childhood cancer survivors, Children’s Cancer CoLab and Redkite have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to collaborate on research and advocacy initiatives. The partnership will focus on knowledge sharing to ensure research and advocacy efforts address the challenges survivors face across physical, psychological, educational, social, and financial domains.

Dr Udani Reets, CEO of Children’s Cancer CoLab, said that childhood cancer survivorship was an issue that can’t be addressed by one organisation alone, and a national approach was needed.

“Survivorship experts across sectors and disciplines must collaborate if we are to make a real-world impact on lifelong survivorship care. By building on Redkite’s invaluable knowledge of the lived experience of families, Children’s Cancer CoLab can ensure we support evidence-based solutions that truly address the unmet needs of childhood cancer survivors.”

Monique Keighery, CEO of Redkite, said the organisation’s frontline insights and deep knowledge of support service gaps would help researchers understand the full spectrum of life after childhood cancer.

“For over 40 years, our work supporting children with cancer and their families has shown how wide-ranging and lifelong the impacts of cancer can be. We are so pleased to be partnering with Children’s Cancer CoLab in seeking to address the complex, intersecting factors that influence a child’s ability to thrive beyond treatment and throughout their entire life.”

Together the organisations plan to extend their activities nationally and align with the Australian Government’s Childhood and AYA Cancer Mission priorities. By combining research expertise with lived experience, the partnership aims to deliver lasting improvements for children and families navigating life after childhood cancer.

Children’s Cancer CoLab is a non-profit dedicated to accelerating research, innovation and collaboration for childhood and adolescent cancer.

Redkite is Australia’s only national childhood cancer charity focused on the psychosocial needs of children and families facing childhood cancer, providing emotional, financial and practical support.

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