Family First Jersey

14/11/2025

“I had to move to Southampton at 32 weeks pregnant…

Billie was born under general anaesthetic, which came with a lot of scary risks” – Chelsea Deeks

Chelsea was in her third trimester when she was suddenly diagnosed with placenta accreta,

A very serious condition that can cause complications during childbirth,

This forced her to leave Jersey, her family and friends behind in the final weeks of her pregnancy to receive specialist treatment.

Chelsea then reached out to Family First, and we were able to give her the support she needed with:

> travel expenses
> practical and emotional support throughout her stay
> additional flights and accommodation for family who visited

Thankfully, the surgery went much better than expected and little Billie was born without complications.

No family should ever have to face a situation like this alone, and we couldn’t be more grateful Chelsea reached out to us for support, when she did.

Should your child need medical off-island care, please reach out to us. We’re here to support you.

Thanks to the following charities for their financial support: Friends of Jersey Neonatal unit and Grace Crocker Family Support Foundation, we couldn’t have done it without you.

12/11/2025

We'd love to see you there, join us if you can make it 🧁☕️🧡
RSVP 07700 700056. Thank you!

05/11/2025

05/11/2025

A huge THANK YOU to Katie for choosing to fundraise for Family First while taking on the Hospice Half Marathon next year! 🏃‍♀️💪💙

Your support helps us continue to be there for families who must travel off-island for their child’s medical care — and we are so grateful for your dedication and kindness.

If you’d like to support Katie on her journey, please click the link below! 👇✨

💛 Good luck Katie — we’re cheering you on every step of the way!

https://jerseygiving.je/sponsor/activity/half-marathon-5/katie-hargreaves?fbclid=IwY2xjawN38YVleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAEwAAEelwdsYVzh2wWC9sc5g1z7_ZdZBlcwLG0cnHdSaH5ExnYcILLZlwh_ILc7W5g_aem_tamjpW5LFdaYRrL89HplVw

Established in 2018, our charity provides a dedicated Family Support Service for families in Jersey whose child requires medical treatment in the UK. By supporting our service, you can make a real difference for families facing one of the most difficult times in their lives. Your donation helps us:

30/10/2025

📱💙 Thank You, Three UK 💙📱

We are incredibly grateful to Three UK for kindly providing us with new SIM cards for the families we support.

For families whose child needs off-island treatment and care in a UK hospital, the cost of being away from home can quickly add up — without the added worry of unexpected phone bills. These UK SIM cards allow families to simply top-up and use what they need, helping them stay connected throughout their child’s treatment and care without facing large bills on their return.

It’s the little things like this that make a big difference, allowing parents to focus on what truly matters: their child.

If you or someone you know could benefit from support from Family First, please do get in touch. We’re here to help every step of the way.

A huge thank you again to Three UK for their ongoing support — it means the world to the families we support. 🌍✨

22/10/2025

For anyone travelling off island tomorrow.

Jersey Met has issued a Red Wind Warning for this evening. Storm Benjamin is set to bring strong winds, intensifying overnight.

If you are flying tomorrow and have any questions about your flight please contact your airline.

22/10/2025

🐾 A Big Thank You to Little Wren! 🐾

We were thrilled to receive this beautiful Jellycat jumbo dog from Laura at Little Wren 💛

It was hard to decide how we give it to just one family, so we’ve decided to keep him in the office for all the children who visit us to enjoy and we know he will be well loved!

Now we need your help… 🐶
👉 What should we name him?

Share your ideas in the comments below, and we’ll pick our favourite later this week!

Thank you again to Little Wren for this thoughtful and generous gift, we absolutely love it!

fans

21/10/2025

✈️ A huge thank you to Blue Islands for so kindly providing the flights that enabled our team to visit Southampton Hospital recently 💙

The visit gave our Family Support Workers the chance to meet the hospital teams we work so closely with and gain a much deeper understanding of what families experience when travelling for their child’s treatment.

Sonya shared:

“Visiting Southampton Hospital gave me a real insight into what families go through getting to, from, and around the hospital. It’s helped me feel more informed and better equipped when talking to them about it. Meeting the people we normally only liaise with over the phone brought a human touch and grounded me in the reality, which now carries through more naturally into the everyday parts of my job.”

Jess added:

“I found that one of the most valuable parts of visiting Southampton Hospital was meeting the people we work closely with. It really helped to strengthen our relationships, so together we can provide better support to our families.”

We’d also like to say a big thank you to the wonderful team at Ronald McDonald House Southampton (special thank you to Becky!) for making us feel so welcome, and to Jane, the Channel Islands Liaison Nurse and Kirsten from Abby's Heroes for taking the time to show our team around the hospital and help us see first hand what families experience when they arrive.

We’re so grateful to everyone who made this visit possible, your kindness and support mean the world to us and the families we help 💙

03/10/2025

💐 Huge Congratulations to Jess! 💐

We’re so proud to share that our lovely Family Support Worker, Jess, has recently passed her Level 3 Counselling qualification 🎉👏

Jess has been part of the Family First team for 4 years, and in that time she’s been a constant source of kindness, care, and support for so many families. We’re so lucky to have her as part of our team 💛

Please join us in congratulating Jess on this brilliant achievement – we can’t wait to see all the wonderful ways she’ll continue to make a difference! 🌟

16/09/2025

❤️❤️Join Us for Our September Coffee Morning! ❤️❤️

We’re hosting our next Coffee Morning on Wednesday, 17th September, and we’d love for you to join us!
This is a relaxed and friendly space for families with children who need off-island medical treatment to connect, share experiences, and support each other at Family First office at Jersey Hospice, Mont Cochon.

Please RSVP so we can plan for numbers.
We look forward to seeing you there! ❤️

12/08/2025

🎉 300 Families Supported! 🎉

Since launching the Family First service in 2018, we have been privileged to support 300 families through the challenges of having a child needing off-island treatment.

A huge thank you to everyone who has supported us along the way, your kindness, donations, and encouragement have made this possible.

We’re proud to be here for families when they need it most, offering practical and emotional support every step of the way.

Here’s to continuing this journey together and helping even more families in the future.