Contact magazine: Work & employment

What does good employer support for parents, patients and survivors look like? What are their legal rights? In this edition, we hear a variety of experiences from parents and survivors about how their place of work did – or, in some cases, didn’t – support them and the impact this had.

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Cancer in children and young people can be life-altering in many ways for all those it impacts, and navigating the world of work is just one of them. 

  • Charity support for young people affected by cancer

  • Professionals involved in children and young people's cancer care

  • Employment rights and support for families

For parents or young people, it’s important to voice what they need, and when, and to ask for support or reach out to people and organisations that could help. For their employers, we hope this edition can shine a light on how they can support them, in a way that goes above and beyond what's legally required. This could be by doing even the simplest of things, such as allowing employees to have their phone on their desk in case of emergency calls, or flexibility in working hours. Whatever that support looks like, compassion, kindness and understanding will be greatly needed to deliver it.
 

Articles from this issue

A young man is standing next to a pedestrian crossing, holding a guitar.

“Seek out additional help and be open about how you’re feeling”

Shane Gunby was diagnosed with a brain tumour aged 15 in 2012, leaving him with several long-term side effects. He explains how this has impacted him in the workplace, and what a difference proper support from employers can make to young people navigating the world of work after cancer.

A woman and her son are close together, both sticking their tongues out for the camera.

I benefitted from charity support - now I’m working for one that helped me

Sian Brown’s son, George, was diagnosed with stage 4 neuroblastoma in April 2019 when seven months old. Here, she explains how she gave up work to care for George and the financial implications of this, and how volunteering work led her back into employment helping other families of children with cancer.

A man is standing against a white background, wearing glasses and a black hoodie with the logo of Young Lives vs Cancer.

Employment support for parents whose child has cancer

Many parents will feel huge levels of stress as they try to figure out how and if they can continue to work and care for their child through treatment. Andrew Whitehouse, Service Manager at Young Lives vs Cancer, tells us what legal rights you have and how employers can support you.

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