Deadline: 10-Oct-24
The European Commission (EC) is pleased to announce a call for proposals on the development of social services for psychosocial support and rehabilitation for children and their families in paediatric oncology clinics in Member States and countries associated to the EU4Health Programme.
Objectives
- The main objective of this action is to create a service in paediatric oncology clinics that will support children and their families during cancer treatment, by providing the necessary psychological and social support to infants, children, adolescents, and young adults from 0 months to 24 years old.
- The action could support the identification of the different capabilities available across Europe and build the foundation to regularly identify gaps and needs to be addressed at national and regional level across Europe. This process will be focused on quality of life and well-being of children, adolescents, and young adults, their families, siblings, and relatives, including mental, psychosocial and nutritional support, together with clinical oncology, surgery and radiology specialities, including their nursing services.
- This action supports the implementation of the Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan to support childhood cancer and implements the EU4Health Programme’s general objectives to strengthen health systems by improving their resilience and resource efficiency (Article 3, point (d), of Regulation (EU) 2021/522) through the specific objectives defined in Article 4, point(g), of Regulation (EU) 2021/522.
Strand (Scope)
- The scope of this action is to address the critical need for comprehensive psychosocial care in paediatric oncology clinics across Member States and countries associated with the EU4Health Programme. The action aims to support the establishment of a unified service system and support infrastructure to deliver psychological and social support to children, adolescents, and young adults undergoing cancer treatment, as well as their families. This includes developing organizational structures, training programs, and tools tailored to the unique needs of paediatric oncology patients. Additionally, the action will conduct a thorough assessment of existing psychosocial services across Europe to identify best practices, gaps and opportunities for improvement. Through collaboration and knowledge sharing, the action seeks to enhance the quality of life and well-being of paediatric cancer patients and their families, ultimately contributing to the broader goals of Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan and the EU4Health Programme.
Funding Information
- The estimated available call budget is EUR 25 400 000.
- Topic budge: EUR 7 400 000
- Indicative project budget: 3 700 000
- Expected number of grant agreements to be signed: 2
Duration
- 36 months
Expected Impact
- The action will contribute to the development of a social service for psychosocial support and rehabilitation for children and their families in paediatric oncology clinics across the Union and countries associated to the EU4Health Programme. This action will address the need to establish a Europe-wide psychosocial care standard in order to ensure high-quality psychosocial care throughout the whole paediatric oncological treatment trajectory, including the transition from the paediatric to the adult care, and to eliminate inequalities in access to care.
- This action will help Member States and countries associated to the EU4Health Programme to improve cooperation among their cancer services, by addressing skill gaps and better equipping the health workforce with personnel trained in cancer care.
- This action will help with overcoming the consequences of the drastic separation from the usual environment, to deal with physical discomfort, late effects of treatment, low self-esteem and lack of self-confidence.
Activities
- Support activities include psychological support; meeting daily activity needs; return to normal social contacts and activities inclusion, by developing communication and group work skills; utilization of free time through games; entertainment, etc.
- All activities are tailored to the general state of health of the children and young people with oncological diseases. Special attention is directed to the needs and their skills, according to their age and physical capabilities.
- Moreover, the aim of this action is to develop:
- an organisation and teams in onco-paediatric clinics;
- tools and training sessions as a social service for psychosocial support and rehabilitation for children and their families in paediatric oncology clinics as part of a patient treatment plan;
- a mapping of psychosocial services from the perspective of psychosocial health professionals working in treatment centres across Europe. In some Member States, psychosocial support is provided by the public healthcare system and in some others by cancer organisations.
Specific action level indicators for reporting purposes
- The applicants will include the following specific action-level indicators and related reporting activities in their proposals:
- Number of onco-paediatric services established or enhanced within participating institutions.
- Percentage of training sessions conducted for healthcare professionals in psychosocial support and rehabilitation services.
- Percentage of completion for the mapping exercise of existing psychosocial services across Europe.
- Number of identified gaps and needs in psychosocial support services at national and regional levels.
- Assessment of the impact on the quality of life and well-being of children, adolescents, and young adults undergoing cancer treatment, measured through standardized metrics and patient feedback.
Deliverables and/or Milestones
- The mapping document should include the overarching guidelines, standards and best practices for establishing specialized teams in onco-paediatric clinics which will help to share expertise, exchange knowledge and develop common standards.
- Design and implementation of tools and training sessions for social service delivery focusing on psychosocial support and rehabilitation for children and their families in paediatric oncology clinics as integral components of patient treatment plans.
- Completion of a comprehensive mapping exercise of existing psychosocial services offered by healthcare systems and cancer organizations across Europe, conducted from the perspective of psychosocial health professionals working in treatment centers.
- Identification of capabilities, gaps, and needs at national and regional levels across Europe. Development of training programs, capacity building initiatives and tools and resources tailored to the needs of onco-paediatric clinics. Best practices sharing.
- Regular internal reporting within healthcare institutions, relevant government agencies responsible for healthcare oversight or funding (ministries of health) and professional organisations, involved in paediatric oncology care, on the quality of life and well-being outcomes for children, adolescents, and young adults undergoing cancer treatment, along with their families, siblings, and relatives, emphasizing mental, psychosocial, and nutritional support in conjunction with clinical oncology services. Findings can be disseminated to the broader healthcare community through academic publications or presentations at conferences.
Eligibility Criteria
- Applicants – specific eligibility criteria
- Academia and education establishments, research institutes, hospitals, expert networks, civil society organisations, associations, foundations, NGOs, private entities (for profit/not for profit); international organisations, Member States’ authorities, municipalities and national authorities in the health domain.
- Consortium composition – Specific eligibility criteria
- A consortium composed of at least 10 applicant organisations established in at least 5 different eligible countries.
- In order to be eligible, the applicants (beneficiaries and affiliated entities) must:
- be legal entities (public or private bodies)
- be established in one of the eligible countries, i.e.:
- EU Member States (including overseas countries and territories (OCTs))
- eligible non-EU countries:
- listed EEA countries and countries associated to the EU4Health Programme.
For more information, visit EC.
