ROSY (Respite for Oxfordshire’s Sick Youngsters) provides additional specialist respite care at home for children in Oxfordshire who are living with chronic, life‑limiting or terminal illnesses.

Caring for a child with complex or terminal illness at home can be incredibly important for families. Being surrounded by familiar comforts — siblings, family, pets and routines — can make a huge difference for a child’s wellbeing. However, this level of care also places an enormous physical and emotional burden on families, who are often caring 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The ROSY Appeal funds a dedicated team of healthcare professionals, including nurses, healthcare assistants and therapists, who provide direct care to children in their own homes. This vital support gives families precious time to rest, to focus on other children, or simply to recharge — knowing their child is safe and cared for.

All ROSY services enhance statutory NHS care, helping more children and families to receive the personalised support and respite they so urgently need.

As one member of the ROSY team explains:

“You never know what you’re walking into. Sometimes you arrive when the family is in a good place. Other days, it’s about helping the child rest at home, or being a listening ear or a shoulder to cry on. On those days, it’s the small things the family can get done — knowing their child is cared for — that make a big difference.”

The ROSY Appeal also funds items that help children and families create positive moments together, such as arts and crafts materials, sensory resources and memory‑making activities — small but meaningful things that bring comfort, creativity and joy during incredibly difficult times.

Every donation helps ensure that children with serious illness — and the families who love and care for them — are not facing this journey alone.

Thank you for supporting ROSY.