Family First Jersey

12/05/2026

🧡 How are you feeling today? 🧡
This Mental Health Awareness Week, we’re thinking families we support whose journeys include long hospital days, time away from home, and the emotional weight of caring for a child who needs treatment off‑island.

Your strength is remarkable, but you should never have to carry everything alone.
At Family First we are here to offer practical help, a listening ear and gentle support whenever you need it.

11/05/2026

🎉🎂 Happy 8th Birthday to Family First! 🎂🎉
We are excited to announce that today is our 8th Birthday! Eight years of supporting Jersey families whose children need off‑island medical care.

Eight years of kindness, courage, and community. 💛

From hospital journeys to homecomings, every family we’ve met has helped shape who we are. Thank you to everyone who’s shared, donated, volunteered, and believed in our mission.

A special thank you to The Grace Crocker Family Support Foundation, Jersey Children's Charity and Friends of the Jersey Neonatal Unit! The work that we do is not possible without their support!

Here’s to the next chapter 🧡

08/05/2026

You've packed this bag 4 times in the last 6 months.

The stuffed elephant they won't sleep without.
Their medication in the ziplock bag.
Snacks for the flight.
3 days of clothes.
Chargers.

The first time, you overpacked.

Brought a week's worth of everything because you didn't know how long you'd be gone. The case barely closed.

By the second trip, you'd learned.

Three days of clothes. Laundry facilities near most hospitals. Essentials only.

Now it's automatic.

You can pack this bag in fifteen minutes.

Because your daughter's treatment doesn't exist in Jersey.

It all happens in the UK. So that small suitcase comes out every few months.

You pack it. You go. You come back. You unpack. You wait for the next appointment letter.

This is what ongoing off-island medical care looks like.

it's different for every family,

Sometimes it's emergency transfers,
Other times it's one-off appointments,
And often it’s constant disruption to get your child the care they need.

We source funding for these families to help with the additional costs that come with these ongoing off-island hospital appointments.

04/05/2026

🧡 Date for your diary 🧡
Our next Coffee Morning will take place on Friday 29th of May. We will plan these mornings for the last Friday of each month so if you can't make it this time there's always next time!

If you have a child who requires off-island medical treatment, we would love for you to join us. It’s a chance to meet and connect with other families who truly understand and share similar experiences.

We hope to see you there 🧡
Please RSVP

01/05/2026

Nico was born at 35 weeks and was transferred straight to neonatal intensive care.

3 weeks earlier, his Mum Lauren was told she had placenta accreta.

A dangerous condition that meant she’d need to leave Jersey immediately for treatment.

She had to move to Southampton with her partner Dom, away from their three year old daughter, to wait for a birth that would happen under general anesthesia.

Right after giving birth Lauren underwent an 8 hour operation and didn't get to hold her baby until later that night.

They spent six days recovering in Southampton hospital before they could finally fly home.

Throughout all of it, our family support worker Jess was there with them.

Offering emotional and financial support so Lauren's family could visit regularly and keep in contact.

"We would have been lost without you Jess," Lauren said.

We support Jersey families through the parts of off island medical care that go beyond the appointment itself.

The coordination of flights so family can visit and the daily costs that stack up when you're away from home for weeks.

Lauren and Nico are home now,

But there are other Jersey families currently making these same trips who need support.

If you'd like to help make this possible for families like Lauren's, our donation link is in the comments.

Every contribution means another family can concentrate on their child’s care, with the reassurance that they are not navigating this journey on their own.

30/04/2026

💛 What a wonderful Coffee Morning💛

It was amazing to see familiar faces, new faces, and all the kindness shared around the room.

Moments like this remind us how strong and supportive our Family First community truly is. We are so proud of the community we are building and can't wait to see what the future holds.

If you have a child being supported by us or have been recently supported by Family First. Our next Coffee Morning is on the 29th of May. We hope to see you there!

Please RSVP and join us for coffee, cake, tea, nibbles and good conversation 🥰

29/04/2026

🌟 We are incredibly proud of Aidan, our Chair and Director at Family First, who has been recognised for his outstanding leadership and his quiet, unwavering dedication to the families we support. 🌟

Back in 2018, when the Grace Crocker Foundation played a visionary role in establishing the service (with Aidan as their Chair at the time), it became clear that families whose children needed off‑island medical treatment were facing their journeys without a single point of contact to help coordinate support. In 2019, Jersey Family First Ltd became a registered standalone charity, with Aidan leading the way as our Chair, alongside our directors Matt Johnson, Regitze Petersen and Rachel French.

Aidan has been with us from the very beginning, helping shape a service that brings together practical support, funding and a compassionate, consistent point of contact for families during some of the most difficult moments of their lives. Since then, Family First has supported more than 320 families, with 72 families currently receiving ongoing help.

Aidan never seeks recognition, which makes this award all the more special. His impact is felt by every family we support and by all of us who have the privilege of working alongside him.

Aidan, we are so proud of you. Thank you for everything you do for Family First and for our community. 🧡

24/04/2026

The first time they flew to Southampton for their daughter's treatment, they thought it would be a one-off.

One appointment. Get the diagnosis. Come home. Sort it from there.

That was 18 months ago.

Now they know how early they need to get to Jersey airport to make it through security in time for the flight.
They know that if you take the early flight, you can make a 10am appointment without rushing.
They know which hotel near the hospital has the quietest rooms.

This just became routine.

There's a system now. The same small suitcase. The same travel documents folder. The same conversation with work about needing another few days.

But it never quite feels normal.

Every trip still carries the same questions.

What will the consultant say this time?
How long until the next appointment?
When can we just stay home?

This is what off-island medical care looks like for Jersey families when treatment is ongoing.

Not a single emergency trip, but months or years of regular travel woven into the rhythm of family life.

We exist to help people in this scenario with practical and financial support that makes repeated trips sustainable when they need to keep happening.

21/04/2026

🧡 Fundraising heroes 🧡

A huge acknowledgment to Lauren and Ashley Ganly who climbed Ben Nevis on the 11th of April and raised an incredible £600 for our charity. Absolutely blowing the £250 target out of the water! Your strength, kindness, and determination mean so much to the families we support.

Thank you for going above and beyond and for the fabulous pictures of your amazing climb!

20/04/2026

🧡 April is Stress Awareness Month and for many of our parents who have to travel off-island for their child's care, stress isn't just a moment but a season. 🧡

It can be packing at midnight for flights you didn't plan for.
Appointments you've got to try stay brave through and the worries you carry quietly so your child doesn't have to.
If this is your story, we at Family First see you.

This month we honour the strength it takes for our families to keep going - and the reminder that you don't have to carry it alone.

We ask you this April to "fill your cup" taking that vital time to replenish yourself mentally, emotionally and physically so you can show up fully for yourself and others.

Reach out to us, lean on the community we've built and remember to take time to care for yourself 🧡

20/04/2026

Jersey Children's Charity does so much behind the scenes to help the families we care for. They’ve got a lovely event coming up — if you can, give it a share or pop along. Every bit of support makes a difference. 🧡

Jersey Children’s Charity founder, Kristin Morris, appeared on BBC Radio Jersey this week speaking to Alison Moss about the White Collar Rockstar® event in September.

Catch the replay on BBC Sounds - (Alison Moss 11 March 2hr 21 min) or check out WhiteCollarRockstar.com for more information.

Thanks for your support and 🎙️