The Children's Hospital at Westmead - Bear Cottage

Just a stone's throw from Manly, Bear Cottage is a children's hospice that was established in 2001. Bear Cottage helps families cope with the impossible - to care for a child who has a life-limiting illness. To care for a child who is unlikely to see their 18th birthday, or their ninth birthday, or sometimes even their first birthday.

For the special kids that stay with us, there is no happy ending, no miracle cure.

This is heartbreaking to think about. But that's only part of the story. Even though the outlook for these kids is a sad one, Bear Cottage is actually one of the most uplifting and inspiring places you could ever visit. Here, children laugh and play.

Life is celebrated, lived to its fullest and also fondly remembered.

Bear Cottage is the only children's hospice in NSW, one of only two in Australia, and the only one in the world affiliated with a children's hospital. It is a very special place that's dedicated to caring for children with life-limiting conditions and their families.

Planning began for Bear Cottage almost 20 years ago, when Dr John Yu and Dr Michael Stevens from The Children's Hospital at Westmead decided to enhance the hospital's palliative care program.

Located on Sydney's Northern Beaches, in Manly, Bear Cottage is like a home away from home - as far removed from a hospital environment as possible. Here staff do not wear uniforms, no medical procedures are carried out in the bedrooms, the children's rooms are designed to like a normal bedroom, and we even have a family pet, Frankie, our adorable Labrador. That said, Bear Cottage is set up to provide excellence in paediatric medical care 24 hours a day, and our affiliation to The Children's Hospital at Westmead means we have access to some of the best medical resources in the world.

The facility was established entirely through community support, at a cost of $10 million, and was officially opened on St Patrick's Day, 17 March 2001,

Bear Cottage does not receive any recurrent government funding and so continues to rely on donated funds and community support to raise over $2.9 million required to operate each year.

Who benefits from Bear Cottage?

Bear Cottage provides support, respite and end of life care for children with life-limiting illnesses and their families.

We care for children from across Australia, regardless of where they receive their primary care, although the majority of families that access the service are from NSW. The children who visit Bear Cottage will range from newborn infants to 18 years of age; however accommodation is also available for parents, as well as siblings, of the children staying.

When these families are told that their child's life will be cut short, their everyday existence takes on a monumental change. As they embark on such a terrible journey, there are limited options available to help them get through each day, and answer the many questions that arise. Having Bear Cottage available to them for care and support enables these families to focus on the important things, such as spending quality time together and making every moment count.

Most families staying at Bear Cottage will come for respite; with the average length of stay is around one week to ten days. Families are generally able to visit Bear Cottage around 4 times a year for general respite, however for end of life care this can be open ended.