Beyond cancer. Beside you.
Cancer treatment can end.
Its impact doesn’t always end with it.
More young people are surviving childhood and adolescent cancer than generations before them. That progress is something worth celebrating.
But finishing treatment can mark the beginning of another period of change.
Young people may be navigating ongoing health concerns, fatigue, anxiety or uncertainty, changes in identity and relationships, returning to education or employment, becoming more independent, or simply trying to work out where they fit after an experience that changed so much.
CCRF’s Adolescent and Young Adult Survivorship Program supports young people aged 15–25 as they adjust to life after cancer.
Through advocacy, navigation and guidance, we work alongside each young person to understand what matters to them, connect them with the right people and services, and help build confidence for what comes next.
The space between treatment and what comes next
The transition from cancer treatment into survivorship isn’t the same for everyone.
For some young people, challenges are immediate. For others, questions emerge months or years later. Some know exactly what they need. Others simply know that something doesn’t feel quite right.
Our program exists to help young people navigate that in-between space.
It is practical, individual and led by what matters to the young person. Support can include navigating healthcare, finding appropriate health or mental health services, returning to study or work, building self-advocacy skills, managing health and wellbeing, accessing practical information, and thinking about goals for the future.
Our role is to provide advocacy, navigation and guidance. We are not a clinical or therapeutic service.
Find the information that’s right for you
I’m a young person
Finished cancer treatment and wondering what comes next? Find practical information about the support available, what to expect and how to reach out. You don’t need to know exactly what you need before you contact us.
I’m supporting a young person
Cancer can change life for the people around a young person too. Learn more about survivorship, the challenges a young person may experience and how parents, carers, family members and friends can help them access support.
Information for families & friends →
I’m a health or service professional
Help a young person connect with support beyond treatment. Understand the scope of CCRF’s AYA Survivorship Program, who it supports, how we work alongside existing health and community services, and how to make a referral.
Professional information & referrals →
I want to support the program
Help young people build a life beyond cancer. Support from donors, businesses, trusts, foundations and community partners helps CCRF develop and deliver survivorship support shaped around the needs of young people.
Built with young people, not simply for them
Young people with lived experience of cancer are at the heart of shaping this program from the ground up.
Their feedback has helped shape how the program communicates, how referrals work and how support is delivered. Young people told us that support needs to feel safe and respectful, age-appropriate, honest and real.
Meet Noleen
Noleen Ryan
Program Manager and Advocate | Adolescent and Young Adult Survivorship Program
With more than 20 years’ experience supporting young people through life’s challenges and transitions, Noleen brings a wealth of knowledge, compassion and practical experience to CCRF’s Adolescent and Young Adult Survivorship Program.
Her background includes five years working specifically with young people affected by cancer, providing psychosocial support, developing peer support programs, leading national youth leadership training and creating opportunities for young people to connect, build skills and grow in confidence.
Noleen has also worked extensively across youth development, mental health, alcohol and other drugs, homelessness, disability and community services. This breadth of experience gives her a deep understanding of the challenges young people can face, and how to help them navigate complex systems and find the support that’s right for them.
At the heart of Noleen’s work is a belief that young people should have a genuine voice in the decisions that shape their lives. Her approach is youth-centred, trauma-informed and strengths-based, grounded in listening, building trust and recognising each young person’s individual experiences, strengths and aspirations.
Above all, Noleen wants young people to feel heard, understood and supported as they find their way forward after cancer.
Meet Noleen →
Help make life beyond cancer better
Survival is an extraordinary outcome. But it shouldn’t be the end of the conversation.
As more children and adolescents survive cancer, understanding and responding to what happens after treatment is increasingly important.
CCRF remains firmly committed to funding childhood cancer research. Our AYA Survivorship Program extends that commitment to the lives young people are building beyond treatment.
By supporting the program, individuals, businesses, trusts and foundations can help young people access advocacy, navigation and guidance during a period of life that can otherwise feel uncertain and fragmented.
Support the program → | Partner with CCRF →
Referrals
Referrals can be made by: Young people and survivors, Parents and caregivers, Hospitals and healthcare professionals, Allied health providers, Schools, universities and educators, Community organisations and support services.
Referral Options
Contact
AYA Cancer Survivorship Program Child Cancer Research Foundation
Follow-up support, referrals and enquiries are welcome.