Very Special Kids
Very Special Kids is an Australian non-profit operating Victoria's only children's hospice, providing holistic palliative care, counselling, sibling support, bereavement services, and family accommodation to children with life-limiting conditions across Victoria, funded through donations, events, and merchandise.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1985
- HeadquartersMalvern, Australia
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Very Special Kids does
Very Special Kids is a self-funded Australian non-profit organization founded in 1985 by Sister Margaret Noone, providing holistic palliative care for children and young people with life-limiting conditions across the state of Victoria. It operates Very Special Kids House, Victoria's only children's hospice, alongside a multidisciplinary clinical and counselling service portfolio spanning respite care, end-of-life care, bereavement support, sibling support, family and holiday accommodation, and peer support networks. The clinical model is delivered by an in-house team of social workers, psychologists, psychotherapists, family therapists, play therapists, and allied health professionals (music therapy, physiotherapy, hydrotherapy, creative therapy, occupational therapy), with referrals routed through a fortnightly multidisciplinary meeting attended by GPs, nurses, hospital staff, and allied health professionals.
The organization is not a technology company; its underlying platform is a physical hospice facility combined with community-based service delivery and human clinical expertise. There is no proprietary software, no application programming interfaces, and no disclosed AI or machine-learning capabilities — services are entirely human-delivered. The technology footprint is limited to standard digital channels: a website, online donation forms, an online merchandise shop, social media presence (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter/X, YouTube), and event ticketing via TryBooking.
Revenue is generated entirely through a diversified non-profit model. The organization provides all services free of charge to eligible families and is primarily self-funded through individual donations (one-time and monthly), ticketed fundraising events (Very Special Ride, A Very Special Ladies Lunch, 24-Hour Treadmill Challenge, Footy Finals Fever, Piggy Bank Appeal), online merchandise sales (piggy banks, apparel, stationery, accessories) where 100% of proceeds support the charity, corporate partnerships, workplace giving, and bequests. Customer segments are vertical and non-commercial in nature: children with life-limiting conditions, their families and siblings, healthcare professional referrers, and regional families requiring access to specialized pediatric palliative care.
Very Special Kids firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Very Special Kids
- Legal name
- Very Special Kids
- Website
- https://vsk.org.au
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1985
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Very Special Kids is an Australian non-profit operating Victoria's only children's hospice, providing holistic palliative care, counselling, sibling support, bereavement services, and family accommodation to children with life-limiting conditions across Victoria, funded through donations, events, and merchandise.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Very Special Kids industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Pediatric Palliative Care Services
- NAICS
- Child and Youth Services (62411), Individual and Family Services (6241), Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (624120)
- SIC
- Services-Health Services (8000), Services-Nursing & Personal Care Facilities (8050), Services-Social Services (8300)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Pediatric Hospice & Palliative Care (HLADAHAI)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Bereavement, Grief & Family Support Services (Hospice-Linked) (HLAFAEAO), Palliative Care, Hospice & Serious Illness Support (BPAGACAK)
Keywords
Where Very Special Kids is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Malvern
- HQ country
- Australia
- HQ region
- Oceania
Offices2 records
Markets served
Very Special Kids business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others
Revenue model
- Donations: Self-funded charitable organization relying on community generosity. One-time and monthly donations from individuals to support palliative care services.
- Fundraising Events: Revenue generated from ticketed events including Very Special Ride cycling event, Ladies Lunch, Footy Finals Fever, and 24-Hour Treadmill Challenge.
- Shop Merchandise: Online shop selling merchandise including piggy banks, apparel, greeting cards, stationery, and accessories. 100% of proceeds go to Very Special Kids.
- Corporate Partnerships: Partnerships with businesses and organizations to support children and families across Victoria.
- Bequests: Legacy gifts left in wills to support future generations of children and families.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Other | All services provided at no cost to families |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels5 records
Very Special Kids product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Very Special Kids provides free, holistic palliative care to children and young people with life-limiting conditions and their families across Victoria, operating the state's only children's hospice and delivering clinical care, counselling, sibling and bereavement support, respite and family accommodation, peer support networks and end-of-life care. Complementary revenue-generating activities include merchandise sales and fundraising events that fund the no-cost service delivery model.
Product overview
Very Special Kids is a charitable organization providing holistic palliative care services for children and young people with life-limiting conditions across Victoria, Australia. The organization operates Very Special Kids House, Victoria's only children's hospice, offering a unified care platform that includes hospice/respite care, counselling and emotional support, sibling support programs, bereavement support, holiday and family accommodation, and peer support networks. The organization also runs an online merchandise shop selling branded items (piggy banks, apparel, stationery) as a fundraising mechanism, along with events and challenges for community fundraising.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Very Special Kids House (Children's Hospice) Victoria's only children's hospice, located in Malvern, providing 24/7 specialist clinical palliative care, end-of-life care and respite for children and young people with life-limiting conditions.
Companies that use Very Special Kids
Customer profileSegments5 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Very Special Kids technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Very Special Kids partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Mittagundi Outdoor Education CentreminorPartnership with Mittagundi Outdoor Education Centre to deliver adolescent camps for siblings aged 14-17 years old. The Mittagundi Camp provides outdoor education experiences for young people supported by Very Special Kids.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Very Special Kids competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Bear Cottage: Children's hospice operating in New South Wales — the most direct Australian peer to Very Special Kids, providing respite, end-of-life and bereavement care to children with life-limiting conditions via a donation-funded model.
- EACH Children's Hospices: UK charity operating children's hospices across East Anglia with counseling, family support and bereavement services — comparable in mission, service mix and donation funding.
- Noah's Ark Children's Hospice: UK children's hospice offering hospice, respite and bereavement support — the closest international analogue and the model that inspired the founding of Very Special Kids.
- Helen & Douglas House: World's first children's hospice operating a directly comparable facility-based respite and end-of-life model for life-limited children.
- Martin House Children's Hospice: UK children's hospice serving Yorkshire providing respite, end-of-life and bereavement care through a similar multidisciplinary clinical model funded by community donations.
- Hummingbird House: Queensland's only children's hospice, operating a directly comparable model of respite, end-of-life and family support services funded through community donations and corporate partnerships.
Broad incumbents
- Ronald McDonald House Charities Australia: Large Australian nonprofit supporting seriously ill children and their families through accommodation and family-centered services — overlapping audience and donation-funded model, but focused on hospital-adjacent family stays rather than hospice palliative care.
- Together for Short Lives: UK-wide charity for children's palliative care — comparable in mission to advocate and support pediatric palliative care services, but operates as an umbrella/advocacy body rather than a single hospice provider.
Emerging players
- Camp Quality Australia: Australian nonprofit supporting children facing cancer and serious illness through camps and family support — serves a related population with complementary, donation-funded family services.
- Starlight Children's Foundation Australia: Australian charity providing in-hospital programs and wishes for seriously ill children — overlapping donor base and beneficiary population but oriented to play/wish-granting rather than palliative care.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Very Special Kids social profiles
Digital presenceVery Special Kids financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Very Special Kids leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Very Special Kids funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Very Special Kids M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Very Special Kids
What does Very Special Kids do?
Very Special Kids provides free, holistic palliative care to children and young people with life-limiting conditions and their families across Victoria, operating the state's only children's hospice and delivering clinical care, counselling, sibling and bereavement support, respite and family accommodation, peer support networks and end-of-life care. Complementary revenue-generating activities include merchandise sales and fundraising events that fund the no-cost service delivery model.
Is Very Special Kids a public or private company?
Very Special Kids is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Very Special Kids founded?
Very Special Kids was founded in 1985. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Very Special Kids based?
Very Special Kids is headquartered in Malvern, Australia, in the Oceania region.
How does Very Special Kids make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Donations are the primary driver. The others are fundraising Events, shop Merchandise, corporate Partnerships and bequests.
Who are Very Special Kids's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Bear Cottage, EACH Children's Hospices, Noah's Ark Children's Hospice, Helen & Douglas House, Martin House Children's Hospice and Hummingbird House. Broad incumbents are Ronald McDonald House Charities Australia and Together for Short Lives. Emerging players are Camp Quality Australia and Starlight Children's Foundation Australia.
Does Very Special Kids have an API?
No public API is recorded for Very Special Kids.
What industry is Very Special Kids in?
Very Special Kids's product category is Pediatric Palliative Care Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLADAHAI, Pediatric Hospice & Palliative Care, with a secondary code of HLAFAEAO, Bereavement, Grief & Family Support Services (Hospice-Linked). Its NAICS code is 62411 and its SIC code is 8000.