About this organisation
Summary of activities
We provide relief and support to families with sick children across Australia via a number of free programs designed to give distraction and support when they are needed the most. We are the widest-reaching, most inclusive and fastest-responding charity of its kind in Australia. We do not receive government funding and rely on the generosity of the public to ensure we reach and provide our support services over 1,000,000 times a year. www.tlcforkids.org.au
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Outcomes
Outcomes are self-reported by charities
Self-reported outcomes achieved
Number of minutes of distraction and play provided by the Tap 2 Distract App
559,977
This is an accurate record of the total number of minutes of distraction and play provided to users of the Tap 2 Distract App. (2025)
Notes: The figure represents the total time spent by users of the Tap 2 Distact App each year. This data is taken and recorded directly from the analytics attached to the backend of the app. We have gone to great lengths to ensure the privacy of every user, so the only data that is recorded is how often, when and what activities are accessed on the app, we do not have any record of individual information as there is no sign-in or login required.
Source: The outcome is included in our Annual Reports and website to show further transparency. We value every contribution from donors and supporters and we are proud to share the impactful outcome from everyone's combined generosity and effort.
The number of children and family members directly helped by our core services.
1,367
This is the recorded number of individual children and family members we have been able to directly assist and support via our RAPID TLC program and TLC Ambulance Program. Each impact has created moments of care during challenging times. (2024)
Notes: We record the figures of our Rapid TLC and TLC Ambulance programs with great care and attention to detail. Every request for support is documented through our referral system, where healthcare professionals reach out for assistance. Each approved request represents a child or family in need, ensuring that every moment of care is counted with accuracy and respect. For the TLC Ambulance, every trip is carefully planned and recorded, capturing the profound impact of each journey.
Source: The outcome is included in our Annual Reports and website to show further transparency. We value every contribution from donors and supporters and we are proud to share the impactful outcome from everyone's combined generosity and effort.
Number of times the Distraction Box Program is used
1,336,647
This figure represents the actual number of times the Distraction Box is used during a medical examination or procedure. (2024)
Notes: Hospitals using the Distraction Box program regularly complete surveys, providing accurate and real-time data to record how often the Distraction Boxes are used. The impact goes far beyond just the child, it helps reduce anxiety, and fear and helps make a hospital visit a little less stressful for the child, their family and the healthcare professionals working with the children.
Source: The outcome is included in our Annual Reports and website to show further transparency. We value every contribution from donors and supporters and we are proud to share the impactful outcome from everyone's combined generosity and effort.
Outcomes measurement detail
Approach to measuring outcomes
We measure our impact through precise data collection across our programs. The Tap 2 Distract App tracks total usage time while ensuring strict user privacy. Rapid TLC and TLC Ambulance requests are recorded through a structured referral system, with each approved request representing a child or family in need. Distraction Box usage is tracked through hospital surveys, reflecting its role in reducing stress for children, families, and healthcare professionals.
Approach to collecting feedback from the people it serves
TLC for Kids actively seeks feedback via multiple channels to ensure our services meet the needs of children, families, and healthcare professionals. We gather insights via hospital surveys, healthcare professional feedback, and direct responses from families. The Tap 2 Distract App collects anonymous usage data, while Distraction Box impact is measured through regular hospital reporting, helping refine our services and ensure every program delivers meaningful support where it’s needed most.
Programs and activities
Name: Distraction Box Program
URL: https://www.tlcforkids.org.au/distraction-box-program/
Classification: Community healthcare (Health > In-patient medical care > Community healthcare )
Beneficiaries:- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
- Children - aged 6 to under 15
- Early childhood - aged under 6
- Families
- Financially disadvantaged people
- People from a culturally and linguistically diverse background (or people from a CALD background)
- People in rural/regional/remote communities
- People with chronic illness (including terminal illness)
- People with disabilities
Name: Rapid TLC Program
URL: https://www.tlcforkids.org.au/rapid-tlc-service/
Classification: Medical support services (Health > Medical support services)
Beneficiaries:- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
- Children - aged 6 to under 15
- Early childhood - aged under 6
- Families
- Financially disadvantaged people
- Other charities
- People from a culturally and linguistically diverse background (or people from a CALD background)
- People in rural/regional/remote communities
- People with chronic illness (including terminal illness)
- People with disabilities
- Youth - 15 to under 25
Name: TLC Ambulance
URL: https://www.tlcforkids.org.au/tlc-ambulance-program/
Classification: Attendant care (Human services > Shelter and residential care > Housing services > Attendant care)
Beneficiaries:- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
- Children - aged 6 to under 15
- Early childhood - aged under 6
- Families
- Financially disadvantaged people
- People from a culturally and linguistically diverse background (or people from a CALD background)
- People in rural/regional/remote communities
- People with chronic illness (including terminal illness)
- People with disabilities
- Youth - 15 to under 25
Name: Tap 2 Distract App
URL: http://tlcforkids.org.au/app
Classification: Community mental healthcare (Health > Mental healthcare > Community mental healthcare)
Beneficiaries:- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
- Adults - aged 25 to under 65
- Adults - aged 65 and over
- Children - aged 6 to under 15
- Early childhood - aged under 6
- Families
- Females
- Males
- Other charities
- Overseas communities or charities
- People from a culturally and linguistically diverse background (or people from a CALD background)
- People in rural/regional/remote communities
- People with disabilities
- Youth - 15 to under 25
Finances
What is this?
This graph shows how much revenue (money in) and expenses (money out) the charity has had each year over the last few years. Charities have many sources of revenue, such as donations, government grants, and services they sell to the public. Similarly, expenses are everything that allows the charity to run, from paying staff to rent.
What should I be looking for?
First off, this graph gives a general indication of how big the charity is - charities range in size from tiny (budgets of less than $100,000) to enormous (budgets more than $100 million). You're also looking for variability - if the charity's revenue and expenses are jumping up and down from year to year, make sure there's a good reason for it.
Unlike companies, charities and not-for-profits aren't on a mission to make money. However, if they spend more than they receive, eventually they will go into too much debt and run into trouble. As a very general rule, you want revenue to be slightly above expenses. If expenses is reliably above revenue, the charity is losing money. If revenue is much larger than expenses, it means the charity might not be using its resources effectively. It isn't always that simple, however, and there's a lot of reasons a charity might not follow this pattern. They might be saving up for a big purchase or campaign, or they might have made a big one-off payment. If you're worried, always look at the annual and financial reports to understand why the charity is making the decisions it is.
What is this?
If a charity receives more money than it spends, that's a surplus (in business, it would be called profit). If it spends more than it receives, that's a deficit. This chart shows surpluses and deficits for the charity over the last few years.
What should I be looking for?
Unlike companies, charities and not-for-profits aren't on a mission to make money. However, if they spend more than they receive, eventually they will go into too much debt and run into trouble. As a very general rule, you want a charity to make a small surplus on average. A deficit means that charity lost money that year, which may indicate poor financial management or just a series of bad circumstances. If the charity always has a huge surplus, it means the charity might not be using its resources effectively. It isn't always that simple, however, and there's a lot of reasons a charity might not follow this pattern. They might be saving up for a big purchase or campaign, or they might have made a big one-off payment. If you're worried, always look at the annual and financial reports to understand why the charity is making the decisions it is.
What is this?
This chart compares the amount the charity receives from various sources, including donations (i.e. money given by the general public or philanthropy), goods and services, government grants, and other sources.
What should I be looking for?
Donations are an important source of revenue for some charities. Others rely more heavily on government funding, or on revenue from other sources. This is an indication of how much they need donors to accomplish their mission. Note that there is no 'good' or 'bad' amount of donations for a charity to have. It might be interesting to look at values over time - are they going up or down? A charity that gets less donations every year may be in trouble.
What is this?
Assets are things that the charity owns that are worth something. This could be anything from a car to investments. Similarly, liabilities are debts or obligations that the charity owes to someone else, like a loan or an agreement to pay for something.
What should I be looking for?
Firstly, in general a charity should have more assets than liabilities. If it doesn't, it implies that the charity might not be able to pay its debts, and you should look very closely at the charity's annual and financial reports to make sure they are taking steps to remedy this. Current assets should generally be above current liabilities - that means the charity can easily pay off the debts that are coming due soon. Beyond that, look for a large stockpile of assets. While a charity should have enough assets to keep it afloat in hard times (a 'buffer') if that stockpile gets too large the charity could be using that money more effectively. As always, if you have concerns check the annual and financial reports.
Transparency
Scoring detail
Details