Children and brain injuries

Every 30 minutes in the UK, a child or young person will acquire a brain injury. That’s the startling statistic from the Child Brain Injury Trust, a charity dedicated to supporting young people and their families following a childhood acquired brain injury.

As this is Action for Brain Injury Week 2017, every day this week, we are focusing on raising awareness of the devastating impact of brain injuries on everyone affected, from the survivor to their family members and friends.

A brain injury can have a devastating and life-long impact on a child and their whole family. As the Trust points out: ‘bones can mend and scars can heal, but a brain injury stays with you for life and impacts on everything you think, feel and do’.

A recent study reveals that children under the age of five account for 54% of hospital admissions for head injuries. Whilst many of these children may not experience long lasting consequences and will go on to make a full recovery, for those who sustain an injury to the brain the impact can be devastating. In such cases early intervention and understanding is key to maximising their recovery and function in adulthood.

A recent poll of nursery managers by the Child Brain Injury Trust showed that 80% felt there was a general lack of awareness of brain injury within child care settings. Many managers reported their staff had never received any training on brain injury in children.

Lisa Turan, CEO of the Child Brain Injury Trust, said: “There is a real need to provide training to staff working in this sector, and it’s a need we plan to address. We do a lot of work in schools to ensure the best outcome for children and this year we’re extending our services to day care providers and nurseries.”

In response to this, the Trust has launched its Early Years Campaign, a UK-wide e-learning initiative so that nursery staff can take part in brain injury training at a time and place convenient for them.

There is also a Teddy Bear Toddle planned for Thursday 11^th May that schools and nurseries nationwide can get involved in with their pupils. This sponsored event will provide vital funding to support the Trust’s work helping children and families affected by brain injury across the UK.

To get involved in the Teddy Bear Toddle you can email: teddy@cbituk.org.

At Novum Law, we have specific expertise in helping children who’ve sustained a brain injury and their families. We also have significant experience pursuing compensation claims for families who have children with cerebral palsy. Contact us if you need any further information.

To learn more about Action for Brain Injury Week 2017, you can visit www.headway.org.uk/get-involved/campaigns/a-new-me. If you’re on Twitter, you can follow @HeadwayUK and support the campaign by using the hash tags #ABIWeek and #ANewMe .

To find out more information about the Child Brain Injury Trust visit: www.childbraininjurytrust.org.uk.