Page 42 - SEN107 SEN Magazine July-August 2020

Input from local authorities can be of paramount importance for children with CP, write Jane Weakley and Arti Shah . Finding support for children with Cerebral Palsy I n her inquiry report in 2015, which focused on enabling the full potential of children with cerebral palsy (CP), the former Education Secretary Nicky Morgan highlighted a lack of understanding of CP and the impact it has on individuals and their families among general health and education professionals. According to the report, around 30,000 children in the UK live with CP, making it the most common form of childhood disability. Major UK charity Cerebralpalsy.org estimates that around 1 in 400 babies in the UK are born with a form of cerebral palsy, totalling roughly 1,700 new cases of CP in children each year. The input from local authorities for parents raising a child with CP is absolutely vital, not least in securing an accurate EHCP (Education, Health and Care Plan) to assess and implement the appropriate level of SEN support that will help a child achieve their best possible life. This can include individual support in specialist or mainstream schools, tailored therapies such as speech-, language- and hydrotherapy and dietary advice. Recommending levels of appropriate support depends on fully understanding the nuances and presentations of CP in each case. This understanding is sometimes lacking, as highlighted by the above-mentioned report, often because assessing a child with CP takes experience and skill. CP is generally caused by problems before, during or shortly after birth that result in brain injury. This includes premature birth, maternal infection during pregnancy and difficulties that interrupt oxygen supply to the brain. In the small number of cases that involve an avoidable medical error, a settlement can be achieved which can then be used to fund additional SEN support and other therapies at home, above and beyond those available from the local authority. Recommending levels of appropriate support depends on fully understanding the nuances and presentations of CP in each case SEN 107 senmagazine.co.uk 42 Cerebral palsy