Happy 21st

Happy 21st

NEWSLETTERSpring Edition 2012

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Child Brain Injury TrustUnit 1, The Great Barn, Baynards Green Farm, Nr Bicester, Oxon, OX27 7SG

phone: 01869 341075 website: www.childbraininjurytrust.org.uk

Helpline: 0845 6014939 (local call rate) or helpline@cbituk.org General enquiries: info@cbituk.org

Visit us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter (@cbituk)

Child and Family Support Officers Central/South: 01869 341075 • Edinburgh: 0131 475 2598

Glasgow: 0141 945 4894 • North East: 0191 230 8095Northern Ireland: 02890 817 145

Registered Charity Number : 1113326 Registered Company Number : 5738517 A Charity Registered in Scotland : SC039703 VAT No. 125795196

Finding out about and applyingfor benefits your family may be entitled to can be a daunting process. It’s sometimes good to talk to someone with experience of how the system works.

You may have questions like:

• I’ve had to reduce my hours at work to care for my child; is there any financial support available to me?

• My child doesn’t require a wheelchair or have a ‘visible

disability’; can we still apply for Disability Living Allowance?

• My DLA claim has beenrefused, how do I appeal?

We’re launching a brand new service to help families with these questions and any others about benefits. We’ve teamed up with one of our corporate partners, Frenkel Topping, to offer you a Benefits Health Check. Frenkel Topping’s specialist staff can find out what benefits you may be entitled to and even guide you

through the application process. This service is free of charge and completely confidential. To find out more, please contact our Helpline either by email at:

helpline@cbituk.org or phone on 0303 303 CBIT (that’s 2248).

Benefits Health Check

ContactsOur conference this year, ‘Risky Business’, focused on the issues surrounding infants and primary school-aged children who acquire a brain injury, and their families. It took place on the 29th ofFebruary and proved a thought provoking and enjoyable day for delegates, presenters andexhibitors alike. Over 230 delegatesattended this year’s event at the Hilton Hotel, Birmingham. The programme was full of emotion and some humour thanks to our brilliant speakers.

Presentations included findingsfrom new evidence-based research,the experiences of expert practitioners and those of familiesliving with the consequences of childhood acquired brain injury. We were extremely grateful to them all for their involvement.

A special mention should bemade to Dave Stones (fatherof William,aged 3) who was aninspirational and moving speaker.Our Child and Family Support Officers also presented a video they’d made showcasing all of the different ways they support families across the UK, which was a real eye-opener for some delegates! The video will soon be available on our YouTube channel. The exhibition hall was full to bursting with stands full of great information and ‘give-aways’ - Compass Costs cuddly dragons competing for the day’s best freebiewith our own delicious home baked goodies! Using recipes from our new fundraising cook book, ‘21 treats for 21 years’, some of our staff baked and brought along a variety of tasty

treats to tempt the delegates into hosting their own fundraising cake sale for us! More informationon this can be found inside. All in all it was a super day and I am so proud of everyonewho played a part.

See you next year,

Lisa Turan - CEO

Child Brain Injury Trust - Conference 2012

“I’ve been a benefits specialist for sixteen years working in both the voluntary and private sector, with experienceof acting as an advocate at Social Security Appeal Tribunals and the Upper Tribunal. I currently have a case at the European Court of Justice. My client group has always included a significant proportion of families with one or more members (including children) suffering from health problems and/or disabilities. I can thereforeprovide advice and assistance in respect of the full range of benefits relevant to such circumstances.”

Frenkel Topping’s Gwyneth King

Happy 21st

Happy 21st

Happy 21st

Happy 21st

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21 Treats! Small Print

We know how important it isfor all of the families andprofessionals we work with tohave access to reliableinformation on brain injury. We’ve long had a series of factsheets and other documents available on our website but we are now extremely pleased tohave achieved the Information Standard accreditation for theinformation we produce. Thisstandard, set by the Departmentof Health, is used to identifyreliable sources of quality,evidence-based informationthrough the use of an easilyrecognised quality mark.Essentially this means we havebeen able to demonstrate our

Encouraging independence and confidence are key ingredients to a happy childhood, but for parents and guardians with a brain injured child, these attributes come loaded with additional worries.

A brain injured child can get confused as to where they should be, or how to get back home. Often when Police, health workers or even members of the public come across a lost child with a brain injury, they have no idea of the extent of the child’s challenges and how to deal with them.

The Alert ID system means that all your child needs to remember is that, if they need help, they simply

direct someone to the phone number on theircard or wrist band. This puts the caller throughto the 24/7 Alert ID Emergency Support Team

who know all about your child and theirparticular circumstances.

We think this scheme is an invaluable addition to a child’s safety and well-being. You

can find out more information on the leafletenclosed or on their website:

www.alertidservices.co.uk/cbit.

Currently, 15% of the sale price is being donated to the Child Brain Injury Trust!

c o m m i t m e n t to supply clear,accurate, impartial,e v i d e n c e - b a s e d ,accessible and up todate information. Itmeans that otherbodies such as NHSDirect are able torecommend our informationto people. It also means thatwe will be reviewing all of ourfactsheets over the comingmonths so keep an eye on our‘Information’ webpage forupdates.

For those of you able to getbaking for a good cause, we havea special ’21 Treats for 21 Years’ recipe book available to purchasefrom ebay, with a foreword by Mary Berry, star of the GreatBritish Bake Off With recipes from staff, children and celebrity chefs, there’s lots of great ideas for a bake sale in there and some mouth-watering pictures too! Search for ‘charity recipe book’ on www.ebay.co.uk.

Do you have a mortgage, credit card or loan with accompanying insurance policy? If you took out critical illness cover, life insurance, payment protection insurance or something similar, you might be able to make a claim on itfollowing your child’s brain injury. We can’t give advice on this but know families who were able to claim lump sums so check out your individual policies!

Many of you will already be aware that 2012 is an exciting year for us – it’s our 21st birthday! To mark this occasion, we areplanning a number of activities all across the country, from personal challenges to coffee mornings and birthday parties. We’reaiming to raise £210,000 to mark this occasion and we can’tdo this without a little help from our friends! Someof our supporters have started their Challenges already:Judith, our Chairperson, has crossed 21 bridges over theRiver Thames starting her journey on a chilly day in February.Dave Stones and friends completed the Silverstone Marathonrecently, raising around £500! We’d love to see as many of the families we support and their friends involved as possible. Please visit our dedicated web pages at:-

www.challenge21.childbraininjurytrust.org.uk

ParentsTIPBrand new information! Happy Birthday to us!

Alert ID Service

Try not to compare

your child to other kids. It might take

them longer to achieve the milestones

but with your encouragement

and love, they’ll get there in their

own good time.Gilly

ParentsTIP

Your child may be different than

the one you had or thought you’d have,

but accept the bad as the good it lets

in with it is a gift!

Vicky Morrell

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Not everybody can take part in an adrenaline-filled challenge – and not everyone wants to! All of your time and efforts can make a huge difference to our fundraisingand events. New ideas are alwayswelcome! Perhaps your child’s school has a dress down day atthe end of term? Or a localsupermarket does a monthly collection? You could nominate us to receive any money raised.

In December 2005, aged 12, Sophie Hanvey suffered a brain haemorrhage. Extensive treatmentmeant Sophie’s recovery was slow but eventually she was able to return to school, helped by a classroom assistant and the Child Brain Injury Trust. The charityplayed a major role in helping and supporting Sophie, who is now aged 19, readjust to life.

Sophie’s father Trevor said, “The Child Brain Injury Trust was a great support and Sophie wanted to repay some of the help she received.” As a thank you for oursupport, Sophie held a triathlon

Our first ever Northern Irishconference takes place on the 10th of October at the StormontHotel, Belfast. It’s shaping up to be a very interesting day, withthe topic of ‘Rehabilitation; a family issue’ and a range ofspeakers already confirmed. The programme will highlight recent changes to pathways of care, research, family experiencesand practitioner interventions.

We have 30 parent spacesavailable at £10 each,please book via our website:

-style event in Ballyearl LeisureCentre last July and a quiz inthe Ulster Transport Bowling Club in November. Sophiemanaged to raise a fantastic£2,890 and recently presented

a cheque to Nadia Magee,one of our Child and FamilySupport Officers in NorthernIreland. We’re truly grateful forthese much-needed donationsfrom Sophie and her localcommunity who helped her out!

Sophie especially thanked the staff and management of Vivo Essentials on Circular Road Jordanstown; Village Pharmacy, Whiteabbey; staff at BallyearlLeisure Centre and the UlsterTransport Bowling Club inJordanstown.

Following on from the success of our May Master Class on the topics ‘The Maturation Stages of the Developing Brain’ and ‘Managing Behaviour’, we have six more lectures taking place around the country this year. Topics will include: ‘Transition into Adulthood and Employment’;

You could hold a frock swap event for friends like our Scottish Fundraising Officer Claire in thephoto. Everyone brings along unwanted but good condition clothes to swap with friends, making a donation to the event host. A great way to save some money on a new outfit and havefun!You can also help us by volunteering your time. There may

‘Psychological Impact of ABI and links to Depression’ and ‘Specialist Therapy Services and their Impact’. There will be parent spaces available at a price of £10 per space. For moreinformation regarding any aspectof the Master Class lectureseries, please contact our Training

be a variety of opportunities around the country, ranging from handing out goody bags at a family day to cheering people on during a local run. If you would like to help us out with any of our future fundraising or familyevents, please email:claire@cbituk.orgor call 0131 475 2598. Don’t forget to share your fab ideas on our Facebook page too!

Manager Louise on:

louisewilkinson@cbituk.org or by calling 01869 341075.

You can also find informationon our website at www.childbraininjurytrust.org.uk/services

How can you help?

Northern Ireland Donation

Master Classes

October Conference

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Supporting a child with a brain injury

is one big roller coaster and a huge learning curve! You

never know how your day is going to turn out, is it going

to be good, bad, hard, stressful, happy or fun or it could

just be a mixture of all of them! But no matter how good

or bad it is you’re just grateful at the end of every day

that you still have your child with you and you love them

no matter what and will always fight to get the best help

that they deserve!!

Patricia

ParentsTIP

www.childbraininjurytrust.org.uk/services_cands_bookingform.html

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Following a successful fundingbid, we’re delighted to announcethat our Central Southernproject (formerly known as theThames Valley project) has nowexpanded to include Cambridgeand the counties of Hertfordshire,Essex, Suffolk and Norfolk.We’re also adding Friday dropin sessions at Addenbrooke’shospital, Cambridge to those which we host fortnightly atthe Children’s Hospital, Oxford.

During the pilot stage of this project, Caroline, our Child and Family Support Officer in this area, has been providing our usual high standard of support to local

children and young people who havesustained a braininjury, their parentsor carers and theprofessionals aroundthem. She has also beenbuilding a professional networkto improve the referralprocess for families and becomeinvolved in the EasternChildren’s Head Injury Network(ECHIN), which has been setup to improve pathways forlocal children affected byacquired brain injury.

The project has a number offuture aims, including increasing

the number of families supportedand holding the first local familyevent. Follow us on Facebookto keep up to date with all the latest developments and helpspread the word!

Cycle law Scotland roadshow

Local EventsHelping You...

Central and Southern Project

ParentsTIP

Our family days are a great opportunity to meet and mingle and have some fun. Our Child and Family SupportOfficers will be hosting and attending these upcoming events and would love to see you there! For more information or to request a space, please contact your local Officer; see the back page for contact details. Keep an eye on our Facebook page for any updates!

CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN: end of July, date tbc Activity Centre, CambridgeThere will be outdoor activities and games, adventure activities and a picnic.

NORTH EAST: July, date tbcChase Park Music Festival, Whickham, GatesheadWe will have a stall at this fun packed music event with lots of information and goodies and a 21st birthday cake! NORTHERN IRELAND: Saturday 26th May W5 Interactive Discovery Centre, Belfast, 11am to 3pmAll family members are welcome to attend. Everyone will have the opportunity to explore W5 at their own pace, meeting afterwards for a packed lunch and the chance to get to know each other.

SCOTLAND: Saturday 9th JuneEdinburgh International Climbing Arena, Ratho, 1pm to 5pmA combined family day, meeting of our Edinburgh youth group and celebration of our 21st birthday! There will be climbing for the over-8s and a music workshop for younger children with information and activities for parents and guardians too.

After a recent bout of the norovirus, my 8 month old baby had to be taken to the Children’s A&E unit at our local hospital in South Wales. As I sat waiting, I noticed the number of parents in the unit whose children had nasty looking bumps to their heads. Naturally, when babies start to move about and explore their environment, tables, TV units and fireplaces all become potential hazards. I started to think about what I would do if my baby had a bump to the head. Questions ran through my mind like; ‘how would I know if I should go to the GP or hospital?’, ‘what symptoms shouldI be looking out for if the baby has a bump to the head?’. Of course, you don’t want to seem like a paranoid parent but on the same score you don’t want to underestimate the need for medical help. The Child Brain Injury Trust is looking to address these issues by developing a brand newresource for parents and carers of babies and young children. We are hoping to create aniPhone App to help answer some of these questions and inform users of what to doif your child hits their head. We want to talk to parents to find out what information would be useful and what ideas you have to make our App a great App. We also need to make sure that it is as relevant for today’s parents as possible. As well as the App, we will also be launchingan information booklet which will be available through GP surgeries and hospitals. So, if you wouldlike to help us to develop this brand new service, please send your suggestions to:rachelritter@cbituk.org

We need funding to make this happen so we are also looking for interested people,businesses and or families to help us raise the money to produce this resource.With your help, we can tailor make a brand new service designed by parents – for parents!

Not all disabilities

are the same and each one

opens the doors to very unique

ABILITIES!Linda

Mary Dryburgh and Miranda Barty-Taylor joined Deputy First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon at the launch of Cyclelaw Scotland’s road safety roadshow at Govan Primary School, Glasgow. Pupils received free cycle helmets courtesy of Halfords!