I read with interest Jean McLeish’s article on April 18, “The time bomb of head trauma”. The Children’s Trust knows all too well the impact of brain injury as a hidden disability, and also the general lack of support given to children and families.
The trust, based in Tadworth, Surrey, provides intensive residential rehabilitation for children who have suffered a brain injury or a traumatic or non-traumatic brain injury.
We launched a community support service in 2005 to offer practical help to enable these children to overcome and live with their impairments. Such intervention could last from a few months to a few years.
Importantly, this service works with schools to provide a co-ordinated approach, including training staff, ensuring that appropriate equipment is available if needed, and working to integrate the child back into his or her existing school or providing help in finding an alternative school.
The earlier these problems are addressed, the more likely the child is to reach greater potential. The sad fact is that situations often must hit crisis point before any funding is given.
Sometimes, on paper, it appears that a child with a brain injury is being given support within their local community but, in practice, it may not be working.
It is amazing the difference that the right intervention can make.
Michelle Baille, communications and media officer, The Children’s Trust.