The Children’s Trust is the UK’s leading charity for children with brain injury. We work with children and young people aged 0-18 from across the UK with acquired brain injury (ABI), neurodisability, and complex education, therapy, health and care needs.
Neurorehabilitation
In 1985 we started the UK's first paediatric brain injury rehabilitation service and today, we now run the county’s largest service of its kind from our national specialist centre in Tadworth, Surrey.
As one of the only services which can provide the most complex rehabilitation to children and young people with acquired brain injury outside of a hospital setting, our work sees us support children from right across the UK.
Our flexible services reflect the range of abilities and needs of children with brain injuries; from those who are minimally conscious to those who appear to have made a full physical recovery but are left with 'hidden' problems with their cognition, memory, communication and behaviour.
Our services aim to:
- maximise each child's potential
- restore lost skills where possible, develop alternative skills and provide compensatory aids as needed
- facilitate new learning beyond the end of the child's natural recovery period
- develop an understanding of the child's needs
- ensure the child's home environment is modified for the way they will function after their brain injury
- prevent secondary problems such as joint contractures developing.
The rehabilitation team also works with the child and their family to help them come to terms with the new needs of their child.
Support in the community
Our award-winning, innovative Community Rehabilitation Service offers online information and resources, as well as support to children and young people with a suspected or confirmed acquired brain injury, and families through a nationwide Virtual Acquired Brain Injury team. In addition, the team offers an intensive, hands-on therapy service to children and young people living in the South-East of England, alongside virtual hybrid packages of support for those further afield.
The service provides a range of support across a tiered model, with increasing levels of intervention based on the level of need and identified goals.
Core specialisms offered include:
• psychology
• speech and language therapy
• physiotherapy
• occupational therapy
• rehabilitation technician.
Delivery is in collaboration with the child’s local community services where possible and is subject to funding. Intervention can be provided at any stage in a child’s rehabilitation journey post the acute phase, including support to children who are many years post injury.
Funding and referrals
If a child meets a set of specified criteria, our neurorehabilitation service is funded by NHS England through national specialised commissioning funding. Alternative funding options are available for rehabilitation placements where this criteria isn’t met, and for our other services. This is through local health commissioners (such as integrated care boards), social care, education authorities, international embassies, case management organisations, private medical insurers and medico-legal firms.
Our dedicated placements team work closely with commissioners and other parties to secure funding. We also accept self-pay by those wishing to fund a placement themselves.
Our key services include:
• Neurorehabilitation
• Step-down care
• Specialist education and residential care
• Support in the community
• Short breaks
• Information service
Our services are also supported by voluntary income raised through fundraising activities to continue supporting children and young people with brain injury and neurodisability.
For further information on any of the services provided by The Children’s Trust or to make a referral, please contact our Placements team:
+44 (0) 1737 365 080
placements@thechildrenstrust.org.uk
childrenstrust.tctplacements@nhs.net
(for those working in the NHS and using secure mail)
Alternatively, referral forms for all of our services are available from our website. Please visit: thechildrenstrust.org.uk/our-services
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