On World Cerebral Palsy Day, 6th October 2023, Action Cerebral Palsy has written to every MP, Peer and Local Authority asking them to:
- Identify – the Gaps in the service provision in health, education and social care and the aspirations of children and young people living with cerebral palsy and their families
- Intervene –
- By providing workforce training to those tasked with supporting or making decisions on behalf of children and young people living with cerebral palsy and their families about the condition, its complexity and impact on those children and young people and their families;
- By undertaking to work more closely with young people with cerebral palsy and their parents and carers as well as the wider CP community of third sector organisations helping to fill the gaps in public service provision;
- By sharing information about the early warning signs of cerebral palsy – If In Doubt, Check It Out – within children’s agencies, early educational settings and schools, and doctors’ surgeries so that no child at risk of cerebral palsy falls through the net and misses out on vital early intervention and support.
- Impact – By taking action now in these areas, MPs, Peers and Local Authorities can help improve the service offering for children and young people living with cerebral palsy in their constituencies. In doing so, they will help improve the life chances and opportunities for these children as they grow into adults living with cerebral palsy.
Action CP is grateful to the 23 Local Authorities who have already chosen to engage with us and commit to the CP Covenant, to Mary Foy, MP and Paul Maynard, MP, co-chairs of the recent All Party Parliamentary Group on Cerebral Palsy and the many MPs and Peers who participated as officers and speakers at these meetings, to the NHS CP Task and Finish Group for the work that they are doing now to develop a model of best care pathways for children and young people with cerebral palsy, to NHS England, the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health and the Institute of Health Visiting for the work that they are doing to improve parents’ understanding of the early warning signs of cerebral palsy and ensure more children are able to access the care and support they need at a point when it can make a difference to their lifelong opportunities.
We are proud to work alongside so many individuals and cerebral palsy charities who have joined us in raising the profile of cerebral palsy and supported the All Party Parliamentary Group on Cerebral Palsy with verbal and written evidence and the call for change. If you would like to work with us to identify, intervene and have an impact, here is how you can get involved:
- Ask your MP what action they are taking to improve service access for children, young people and adults living with cerebral palsy
- Let us know about services available or gaps in service provision in your area
- If you are a parent or carer of a child with cerebral palsy, tell us your story and what is working for you and your family and what could be done differently
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