What does a cerebral palsy case manager do?

Cerebral palsy is one of the most common reasons families and solicitors come to us for case management support. It is a lifelong condition, and the right case management can make a lasting difference to a child or adult's independence and quality of life.

What is cerebral palsy?

Cerebral palsy is a group of lifelong conditions affecting movement, posture, and coordination, caused by injury to the developing brain before, during, or shortly after birth. It affects around one in every 400 children in the UK, and an estimated 160,000 people are living with the condition across the country, roughly 130,000 adults and 30,000 children.

It is permanent but not progressive: the brain injury itself does not worsen over time, though the physical and functional effects can change as a person grows, and it often brings co-existing needs such as epilepsy, communication difficulties, or musculoskeletal problems that need managing alongside it.

Why cerebral palsy cases need dedicated case management

Because cerebral palsy is lifelong, the people involved in someone's care change constantly: paediatricians in the early years, orthopaedic surgeons and physiotherapists as mobility needs evolve, speech and language therapists, schools and SENCOs, and eventually adult services once a young person moves on from children's care. Without one person holding the whole picture together, a plan can easily become disjointed, or a young person can fall through the gap between children's and adult services.

A case manager's job is to hold that picture together: assessing needs, commissioning the right therapy and equipment, and coordinating everyone involved so the plan keeps pace with the person, not the other way round.

What a cerebral palsy case manager does

• Assessment. Understanding the person's physical, cognitive, communication, and social needs, usually starting with an Immediate Needs Assessment.
• Commissioning. Arranging physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech and language therapy, orthotics, and specialist equipment.
• Coordination. Making sure everyone involved, medical, educational, and therapeutic, is working from the same plan.
• Transition planning. Managing the move from children's to adult services, a particular risk point for young people with cerebral palsy.
• School liaison. Working with SENCOs and teaching staff so a child's needs are understood and supported in the classroom as well as at home.
• Review. Revisiting the plan regularly as the person grows and their needs change.

Louise's ongoing PhD research, focused on children and adolescents with acquired brain injury and their schools, feeds directly into how we approach the education side of this work. Read more about her research here.

Our experience

Louise and Ken have both worked on a number of cerebral palsy cases, from initial assessment through to long-term, ongoing case management. One of the solicitors we work with put it this way:

“I have had the pleasure of working alongside Louise and Ken at Hawkley Rehab on a number of cerebral palsy claims and have been consistently impressed by their professionalism, expertise, and commitment to achieving the best possible outcomes for our mutual clients.” — Tanzeela Aslam, Partner, Head of Clinical Negligence, Express Solicitors

For solicitors

Cerebral palsy cases arising from birth injury are often complex and long-running, and the case management plan can carry real weight in supporting a claim. We are used to working alongside the legal team from an early stage, providing Immediate Needs Assessments and reports that hold up to scrutiny, and setting out what good, coordinated rehabilitation looks like in practice.

You can read more about what a brain injury case manager does and our services.

If you would like to discuss a referral or find out what an assessment might involve, please get in touch.