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The North East of England has been picked as the pilot area for a project in England aimed at offering support to young people who have acquired brain injuries.

The Child Brain Injury Trust (CBIT) is launching a new service in Newcastle aimed at providing a better support network for the hundreds of children who acquire brain injuries throughout the region each year.

The Child and Family Support Project in North East, which is based at Northern Counties School, is the first of its kind in the England and will be launched officially at an event at Newcastle's Centre for Life on October 24th, sponsored by personal injury law firm Irwin Mitchell.

The event is aimed at families with children who have sustained brain injuries and will include speeches from leading neurologists and neuropsychologists, as well as testimonials from young people who have been affected by brain injury.

Elsewhere, the 'Mind Boggle' demonstration will help those attending to understand what it's like to have a brain injury and there will be games to help improve memory - short-term memory loss being one of the more common effects of an acquired brain injury.

If CBIT's Child and Family Support Project proves to be a success in the North East, it will be extended beyond its initial 12 month period and replicated in other parts of England.

Julie Young, Project Manager from CBIT, said there is a huge demand for a service of this kind, not only in the north east but throughout the UK. She is currently spending her time getting in contact with as many families affected by brain injury as possible to find out what support they need.

She said: "This is an incredibly exciting project and we really have the chance to make a huge difference to people's lives. Brain injuries are often referred to as being 'hidden' because the person will often have no physical badge of disability. However, the needs of children will change over time and services need to be able to respond to this.

"Until CBIT arrived, there was simply nothing in place like this in the North East, so we are hoping to plug a rather large gap and offer a support network to children and families."

John Davis, partner at event sponsors Irwin Mitchell, the region's leading personal injury and clinical negligence law firm, said: "Through our work with people with a brain injury, we are only too aware of how widespread the problem is in the north east.

"The work that CBIT is looking to carry out could bring welcome support and in some cases relief to families who need no longer feel like they should suffer alone."

CBIT has conducted a report into children's brain injuries in the north east, which revealed that the vast majority - 74 per cent - were caused either by car accidents or falls, with a further 21 per cent by illness. Fifty-eight per cent of injuries happened to children aged 11-15, while 60 per cent of parents in the area said they knew little or nothing about acquired brain injury.

For more information about the event, please call 01869 341075 or email info@cbituk.org

 

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