C.E. Jottings

Déjà vu, all over again. The dysfunctional services that confront parents of children with cerebral palsy

Two news items earlier this week: the report in Charity Today “Children’s Disability Charity Launches New Occupational Therapy and Sensory Integration Service” and the announcement by Action Cerebral Palsy of the All-Party Parliamentary Group’s report “Early identification, intervention and pathways of care of infants and young children with cerebral palsy: The case for reform and Investment”. Charity Today has this to say: “CPotential is a one-stop-shop of rehabilitation services for children with movement disorders. The charity also offers physiotherapy, conductive... Read more →

Maybe Action Cerebral Palsy and the Westminster Commission on Autism have common ground?

Are Action Cerebral Palsy (@action_cp) the Westminster Commission on Autism (@W_Autism_Comm) talking with each other? Judging by the findings of ACP's report ‘Variations in Care: an analysis of cerebral palsy provision’ launched at Westminster outlining the findings of a Freedom of Information (FOI) study into the provision of cerebral palsy services across England and the findings of the WCoA's report "A Spectrum of Obstacles - An Inquiry into Access to Healthcare for Autistic People", the two organisations may have much... Read more →

"Variations in Care: An analysis of cerebral palsy provision" in the UK. ActionCP

Not yet had chance to read the report myself, but a quick reminder if you need it that "Variations in Care: An analysis of cerebral palsy provision" is now available on the Action Cerebral Palsy website. (There's a link to the report in the caption below the picture). The report was launched at a parliamentary “drop in” event at Westminster on Wednesday 13th July hosted by Jamie Reed MP. The report follows Action Cerebral Palsy’s Freedom of Information requests on... Read more →

Action Cerebral Palsy - new website

Action Cerebral Palsy's new website has just launched: clean, clear, crisp style. Nice one. The site launches with the news that Jamie Reed MP (Lab. MP for Copeland in Cumbria since 2005) will be hosting a parliamentary “drop in” event for ACP at Westminster on Wednesday 13th July. This event will highlight the results and recommendations from Action Cerebral Palsy’s recent Freedom of Information Report on the status of provision for children with cerebral palsy across the regions. The full... Read more →

Re-launch of Action Cerebral Palsy website imminent - with maybe something for CE too?

Look out for the imminent re-launch of the Action Cerebral Palsy website to coincide with ACP's registration with the Charity Commission. And maybe something for conductive education, too. A year ago, ACP was celebrating a year as the chosen charity of Whitehouse Public Relations Consultancy with the publication of the ACP report, "Enabling Potential: Achieving a New Deal for Children with Cerebral Palsy". Whitehouse continued to support ACP during 2015, bringing issues faced by children with cerebral palsy to the... Read more →

ACP Parliamentary Enquiry into Cerebral Palsy published today

Today, Action Cerebral Palsy publishes the findings of its Parliamentary inquiry into cerebral palsy. ACP is a national consortium of specialist charities, working with children with cerebral palsy and their families. The Inquiry heard evidence from "education and health professionals, those living with cerebral palsy and their carers, Government officials, charities, legal professionals and other organisations with an interest in cerebral palsy. "The headlines are: - Approximately 30,000 children in the UK have cerebral palsy, which is the most common... Read more →

MPs to debate education of children with cerebral palsy. Tomorrow 0930am

Westminster Hall Debate Tuesday 9th December 2014 0930-1100 MPs are to debate the education of children with cerebral palsy and anti-semitism on Tuesday 9 December 2014. Westminster Hall debates give MPs an opportunity to raise local or national issues and receive a response from a government minister. To be moved by Mr Mark Hoban, Conservative MP for Fareham. Watch morning Westminster Hall debates on Parliament TV live from 9.30am Well done Action Cerebral Palsy for working to win the debate. Read more →

Pondering research, cerebral palsy and education (1)

The fourth and final evidence session of the Parliamentary Enquiry into Cerebral Palsy was held last Tuesday. Led by Action Cerebral Palsy and Chaired by Paul Maynard MP (to whom many grateful thanks), the final report is expected to be published on 27th January 2015. The final session, in part, raised issues around the vexed questions of research and funding. My interest, to declare it up front, is the education of children with cerebral palsy and the continuation into adulthood... Read more →

Brain plasticity and pedagogy - not yet a new science of learning?

A posting on Facebook by Andrew Sutton and Comments that followed prompted the following loose thoughts. As an account of the functioning of the brain, neuroplasticity demolishes two strong and long-held learning and teaching positions: that, with ageing, the brain somehow seized up and that certain children were born ‘ineducable’. As illustrations, the former is neatly expressed in the saying “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks” and the latter in the persistence in the UK until the early... Read more →

Labour's pre-manifesto, inclusion & the Children and Families Act

The Children and Families Act was widely reported to have broad cross-party support as it made its journey through Parliament. Somewhat surprising (and disappointing, if I read it correctly) then to see a major principle of the Act potentially undermined in Labour's pre-manifesto. The following comes from a recent weekly briefing prepared for Action Cerebral Palsy by the Whitehouse Consultancy, just before the Party confrence. The issue included the following: Labour publishes pre-manifesto The Labour Party has published (but not... Read more →