When speaking with the parents of children who have suffered an acquired brain injury, I expect to deal with the what, where, when, why, how and who, about the process of claiming compensation. Of course, naturally in the aftermath of your child suffering a brain injury, your priority is going to be their health and wellbeing, and gaining an understanding of what medical treatments will be required in order to make sure they get as well as possible, as quickly as possible. But after getting to grips with your child’s immediate wellbeing and ensuring their welfare, the questions parents may ask are likely to be from the Kipling school of enquiry.

The first questions we deal with from parents usually involve understanding when is the best time is to make a claim, what the advantages are of making a claim, and why should/shouldn’t a claim be made.

You should start your enquiries into making a claim as soon as ever possible. There are a number of reasons why this is beneficial for the entire family. The sooner a claim is started, the sooner your solicitor may be able to arrange for an immediate needs assessment from a care manager to take place, something that will help both the family and injured child prepare for the future once they are released from hospital.

Finance is a critical concern for families dealing with a child brain injury, due to the substantial costs associated with having to facilitate care for a brain injured child. Ensuring that families receive the financial help and support they are entitled to is of vital importance. By dealing with a solicitor, you can be put in touch with the appropriate financial advisors and experts who’ve dealt with benefits advice. A solicitor can also start discussions with the responsible party about potential access to interim funding and provide advice regarding what costs may be claimable, including time parents need to take off work for care, travel costs, and accommodation costs.

By speaking to a solicitor, families access all of this advice in a sensitive and timely manner. There is no obligation to go ahead with anything once you make an enquiry, but it means you can have all the information about what a claim involves to hand, so that you can make an informed decision about whether or not you’d wish to continue. We can answer any concerns about the viability of making a claim, the cost of making a claim (and in the case of a personal injury claim, there is no associated cost), and help to assist in recovery by helping to set up care regimes.

My colleague Eddie Jones and I, have put together a webinar for the Child Brain Injury Trust that deals with these questions when it comes to claiming compensation after your child has suffered an acquired brain injury, provides more information on the issues I’ve touched on and what you can expect from the claims process.

To see it, you can join us live on 23rd June at 12.00 by going to the Learning Events space on the Child Brain Injury Trust website, or clicking here. Alternatively, if you’ve missed it, you can go to the site and download a copy of it to view in your own time.

We’re always happy to help answer any queries you may have about claiming compensation, all you need do is get in touch with me on 0161 828 1958 or andrew.lilley@jmw.co.uk, or my colleague Eddie Jones on 0161 828 1934 or eddie.jones@jmw.co.uk.

The blog was submitted by Andrew Lilley, Partner a JMW Solicitors. The Child Brain Injury Trust’s Legal Support Provider in the North West of England.