As of the 14th May 2018 the Child Brain Injury Trust launched a support service for young people with acquired brain injuries
The service is a Brain Injury Information Card, suitable for young people aged 11-18. The idea behind the card is that young people can carry the card as they go about daily life, and present it in situations where they need a little help and understanding.
Alison Wilcox, Head of Education at nasen said:
Many children and young people experience difficulties both in school or college and in the outside world due to brain injury. These difficulties can be exacerbated when they are in situations with people who are unaware that their behaviour may have such a cause. Offering young people a personal Brain Injury Information Card is a great way to support their independence and to help others to better understand the potential impact of their injury. nasen’s hope is that this initiative is another positive step towards increasing awareness of neurodiversity in all forms and particularly of the issues surrounding brain injury.
Koulla Yiasouma, Northern Ireland Commissioner for Children and Young People said:
One of the challenges of acquired brain injuries is that it is often not immediately clear or obvious that a person has a condition. For children and young people this can affect the way they are treated, and how others engage and interact with them. Raising awareness and improving understanding and recognition are key to addressing this. Initiatives such as Brain Injury Information Cards can play an important part, helping to make sure young people get the support they need and giving them added confidence in their day to day lives.
Imagine being at a train station, with a queue of impatient people behind you and you can’t find the right money to pay for your ticket. You start to feel under pressure as the people behind you get restless. Imagine that on top of this, you have a brain injury and it can take you a little longer than others to sort out the jumble of coins and notes in your wallet.
Then imagine you have a card in your wallet that explains your difficulties, you hand it over, the person serving you relaxes a bit – you do too. The restless people behind you seem less important, you can take a deep breath and figure out the money.
This is just one scenario in which a Brain Injury Information Card may be of help, it could equally be money for a taxi or recalling an address. Or becoming involved with local police for behaviour that seems out of the ordinary, it is not uncommon for young people with a brain injury to be suspected of being under the influence of alcohol or drugs due to communication difficulties and/or unsteady walking.
This is an excellent initiative by Child Brain Injury Trust that has the full support of Police Scotland. The Brain Injury Identity Card for young people under 18 will help ensure that police officers respond appropriately and deliver a service according to individual needs.
Dr David McCormick Consultant Paediatrician, Neurorehabilitation and Epilepsy Clinical Lead, Paediatric Neurosciences, King’s College Hospital, London:
Brain injury can lead to a wide range of difficulties in young people. Some are obvious but may be mistaken for other conditions such as rudeness, poor behaviour or even intoxication. Some are not obvious at all, meaning that appropriate allowances may not be made for the young person. In either circumstance the Young Person’s Brain Injury Identity Card provides a vital source of identification and information in a range of social situations – I fully endorse the distribution and use of these cards.
We know that families we support will see the benefits. We hope you do too. To receive an application form email learning@cbituk.org
Terms and Conditions for Use
The Child Brain Injury Trust are deemed to be the card issuer.
The card holder is the person whose image and details are shown on the front of the card. Any breach of use of this card will result in the card being withdrawn from use by the card holder. This card is issued solely to the person named on the card and use by another other person will be considered as a breach of use. The Child Brain Injury Trust have issued the card solely for the use of providing information to those who may need it, relating to the card holder’s brain injury and as such may not be used for any other purpose. Misuse of this card will result in the card being withdrawn. The Child Brain Injury Trust accepts no responsibility for situations resulting from the theft or loss of this card. Any lost or stolen card must be reported to learning@cbituk.org Replacement cards can be obtained by emailing learning@cbituk.org. Please note there will be a £5.00 administration fee for each replacement card requested. This card is valid up to and including the card holder’s 18th Birthday. Once the card holder reaches the age of 18 an adult Brain Injury Identity Card can be obtained from Headway UK by visiting: headway.org.uk/supporting-you/brain-injury-identity-card
Or by calling 0808 800 2244