Managing your compensation

In the event of a successful cerebral palsy claim, the court will order compensation to cover the child's pain and suffering throughout her/his life. It will also compensate the parents of the child personally for the care given, over and above the needs of an able child. This might take the form of lost earnings or a calculation of the many waking and sleeping hours of care provided at home.

Therapy, care and education needs

The claim will provide compensation to cover the child's professional care needs throughout her/his life and therapeutic needs including physiotherapy, speech and language therapy, occupational therapy and assistive technology. It will make provision for special educational needs and accommodation requirements to take into account the needs of the family as a whole and any needed live in carers. It will include such items as equipment and vehicles for transport. It will compensate the child for lost income if the child is not able to work as an adult or is likely to take a less remunerative job. It will also provide case management expertise for life.

All of these needs and requirements are assessed carefully with the family, and in conjunction with any care and therapies the family wants to continue to provide.  The aim of the compensation is to provide support to the individual and the family, so the family can focus on being just that, a family. 

Value of cerebral palsy claims 

Cerebral palsy claims of this nature are valued at between £1million and £5million or more, depending on the unique circumstances of each case. Compensation can be taken as a regular monthly or quarterly payment for life (called a structured settlement or periodical payment), a lump sum or more usually a mixture of both.  This will only be decided once specialist advice has been obtained on what is best for the child and after careful consultation with the family.