Information day for parents of disabled children hosted by Penningtons Manches

Posted: 05/03/2014

The Cambridge office of Penningtons Manches yesterday (4 March 2014) co-hosted a seminar with national charities Scope and Contact a Family to provide information on a range of legal issues for parents of disabled children. Families of children with cerebral palsy, autism and other conditions participated in presentations from legal experts on the topics of clinical negligence, wills and trusts and special educational needs.  There were lively question and answer sessions for the families to discuss their particular difficulties and share their own experiences.

The subjects covered included:

• Claims for medical negligence resulting from substandard maternity care that caused cerebral palsy and other birth injuries
• Wills and inheritance tax implications, discretionary trusts, powers of attorney
• The current Special Education Needs (SEN) system and planned future legal changes.

The seminar also heard from the East Anglia representatives for Scope and Contact a Family, two charities which provide vital support to disabled children and their families. More information on their work can be found at http://www.scope.org.uk/ and http://www.cafamily.org.uk/

Guy Forster, partner in the clinical negligence team, said: “We are really pleased that the information day was so well received and gave families a rare opportunity to discuss some key issues facing them, not just with the lawyers but also with each other. So much is changing in terms of welfare and educational support for disabled children and information sharing sessions like these and charities such as Scope and Contact a Family play such an important role in empowering families to access the help they need.”

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