BRAINWAVE

Brainwave is a charity that exists to help children with disabilities and additional needs to achieve greater independence by aiming to improve mobility, communication skills and learning potential through a range of educational and physical therapies, and the children we work with have a range of conditions including: autism, brain injuries such as cerebral palsy and genetic disorders such as Down’s syndrome.

Our therapists, who are drawn from the mainstream fields of physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech and language therapy and educational therapy, work with the family to devise a unique programme, specifically designed to suit their child’s needs, which will help and encourage them to unlock their child’s potential.  This may be anything from helping them walk or ride a bike, to recognising colours or writing their name.  Our therapists have a wide range of experience and will use these skills to assess the needs of your child.

Who We Are

We are an independent organisation, which gives us the advantage of being able to unite the disciplines ofphysiotherapy, educational therapy, occupational therapy and speech and language therapy.  This enables Brainwave to take a fully integrated approach towards the development of your child.

Who We Help

Brainwave works with children between the ages of 6 months and 12 years, however, once a child follows a Brainwave Programme they only leave when the family feels the time is right.  Brainwave provides therapy for children with a wide range of conditions and developmental needs, including: cerebral palsy, autismchromosome disorders such as Down’s syndrome and genetic disorders.

How We Help

The Brainwave Programme aims to develop the maximum potential of each child by taking an integrated approach to their physical and cognitive development and by aiming to enhance a child’s social skills and emotional well-being.  We provide two full days, with two therapists, for an initial assessment, followed by one day reassessments every four to six months.

A key success of Brainwave has been our ability to recognise the impact having a child with additional needs has on their family and empowering them to deliver therapy to their child at home, as we believe the family home is where children respond best, with the people whose love and care is unparalleled.  Our therapists teach parents/carers how to carry out each exercise, in what order, for how long and why.

Families are provided with a written and visual record of each exercise to take home – the paper copy and DVD is refreshed at each four to six month reassessment.  Each programme is designed to be carried out over a 30 minute period and no family is asked to spend more than 10 hours carrying out therapy in any one week.  Continuous support and regular assessments with the qualified and skilled therapists means that the individual home based therapy programme is adjusted as the child grows and progresses.

Brainwave provide the family, at no charge, with all the equipment required to carry out the programme at home, such as rolls, wedges and vestibular boards.

Ongoing Support

Our therapy team is constantly available to families via phone calls and email, and our team of Family Facilitators provide ongoing local support to families.  The Family Facilitators provide a listening ear, assist in sourcing volunteer help and continually research up-to-date local and national information for the families.

Where We Are

We have three centres in Somerset, Essex and Cheshire and run two Satellite Clinics in Scotland and London, to ensure that families from all over the UK can receive our services.

Mission Statement

Our Objects

Our charitable objects are to support children with physical and/or cognitive disabilities, whether caused by brain injury like cerebral palsy; a genetic disorder like Down’s syndrome, autism, or general developmental delay, by the provision and promotion of therapy.  Brainwave works with families to deliver home based therapy and exercise programmes tailored to each child to help them to achieve their fullest potential.  That potential could be anything from a child walking or feeding themselves, to counting or forming sentences.  We employ a range of experienced specialist staff, including physiotherapists, occupational therapists, speech and language therapists and educational therapists, enabling us to take a holistic approach to seeking what is possible for each individual child.

We summarise this as:

• helping children with disabilities and additional needs to achieve greater independence, and
• aiming to improve mobility, communication skills, and learning potential, through a range of educational and physical therapies.

Our Mission

We will deliver therapy of the highest quality to an increasing number of children each year and make it as easy as possible for children to benefit from the therapy through qualified and motivated staff at our permanent centres and satellite clinics, and through our team of Family Facilitators.

Our Vision

Our Vision is that all children in the UK with the above conditions should have the opportunity to reach their potential and benefit from appropriate therapy to help them, and that Brainwave should be recognised as leading in this field.

Our Aims

We are committed to:

• Best practice – maintaining research and professional development for staff, including benchmarking against other providers to provide appropriate therapy of the highest quality.
• Therapy delivery – continuing to increase the number of children helped each year, and to respond proactively to the changing needs of families.
• Access – opening centres and clinics at appropriate intervals and locations to make therapy available more locally to families throughout the UK.
• Sustainability – establishing streams of fundraising to enable therapy provision to be provided in a stable business environment.  Managing the business in a cost effective manner, so as to increase year on year the proportion of fundraising income that is applied to our charitable objectives.

 Our Values

In all aspects of our work and activities, with everyone associated with the Charity, we strive to be: professional, open, friendly, enabling, respectful, and passionate.