What is the Giving Back fund?

Each year, we commit £5,000 in grants to families who need extra help during their child’s early years. For us, this is a huge part of what Changing Lives really means. A legal claim can take a long time to resolve, and not every claim will succeed. We understand that a child’s need for therapy or equipment often can’t wait that long, so the fund is there to give them valuable short-term support, whatever the eventual outcome.

Changing lives by supporting families

Here are some of the children the fund has helped:

  • Sumya

    Sumya was born at 29 weeks gestation and following her early arrival suffered a grade 2 intraventricular haemorrhage. A subsequent MRI confirmed bilateral periventricular leukomalacia (PVL). Sumya has been diagnosed with quadriplegic cerebral palsy.

    “One day I received an email from Kay Taylor that CL Medilaw wanted to give something back to my daughter and they arranged Alexa lights to be fitted in her bedroom and bathroom. My daughter turns all the lights on/off all by herself – this is so amazing to see and another step towards her independent living.”

    Fasal, Sumya’s dad

  • Henry

    Henry was one of monochorionic diamniotic (MCDA) twins, born at 29 weeks. Henry has periventricular leukomalacia (PVL), a form of brain injury that can occur in babies usually between 28 and 34 weeks gestation when there has been some form of insult to the brain during pregnancy or at birth. We are delighted to have been able to contribute to Henry’s conductive education sessions and learn about the great progress he has made.

    “We can’t thank the team at CL Medilaw enough for their very kind donation towards Henry’s therapy. Every therapy session to another step towards a better future for Henry and we are so grateful for your support. Thank you so much.”

    Carly, Henry’s mum

  • Footsteps Foundation

    Some children with cerebral palsy and other neurological disorders are not able to access the physiotherapy that is required to aid their development and rehabilitation as therapy sessions can be very expensive. We realise the importance of early intervention and therapy so as part of our giving back scheme we donated £500 to the Footsteps Foundation so that we could support a child with a block of intensive physiotherapy at the Footsteps Centre in Wallingford.

    “We are very grateful for the support of CL Medilaw, which will help disabled children like Charlie to receive the physiotherapy that they need.”

What the fund can pay for

Every family we meet has different needs, so we keep the fund as flexible as possible. Grants have paid for therapies, such as conductive education and intensive physiotherapy. They’ve also covered music lessons that support speech and motor skills. Others have funded equipment that makes everyday life easier, from smart lighting to sensory bathrooms. Some grants support the wider family too, giving parents and siblings precious time together that might otherwise be out of reach.

Support that doesn’t depend on a claim

We know how hard it can be to wait for answers when your child’s support can’t wait. Grants from the fund aren’t tied to how a legal case turns out. If early therapy, new equipment or community support would help your child, we’d love to hear from you, whatever stage you’re at and whatever happens next.

How the fund works

As our team gets to know each family, we often see where a little extra help could make a real difference. That might be a course of therapy, a piece of equipment or a break for the whole family. When we see how we could help, we may offer to fund it directly or contribute towards it. There’s no application form or panel, it’s simply part of how we support the families we work with.

Have you been told you don’t have a claim?

If another firm has told you there’s no claim to bring, it may still be worth another look. Our second opinion service gives your child’s case a fresh review from specialists who handle birth and brain injury claims every day. Sometimes a closer look at the records tells a different story. Whatever we find, our support for your family doesn’t stop at financial compensation alone.

Supporting the charities families rely on

Sometimes the best way to reach families is through the charities that are also dedicated to helping them. We’ve used the fund to sponsor sessions at Gympanzees, which brings play and exercise to disabled children, and one of our team volunteered on the day.

We also donated to the Footsteps Foundation to fund intensive physiotherapy for a child who couldn’t otherwise have accessed it.