Children with complex brain injuries may need support from a number of different professionals as they progress through rehabilitation.
Physiotherapists, occupational therapists, speech and language therapists, psychologists, neuropsychologists, paediatricians, consultants and other clinical specialists may all have an important role to play. Education professionals may also become involved as a child returns to school, while solicitors and other legal professionals may be part of the wider team.
Each professional brings their own knowledge and expertise.
But having the right professionals involved is only part of effective rehabilitation. What matters is how those professionals work together.
Bringing different areas of expertise together
A child with a complex brain injury may have a range of physical, cognitive, communication, behavioural and emotional needs.
These areas are often connected.
For example, changes in physical ability may affect how a child participates at school. Difficulties with communication may affect relationships with peers or their ability to express what they need. Cognitive or behavioural changes may make it harder for a child to engage with therapy or manage everyday activities.
Looking at each area in isolation can make it difficult to understand the bigger picture.
Multidisciplinary working allows professionals to share their knowledge and consider how different aspects of a child’s rehabilitation interact with one another.
The role of therapists and clinical specialists
Therapists and clinical specialists each bring a different perspective to a child’s rehabilitation.
A physiotherapist may focus on movement, strength and mobility. An occupational therapist may consider independence and everyday activities. A speech and language therapist may support communication, eating or swallowing, while a psychologist or neuropsychologist may assess cognitive, emotional or behavioural needs.
Medical specialists may also be involved in understanding the child’s injury, managing ongoing medical needs and considering how these may affect rehabilitation.
These professionals need to understand what others are working towards so that their recommendations complement one another rather than creating separate or competing priorities.
Education is part of the wider picture
For children, rehabilitation does not happen separately from everyday life.
Education is a major part of childhood, and returning to school or accessing the right educational support may be an important rehabilitation goal.
Education professionals can provide valuable insight into how a child’s needs are affecting their learning, communication, behaviour and relationships within school.
Working with schools can also help ensure that recommendations from therapists and other specialists can be put into practice in the classroom.
The aim is not simply to help a child attend school. It is to understand what they need in order to participate, learn and develop as fully as possible.
Working alongside legal teams
In many cases, children’s rehabilitation takes place alongside a legal process.
Case managers may therefore work closely with solicitors, barristers, deputies and other professionals involved in the litigation.
The legal team needs a clear understanding of the child’s current and future needs, while the rehabilitation team needs to understand the wider context of the case and any relevant requirements.
Clear communication and timely reporting are important in maintaining this relationship.
The case manager can help ensure that information about the child’s rehabilitation is communicated clearly and that the different professionals involved have an accurate understanding of the child’s needs and progress.
More professionals does not necessarily mean better rehabilitation
It can be tempting to think that the more specialists involved in a child’s rehabilitation, the better.
In reality, effective multidisciplinary working is not about involving as many professionals as possible.
Every professional involved should have a clear reason for being part of the team and their contribution should support the child’s wider rehabilitation goals.
Without good coordination, there is a risk of duplicated assessments, conflicting recommendations or professionals working towards different priorities.
A coordinated team is able to identify where different areas of expertise are needed and make sure that each professional’s input adds value.
The importance of communication
Good communication sits at the centre of effective multidisciplinary working.
Professionals need to share relevant information, understand what others are recommending and communicate any changes in the child’s needs.
This might happen through regular multidisciplinary meetings, written reports, case management updates or direct conversations between professionals.
Communication with the family is equally important.
Parents and carers should understand what is being recommended, why it is being recommended and how it fits into the wider rehabilitation plan. They should also have the opportunity to share their own observations and concerns.
For a family managing a complex rehabilitation journey, having clear and consistent communication can make a significant difference.
Establishing shared rehabilitation goals
A multidisciplinary team needs a shared understanding of what it is trying to achieve.
Rehabilitation goals should be meaningful to the child and their family and should reflect the child’s individual circumstances.
For example, improving mobility may be important, but the wider goal might be helping a child become more independent at home or participate more fully at school.
Similarly, work on communication may have a wider purpose, such as helping the child develop relationships, express their needs or take part in everyday activities.
When professionals understand the wider goals, they can consider how their own work contributes to achieving them.
Coordinating recommendations and interventions
Different professionals may make recommendations that affect one another.
A therapist may recommend an intervention that needs to be considered alongside equipment, education provision or other therapies. A specialist assessment may identify a need for additional support that another professional needs to understand.
The role of the Children’s Case Manager can be particularly important here.
By maintaining an overview of the child’s rehabilitation, the case manager can help coordinate recommendations, identify where further assessment or support may be needed and make sure actions are followed through.
This helps turn individual professional recommendations into a more coordinated rehabilitation plan.
Keeping the child and family at the centre
Multidisciplinary working should never become a process that happens around the child without properly involving them or their family.
Parents and carers have an important understanding of their child’s personality, abilities, routines and preferences. As children develop, their own views and wishes should also become an increasingly important part of decision making.
Professionals may bring specialist knowledge, but families bring knowledge that cannot be gained from assessments or reports alone.
Listening to the child and family helps ensure that rehabilitation remains relevant to their everyday life and focused on the things that matter to them.
What effective multidisciplinary working looks like
Good multidisciplinary working is more than a list of professionals working on the same case.
It means having the right people involved, communicating clearly, sharing information and working towards shared goals.
It means understanding how different areas of a child’s life connect and making sure recommendations are coordinated rather than considered in isolation.
Most importantly, it means keeping the child and their family at the centre of the process.
At Best New Life, we work alongside families and the wider professional team to help bring these different areas of expertise together. Our role is to maintain an overview of the rehabilitation journey, support clear communication and help ensure that the child’s needs remain at the heart of decision making.
When professionals work well together, rehabilitation becomes more joined up, more purposeful and more responsive to the individual child.
Good multidisciplinary working is not about having more professionals. It is about helping the right professionals work together.