Over the last few months we’ve been sharing stories, resources, stats and interviews on our social channels and newsletter as part of our first Chiltern Cares campaign showcasing how we support children with severe/complex neurological conditions.

In case you've missed it, we've done a round-up below, but do make you're following us on social media and are subscribed to our newsletter. We've popped all the links at the end.

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Circle of Care

We started off by sharing our Circle of Care. The Circle of Care can look very different depending on who we are supporting and why. For this campaign we saw it as the patient’s journey from diagnosis to discharge, and how Music Therapy can support that child at different points throughout that journey.

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Where we work

We shared the top five settings we deliver sessions to children with severe/complex neurological conditions:

1. Paediatric Unit in a Hospital - If a child has recently been diagnosed with a neurological condition, or is receiving treatment in hospital, Music Therapists can visit patients and provide music therapy by the bedside
2. Specialist Schools - Many children with neurological conditions still attend school and music therapy can be integrated as part of the child’s EHCP and/or therapy timetable
3. Home - Sometimes it is preferred for Music Therapists to visit the child in their own home, particularly if the child is medically vulnerable and/or finds other settings overstimulating
4. Rehabilitation Centre - Music Therapists can often be integrated into a child’s treatment plan whilst in active and/or long stay rehabilitation
5. In the Community - Individuals with neurological conditions may attend music therapy groups within the community with other children who have similar diagnoses, life experiences etc

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Joint working

We talked about the power of collaboration and shared research on the benefits of physiotherapy and music therapy working together to improve the lives of children. The research found that music supported children during their rehabilitation and promoted both their physical and medical development.

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Human stories

We shared stories of three young people who had been supported by music therapy. 

Lucy - a brave 3 year old who survived a serious road accident, suffering a traumatic brain injury along with other critical injuries. 

Josie - a 5-year-old girl who experienced a brain injury shortly after birth.

David - a 12 year old boy who is non-speaking with complex Autism who often becomes dysregulated and causes harm to himself and others.

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Health and Safety

We didn’t shy away from the less ‘exciting’ topics either and we talked about how we keep our clients safe with risk assessments, medical protocols and sanitising instruments. 

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Meeting the Team

We wouldn’t be here without our Music Therapists delivering the work and so it was important to us to introduce you to some of the team. We shared an interview with our Music Therapist, Nathan and Bara recorded a fascinating ‘Day in the Life’ video for us.

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Connecting with Case Managers

Alongside the topics shared above, we were also really keen to connect with Case Managers who work with children with Severe/Complex Neurological conditions. 

We created an exclusive email series and hosted a webinar to provide insights into how specialised music therapy interventions can support paediatric clients in healthcare, education, and community settings.

We also recorded a unique conversation between a Case Manager and a Neurologic Music Therapist.

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You can check out all the posts mentioned above on our social channels:

• Facebook
• Instagram
• LinkedIn

Plus, make sure you're subscribed to our newsletter as we will be sharing details of our next campaign over there!