This workshop will examine the impact of parental brain injury on children and young people – an often overlooked group who may face heightened stress, loss, and long-term risks to mental health, education and social relationships – and will explore emerging evidence and the need for early intervention.
We will bring together multidisciplinary experts, including from psychology, nursing and social work, and community organisations to discuss challenges and best practices for developing and delivering effective, evidence-based support for affected families.
This workshop aims to provide an up-to-date discussion of the impact of parental brain injury on children and young people and identify emerging best practices to support them.
Globally, acquired brain injury (ABI) is a leading cause of disability, and is the leading cause of death and disability for people aged under 40 in the UK. ABI significantly impacts the injured person but also alters the lives of family members – including children and young people. While the impact of ABI on adult family members is well-recognised, the impact on young people is often overlooked. The focus of services, professionals and non-injured family members is, not unreasonably, on the injured parent. Children and young people are left feeling stressed and worried, lacking information, and grieving the loss of the parent they knew before the injury. Evidence on the longer-term impact on young people is emerging and indicates that they experience higher incidence of mental health difficulties, worse school performance and poorer social relationships than their peers, signalling an urgent need for early intervention.
This workshop brings together experts working across disciplines (psychology, nursing, social work, allied heath), with community organisations supporting families affected by ABI, to discuss how the challenges of developing and delivering evidence-based interventions to support children and young people affected by parental brain injury can be overcome.
KEYNOTE SPEAKERS
Mia Moth Wolffbrandt, Neurorehabilitation Research and Knowledge Centre, Rigshospitalet, Denmark
Kate Dawes, Flinders University, Australia
ORGANISERS
Dr Hannah Frith, University of Surrey
Dr Sara Da Silva Ramos, Brainkind
Deadline for Abstracts: 31st March 2026
Notification of Outcome: 17th April 2026
This one-day workshop which is free to attend will bring together leading researchers, community organisations and experts by experience to explore how best to support children and young people affected when a parent has an acquired brain injury (ABI).
We welcome contributions which showcase current research from academics and early career researchers from diverse disciplinary areas, and practice-based evidence from health & social care professionals and community organisations. We particularly welcome insights from experts by experience (parents and young people affected by parent’s brain injury).
Join us for engaging conversations across three key areas:
To contribute to the emerging dialogue about best practice in supporting children affected by parental brain injury, researchers/practitioners should prepare an abstract of 250 word and submit using the below form.
Experts by experience should contact Hannah Frith in the first instance to discuss how they would most like to contribute.
We have a small amount of funding to support with travel costs for early career researchers, attendees from community organisations, and experts by experience – please contact Hannah Frith to enquire.