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In summary
World Cerebral Palsy Day is an opportunity to recognise the experiences of people living with cerebral palsy and the families who support them. While cerebral palsy can arise for many reasons, some families are left with questions about the care provided before, during, or shortly after birth. Understanding what happened can be an important step towards securing the resources, care, and support a child may need throughout their life.
If you have concerns about the circumstances surrounding your child's diagnosis, getting legal advice can help you better understand your options and make informed decisions about the future.
Each year on the first Wednesday of October, people around the world come together to mark World Cerebral Palsy Day, raising awareness of cerebral palsy (CP).
For many Australian families, cerebral palsy is part of everyday life. It can shape how a child learns, moves, and interacts with the world around them, while also creating ongoing challenges for parents and carers navigating healthcare, therapies, and support services.
We’ve stood alongside Australian families for more than 100 years. On World Cerebral Palsy Day, we recognise the strength and resilience of people living with CP, and reaffirm our commitment to helping families access the support they need.
What is cerebral palsy?
Cerebral palsy is the most common physical disability in childhood. It’s a lifelong condition that affects movement, muscle control, coordination, and posture.
Some people with CP may experience relatively minor impacts on their mobility and daily activities. Others may require ongoing care, specialised equipment, and support throughout their lives. Some people living with CP may also have intellectual disabilities, communication difficulties, epilepsy or vision, and hearing impairments.
Cerebral palsy is caused by abnormal brain development or damage to the developing brain, most often before birth, during labour and delivery, or in the early years of life.
In Australia, around one in 700 babies is diagnosed with cerebral palsy, meaning thousands of Australian families are affected by the condition.
The risk factors of cerebral palsy
Cerebral palsy develops when the areas of a child's brain responsible for movement, balance, and coordination are damaged or do not develop as expected.
While risk factors do not necessarily cause cerebral palsy, they can increase the likelihood of a child developing the condition. These risk factors may include:
- congenital conditions
- restricted growth during pregnancy
- premature birth
- low birth weight
- low blood sugar after birth
- jaundice around the time of birth
- infections during pregnancy or shortly after birth
- oxygen deprivation before, during, or after delivery
In some circumstances, appropriate medical care can reduce or manage certain risks. When warning signs are missed, treatment is delayed, or complications are not managed appropriately, a baby's developing brain can be exposed to preventable injury.
For some families, this can raise difficult questions about whether different medical care may have prevented or reduced the extent of their child's injury.
When families need answers and support
Not every case of cerebral palsy is preventable. However, there are circumstances where failures in medical care during pregnancy, labour, delivery, or shortly after birth may contribute to brain injuries that result in cerebral palsy.
Behind every cerebral palsy diagnosis is a unique family story. We've supported families like Amber's, who lives with spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy after suffering a severe brain injury caused by oxygen deprivation around the time of her birth. Despite significant challenges affecting her mobility, communication, and independence, Amber continues to engage with her family and community in her own way, with remarkable resilience.
Amber's family sought legal advice after concerns were raised about the management of her mother's labour and delivery. Their story highlights the importance of seeking answers when families have concerns that different care may have led to a different outcome.
Our medical negligence team has supported families across Australia to investigate concerns about the care they received and pursue compensation where appropriate. Where negligent medical care has contributed to a child's injury, compensation may help cover the significant costs of future care, therapy, equipment, housing modifications, education, and support services.
Families affected by cerebral palsy often rely on a network of carers, therapists, advocates, and community organisations. Accessing this support is not always easy, particularly for families in regional and rural areas. During Amber's childhood in rural Queensland, her family experienced first-hand the challenges of finding and accessing the services she needed. In recognition of the important role these services play, Maurice Blackburn made a $5,000 donation on Amber's behalf to Choice, Passion, Life, a Queensland disability support organisation.
We're here to help
On World Cerebral Palsy Day, we're reminded that families often need both answers and support. Whether that's accessing services, building community connections, or understanding their legal options, the right support can make a meaningful difference.
If your child has been diagnosed with cerebral palsy and you have concerns about the medical care provided during pregnancy, labour, birth, or the period shortly after, we're here to listen.
Every family's circumstances are different. Our medical negligence lawyers can help you understand your legal options and whether further investigation may be appropriate.
Contact us for confidential legal advice and support.
Speak to a medical negligence lawyer
We've successfully represented hundreds of patients and their families in complex and sensitive cases.
We can help with medical negligence claims
Our team of expert medical negligence lawyers are here to help you understand your legal options and to achieve the best possible outcome for you. Our No Win, No Fee policy means that if we don't win, you don't have to pay our legal fees.
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