While intensive physiotherapy is fundamental to the rehabilitation and long-term development of children and young adults affected by neurological disorders, they typically receive one hour of physiotherapy each month and their parents have to find enough money to fund private therapy if they have any chance of sustaining their child’s development. However, the cost of private physiotherapy is beyond the means of many families with disabled children, the majority of whom are already financially restrained.

As the Department of Health states in their National Service Framework for Children, around 55 per cent of families with disabled children have a low income and at the same time, it has been estimated that the annual costs of bringing up a disabled child are three times greater than those for a child who is not disabled. Therefore, many of the children who need intensive physiotherapy the most come from families who are least able to manage additional financial commitments.

Footsteps family grants project helps these families in need by funding a percentage of the cost of the innovative Footsteps therapy programme which provides a combination of mat work and the innovative Spider therapy within a three-week intensive block. The Spider is a unique piece of equipment which originates from Poland and is incorporated into the Footsteps therapy programme to help strengthen muscle tone and improve balance, coordination, and spatial awareness in disabled children.

In 2019, supported by corporate partner RenaissanceRe, the ALMT committed to funding a three-year relationship to fund vital hours of therapy for the young people who attend the Footsteps Centre.