Hi everybody! I’m here from a charity called the Cleft Lip and Palate Association and I’d like to talk to you about little boys and girls just like you who were born with something called a cleft lip and/or cleft palate.

Can you say… cleft lip palate Get the children to say the words ‘cleft’ and ‘palate’ so that they become a little more familiar with them

What is Cleft lip & palate? ‘Cleft’ means ‘split’ A ‘cleft lip’ is a split in the upper lip. A ‘cleft palate’ is a split in the roof of the mouth. Get the children to say the words ‘cleft’ and ‘palate’ so that they become a little more familiar with them A baby’s cleft happens when the baby growing in their mummy’s tummy. Get the children to push their tongues on the roof of their mouth – this is their palate Explain that a baby can be born both a cleft lip AND palate. There is clear explanation why Clefts occur and clefts cannot be prevented. Talk about how scary it is when a baby is born and they aren’t able to feed properly. Most babies with a cleft palate can’t form a ‘vacuum’ with their mouths, so they can’t suck from a bottle. It’s like trying to use a straw that’s full of holes. CLAPA’s main service as a charity is providing special bottles that parents can squeeze, and special teats that are shaped for a baby’s cleft. The baby looks very different and

How would this make you feel? Will the baby be okay? They will need an operation when they are very young When they are older, they may have to have more operations to help them. How would this make you feel? What ages? Want to try and make this more age specific to the children, so I don’t want to talk too much about adults with cleft Both parents and children have to be very brave at this time, because having surgery is a scary thing! Depending on the way a baby’s face and palate grows after their first repair surgery (or surgeries), they may need to have more operations to make sure everything is still working the way it should. Hearing problems can be helped with hearing aids and grommets Speech problems can be helped with speech therapy Dentists can help teeth grow properly with operations More operations maybe required between 8 and 10 years and in teenage years to fix problems with face and teeth. As the children how old they are – how would they feel if they’d had to have an operation when they were small? OR if their brother sister had had an operation

After the baby’s operation… Explain that the child may grow up to have a scar, and as well as their mouth, their nose may also look different. It’s not just about the way the child looks The baby will grow up and may have… Speech problems Hearing problems Look different Loss of confidence Bullying Repeated hospital visits Loss of schooling Learning difficulties What about their parents? Devastation Constant worry Feeling lost Confused with terminology No direction Isolation

How would YOU feel if the children in your class stared at you because you looked different?

Who are ‘CLAPA’? The Cleft Lip and Palate Association is a charity that helps cleft affected adults, children, their families and health professionals work together to help create improved lives for the cleft community. CLAPA aims to have a society where having a cleft lip and/or palate is no barrier to achieving your desires and ambitions” We believe that everyone affected by cleft lip and palate should get the best possible information, care and support throughout their lives.

CLAPA’s work is vital Family support Free weekend camps for kids Services for children & young people Adult support & advice Feeding equipment and info Working with schools Training volunteers

How can YOU help us?

Lots of ideas Cake Sales Sponsored stay awake! Ssssssh……. Sponsored silence Sponsored walk School Quiz Recyled money bottles! Trashion show! Spellathon! But what ever you do have fun and raise awareness! I’d like to fill this slide with lots of photos from school fundraising – not had ca

Thank You!