The awarded funding will support the infrastructure needed to establish a legacy platform dedicated to CP: “CP-Adapt”. This co-ordinated international platform, CP Global Clinical Trials Network, will lead to more trials for people with CP, deliver answers sooner, accelerate translation of findings into clinical practice and power the scale up of effective interventions.
The first trial, to be run through the Network, will be led by CPA researchers Professor Iona Novak, Professor Nadia Badawi, Associate Professor Cathy Morgan, Adjunct Associate Professor Maria McNamara and Dr Annabel Webb, alongside University of Sydney collaborators and people from the Network lived experience group, CP-Partners.
CARE-CP (Caregiver Attachment and Responsiveness in Early Cerebral Palsy), the first trial, will evaluate four online programs designed to support the mental health and wellbeing of caregivers and infants following an early CP diagnosis. By focusing on the caregiver–infant relationship during the critical early months of life, the trial aims to improve outcomes for both children and families. CARE-CP is expected to involve 480 families worldwide and has the potential to influence future models of care and health policy.
This project will be operationalised by the CP Global Clinical Trials Network, leveraging our existing global trials infrastructure built with our partners, CPA and the Elsass Foundation.
Professor Iona Novak said, “Decades of research demonstrate that parental engagement improves caregiver self-efficacy and child developmental outcomes, yet current early intervention models do not routinely incorporate the caregiver–infant connection. The shift to earlier diagnosis creates a critical window for preventative intervention. CARE-CP will address caregiver mental health as a key determinant of child outcomes.”
CARE-CP is the first trial to be delivered through the CP Global Clinical Trials Network, positioning CPA at the forefront of international collaboration to improve the lives of people with cerebral palsy and their families.
