What are the opening hours?

Monday 8:30am - 4pm Tuesday 8:30am - 4pm Wednesday 8:30am - 4:30pm Thursday 8am - 4pm Friday 8:30am - 4pm

Craighalbert

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SC008428 The Scottish Centre for Children with Motor Impairments

The Scottish Centre for Children with Motor Impairments, also know as Craighalbert, provides learning, therapy and care for children and families across Scotland affected by motor impairments to achieve their potential and fulfil their ambitions. The Centre’s services include an independent school, nursery services, short term intensive residential programmes, an assessment service, group programmes and individual child and family support. Fundraising is a very important part of the Centre’s income and all funds raised go directly to supporting the Centre’s work with children and families.

04/11/2026

Celebrating Occupational Therapy (OT) Week 2026!

The right assistive technology transforms being 'there' into being 'involved' creating opportunities for children to choose, play, learn and communicate in their own way.

Switch access is about so much more than pressing a button. If a switch isn’t meaningfully connected to an activity, a child may be present without truly participating. When used purposefully, switches open up opportunities for children to take part in play, learning and communication, giving them greater choice and control.

Making this happen takes specialist knowledge, creativity and problem-solving. When suitable commercial solutions aren’t available, our team thinks outside the box, designing bespoke adaptations in-house, including using 3D printing and adapting toys and equipment to meet each child’s individual access needs, we can break down barriers and create meaningful opportunities for participation.

The impact goes well beyond the initial goal. Children build confidence, autonomy, communication and choice, and carry those skills into new activities and environments.

Most importantly, we shift the focus from what children can’t do to what they can do. When children have the right support and opportunities to become active participants, inclusion becomes more than an aspiration, it becomes part of everyday life.

Participation changes everything.

03/11/2026

Our Occupational Therapy Lead, Rhona, recently contributed an article for Rett UK, exploring the use of elbow braces and supports to enable participation in everyday activities.

Drawing on her professional experience, available evidence and careful monitoring, Rhona shares valuable insights into how these supports can help create opportunities for participation.

At Craighalbert, we are proud of our skilled team and their commitment to sharing knowledge, experience and learning beyond the Centre, helping to improve understanding and support for children and families across Scotland and beyond.

A fantastic example of how sharing our expertise can make a difference!

https://lnkd.in/eFeVB5hK

02/11/2026

It's Occupational Therapy (OT) Week 2026!

This week, we are celebrating the vital role Occupational Therapy plays in supporting children and young people at Craighalbert.

Throughout the week, we will be sharing posts highlighting how our OT team helps create opportunities for meaningful participation, independence and inclusion.

Being in the room isn't the same as being part of it.

For children with complex health needs, showing up is often celebrated. But attendance only tells us a child is present. It doesn't tell us whether they are engaged, motivated, supported or connected.

Participation is involvement, choice, autonomy and joy. It's the experience of doing, not just being there.

At Craighalbert, our OT team works to shift the focus from "Can the child be there?" to "Can the child be meaningfully involved?"

That means:
✨ Adapting environments, routines and expectations
✨ Providing equipment and assistive technology for access and communication
✨ Creating real opportunities for choice, even small ones
✨ Coaching families and staff
✨ Building relationships, because participation thrives in connection

Participation isn't an extra. It's the heart of what we do.

01/11/2026

We are actively seeking a highly motivated, enthusiastic and caring nurse to join our team, supporting children and young people aged 3-19 years with complex health, care, communication and learning needs.

In the role of Children’s Complex Needs Nurse, you will play an indispensable role within our highly skilled and committed teams, bringing your enthusiasm to your work every day.

As an integral part of our commitment to fostering a personalised and inclusive environment, we create specialised settings that nurture children's learning, curiosity, well-being, and ongoing health. Your duties will involve delivering high quality, evidenced based nursing care to children with complex needs working collaboratively with education and therapy staff.

For more information on the hob role and how to apply please visit our website.

31/10/2026

Are you ready to take on a challenge for a great cause? Join Team Craighalbert for the Kiltwalk 2027 and help us make a lasting difference to the lives of children and young people across Scotland.

Fundraising is vital to our work. Every pound raised helps us provide specialist therapies, early intervention programmes and opportunities that support children and young people with complex health, care, communication and learning needs to achieve their full potential.

We are offering supporters:
✅ FREE Kiltwalk registration when you commit to raising a minimum of £100 for Craighalbert.
✅ FREE Craighalbert Supporters T-shirt to wear proudly on the day!

With a choice of distances and locations across Scotland, there is a Kiltwalk challenge for everyone. Whether you are walking with friends, family or colleagues, every step you take will help us support children with complex health, care, communication and learning needs.

30/10/2026

We are excited to be celebrating a very special birthday for one of our wonderful pupils!

Wishing you a fantastic day filled with lots of fun!

Happy Birthday from everyone at Craighalbert!

29/10/2026

At Craighalbert, our Music Therapist, Reuben, works closely with children, young people and staff, using music to support communication, emotional wellbeing, confidence and connection.

Through singing, instruments, rhythm and movement, music therapy creates opportunities for children to express themselves, make choices and connect with others in ways that are meaningful to them.

By following each child's lead and responding to their individual sounds, movements and actions, Reuben helps create moments of shared attention, interaction and joy.

We are also developing opportunities for families to take part in music therapy sessions, supporting parents to explore how music can strengthen connections and encourage communication with their child.

At Craighalbert, music is more than an activity. It's another way of giving children a voice.

23/10/2026

22/10/2026

Leah, one of our Physiotherapists, recently represented Craighalbert at the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy National Conference, held at the SEC in Glasgow.

Leah was successful in having her poster presentation selected for the conference, showcasing how Water Space @ Craighalbert promotes parental empowerment and strengthens attachment through water based early intervention play.

The poster attracted lots of interest from fellow physiotherapists, providing a fantastic opportunity to share the positive impact of our Water Space programme and highlight the benefits it offers to children and their families.

It was also a valuable opportunity to connect with physiotherapy professionals from across the country, share knowledge and experiences, and raise awareness of the innovative work taking place at Craighalbert.

We are incredibly proud to see our work recognised and shared on a national platform, helping to shine a spotlight on the importance of early intervention, family empowerment and the positive impact of Water Space.

A huge well done to Leah for representing Craighalbert and helping to share our work with the wider physiotherapy community!

21/10/2026

Heather Gray, our CEO participated in a Fringe Event at the SNP conference, entitled Getting Early Years and Childcare right for Children and their families- Taking Stock ahead of Scotland's ELC expansion hosted by the Family Fund with Siobhan Brown, MSP, Minister for Children, young people and the promise, Salena Begley, MBE Policy and Public Affairs Manager, Family Fund, Lisa Stewart, expert by experience and Carmen Martinez, Policy and Engagement lead, Scottish Women’s Budget Group.

The session heard from each panel member about the significant difficulties children with multiple and complex additional support needs experience in accessing their entitlement of 1140 hours of funded early learning and childcare with the Minister responding to the points made and called for 5 recommendations to be taken forward by Scottish Government.

The key message from Craighalbert is that 70% of parents of children with highly complex needs said they could not access a nursery placement when they asked for it, 79% said that the process of securing nursery provision for their child meant they had to give up work/prevented them from working or required them to reduce their hours.

The Family Fund’s cost of caring 2025 research highlighted the financial and wellbeing pressures facing families raising disabled children on low income in Scotland. Accessing suitable childcare, often seen as a solution to poverty as it can enable parents/carers to maintain paid employment, is not straightforward. For children with complex needs it is often unavailable, unaffordable or unsuitable.

Heather Gray shared the positive news of the Childcare support fund from Scottish Government , designed to improve access to early learning and childcare for children with complex needs, she highlighted the need for consistent core funding to establish support to families. The session collectively called for the following recommendations:
o Improved data collection on the demand for and current availability of appropriately resourced childcare places for disabled children
o Monitor childcare expansion and provide targeted support to ensure that an increased universal offer meets the unique learning and caring needs of disabled children
o Increase affordability, initially providing additional funded houtrs for priority families.
o Put the lived experience of families with disabled children at the heart of local and national childcare policy, from design through to delivery and evaluation.
o Invest in the ELC workforce through fair pay and conditions, specialist training and resources and national best practice support to strengthen provision for disabled children, including those with complex support needs.

Address

1 Craighalbert Way
Cumbernauld
G680LS

Opening Hours

Monday	8:30am - 4pm
Tuesday	8:30am - 4pm
Wednesday	8:30am - 4:30pm
Thursday	8am - 4pm
Friday	8:30am - 4pm

Website

https://www.craighalbert.org.uk/

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