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Systems Generated Trauma: Families blocked from seeing their disabled loved ones

16 February 2026

The relatives of severely learning disabled people living in care have told ITV News they are being restricted or banned from visiting them after complaining about negligent care.

Systems Generated Trauma: Families blocked from seeing their disabled loved ones

16 February 2026

The relatives of severely learning disabled people living in care have told ITV News they are being restricted or banned from visiting them after complaining about negligent care.

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ITV News has today released a story highlighting the very real and devastating affect Systems Generated Trauma has on families. Read the full article here.

Cerebra CEO, Jess Camburn-Rahmani, says:

“There is nothing more terrifying for a parent than being unable to protect their child. The stories highlighted by ITV News are shocking — but at Cerebra, they are heartbreakingly familiar.

What Rita and her son have endured is not an isolated tragedy, it is the predictable outcome of a system that is failing thousands of disabled children and their families across the UK.

Our recently published research (https://cerebra.org.uk/systems-generated-trauma/) gathers devastating testimony from more than 1,200 parents and carers, documenting harmful practices across health, social care and education. These practices are causing profound and lasting trauma to the very children and vulnerable adults our public services are legally mandated to protect.

This is not a fringe issue. It is not rare. It is happening every day, in every community — if only we choose to see it. At Cerebra, we call this Systems Generated Trauma (SGT).

We are calling for the urgent recognition of SGT across all public services. Only when we name it, acknowledge the scale of failure, and confront its causes can we begin to restore empathy, humanity and trust to the systems families rely on.”

If you and your family have experienced harm while trying to get help from public services and you’d like to support our campaign, we’d love to hear from you. Please complete our form or email [email protected].

Help us end Systems Generated Trauma

Asking for help should never cause harm—it’s time to put a stop to Systems Generated Trauma.

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1 thought on “Systems Generated Trauma: Families blocked from seeing their disabled loved ones”

  1. Louise Robertson

    Good morning.
    We are at this moment having a battle with our daughters SEN school. They failed to keep her safe and meet her complex needs.
    Our daughter suffered a brain injury at 7wks old and has as a result been left with quadriplegic Cerebral Palsy and other complex disabilities.
    She has not be into school since 21st January and we have no help at home. It has been extremely stressful and is affecting my health.

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