Members

Your local branch can put new parents in touch with others and can be a strong voice on issues affecting local cleft services, as well as providing a fun, social atmosphere for all those affected by a cleft lip and/or palate.

A CLAPA Branch is group of individuals who have come together, mostly through personal experience and knowledge of the condition, to provide support and advice to everyone affected by cleft lip and/or palate within their local area.

Local involvement is a very effective way to go about increasing public awareness of CLAPA and of cleft lip and/or palate. A Branch is a great way of co-ordinating local involvement to ensure maximum publicity and fundraising which will help support new parents in your area.

One of the things we know helps parents of babies born with cleft lip or palate is talking to other parents who have had a child and will understand what they might be going through. A Branch can provide a way of putting people in touch with each other.

Having a Branch system could help you with events that you may be planning to hold and also provide a link with Head Office, which can provide Branches with merchandise at a reduced price.

There are many ways in which you could be involved in the local Branch, from fundraising to newsletter writing or from running coffee mornings for new parents, to organising events for teenagers. Perhaps you have specialist skills that you'd like to offer a Branch, or there may be something new you'd like to try your hand at or get more involved in?