Cleft

CLEFT becomes national

Our plans to become a national charity have now been approved by the Charity Commission. Although we are still a small charity, we have big ambitions to help even more children born with cleft lip and palate than ever before. Read more
Nawrin and the C-Arm

This important piece of equipment was supplied by CLEFT and is used to see moving images of the cleft palate. Nawrin is a 13 year old girl who was experiencing speech difficulties and needed the C-Arm to show the cleft team if further surgery was required. Read more
Our mission

CLEFT was established in 2007 with one aim, to help improve the lives of children born with cleft lip and palate, either by funding research into the likely causes of the condition or by helping support teams in lower and middle income countries. Read more

We aim to provide long-term, sustainable ways to bridge the gap in cleft care and knowledge in the UK and overseas

Reflections on research in speech and language therapy

As part of CLEFT's launch to become a CIO, Debbie Sell recorded 'Reflections on research in speech and language therapy'. This is a wonderful opportunity to hear from one the country's most recognised researchers in speech and language therapy share her thoughts on this fascinating subject.

A parent's story

Andrew Steel is father to Alanna (pictured above) who is currently preparing to go off to university. Alanna's childhood has been a happy one but she has undergone many operations to fix her cleft palate. This is their story...

Sulaimania's first multi-disciplinary cleft team

Sulaimania's troubled past means that there are many children and adults with untreated clefts or with clefts that have been operated on inadequately. Click the link above to read further and watch our new film by Paul Whittaker to see what the situation is there and how the team copes.

A podcast on UK cleft provision

David Sainsbury is a Consultant Cleft and Plastic Surgeon in Newcastle-upon-Tyne and a CLEFT trustee and is interviewed by Rachel Lapham, a CLEFT volunteer, who also has a repaired cleft lip and palate. This fascinating podcast gives a really good insight into what cleft provision is like in the UK.

Our impact

1 in 700	children are born with a cleft palate.
£40	the cost of a cleft operation on a baby in a low-income country.
£250	cost to give treatment over a lifetime.

Make a donation

Please select a donation amount (required)

£250

Can cover the lifetime cleft care needed for one child in a lower income country, including operations, speech therapy and dentistry.

£40

Can cover the cost of a cleft lip and palate operation in a low-income country by paying for essential anaesthetic and suture material.

£5

Can pay for 5 dental kits to provide patients and parents in Bangladesh with tools and education to improve dental hygiene.

Other

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Breakthroughs in cleft research

VPI Paper in Cleft Palate Craniofacial Journal

The American Cleft Palate Craniofacial Journal reviewed literature on palate re-repair for the treatment of velopharyngeal insufficiency (VPI) and cited the Sommerlad Protocol and Palate Repair technique of VPI as being very beneficial to patients with an 84% success rate. Read more
The value of research to cleft professionals and patients

Chair of the CLEFT Research Steering Group, Rona Slator, is interviewed here by Tracy Morris on the value of research into cleft lip and palate. Read more
The genetics of cleft lip and palate

Investigations into the genetics of cleft lip and palate to understand more about why cleft lip and palate occurs. Read more
TBX22 Mouse Model

CLEFT has funded research into the investigation of a gene called the TBX22 that regulates important development events during normal palate function, in order to find new treatments. Read more

Our impact

1 in 700

£40

£250

Make a donation

Breakthroughs in cleft research