October 2026 - Ei SMART Infant course

The Ei SMART Early Assessment & Early Intervention Course is intensive, evidence-based and highly practical training for physiotherapists, occupational therapists and speech and language therapists working with high-risk infants in neonatal and community settings.

Built around the Ei SMART clinical reasoning framework, the course helps therapists bring together evidence, clinical expertise and parent expertise to understand the whole baby and translate assessment into meaningful, individualised intervention.

40 hours of learning

18 hours online learning + 22 hours intensive face-to-face clinical training

At the heart of the course are three intensive clinical days working with babies and their families at Cerebral Palsy Cymru in Cardiff.

This is an opportunity to move beyond online lectures and case studies and put learning into practice with real babies and families, supported by highly experienced clinicians.

Observe → Understand → Reason → Intervene

Participants learn to recognise what each baby is already doing well, understand where they may benefit from support and use skilled observation, assessment and clinical reasoning to decide what to prioritise and why.

Rather than focusing on a diagnosis or individual area of difficulty, Ei SMART helps therapists understand the baby as a whole and consider how sensory, motor, attention & regulation, communication and relationship needs interact and influence the baby's ability to engage, learn, move, communicate and participate.

See the whole baby.

The Ei SMART framework brings together the baby's interconnected:

S -  Sensory
M -  Motor
A -  Attention & Regulation
R -  Relationships
T -  Together

Therapists learn to integrate these areas rather than considering them in isolation and to use assessment to guide individualised intervention.

Co-production with parents is fundamental to Ei SMART.

Ei SMART itself was co-founded by parents and clinicians, bringing lived experience together with clinical expertise.

The course supports therapists to recognise parents as experts in their baby and bring together:  Parent Expertise + Clinical Expertise + Evidence, agreeing priorities, co-produce meaningful goals and develop intervention that fits the needs and everyday life of the individual baby and family.

What happens in the other 23 hours of baby's life?

A therapy appointment represents only a small part of a baby's life.

Ei SMART helps therapists work with parents to identify developmental opportunities within the interactions, play, movement, positioning, routines and relationships that already make up everyday family life.

The goal isn't to give families more therapy to do. It's to build developmental opportunities into everyday life.

Virtual Introductory Day and tutorial:

Monday 5th October 2026 (full day) 9:00am -5:00pm

Tuesday 6th October 2026 Introductory Day Follow-up tutorial 6:30pm to 7:30pm

Self-study online lectures follow-up tutorials:

Tuesday 3rd November 2026 - Tutorial 1, 6.30pm-7.30pm

Tuesday 24th November 2026 - Tutorial 2, 6.30pm-7.30pm

Tuesday 15th December 2026 - Tutorial 3, 6.30pm-7.30pm

Tuesday 5th January 2027 - Tutorial 4, 6.30pm-7.30pm

Clinical sessions 2027 (In-person attendance):

Monday 1st February 2027 - Wednesday 3rd February 2027, 9:00am to 5:00pm daily

Attendance of all sessions is mandatory.

Part 1 - Online learning: 18 hours

A full online study day followed by self-directed learning through pre-recorded teaching and interactive online tutorials.

Part 2 - Face-to-face clinical training: 22 hours over three days

Three intensive days at Cerebral Palsy Cymru Centre in Cardiff, with a strong emphasis on working with babies and families, clinical reasoning, practical application, workshops, case discussion and treatment planning.

The course is led by Betty Hutchon and Christine Barber and the Ei SMART tutor team, bringing decades of clinical experience working directly with babies, children and families alongside extensive national and international teaching experience.

It is suitable for physiotherapists, occupational therapists and speech and language therapists working with high-risk infants in the NICU and in the community during the first year of life.

Cost: £1,455 per person

For information regarding how you can pay for this course, please email courses@cerebralpalsycymru.org or click the 'enquire now' button. 

For any queries please email courses@cerebralpalsycymru.org

To register your interest for a place on this course, or to make a booking, please click the 'Register now' button or email courses@cerebralpalsycymru.org

100% of surveyed professional trainees reported that the Ei SMART approach would make them a more efficient and effective intervention therapist.

“The hybrid course that we attended online and in Cardiff was transformative to our practice and the service we offer to infants with complex needs.”

Course participant