Competing interests: We declared the following interests based on NICE’s policy on conflicts of interests (www.nice.org.uk/Media/Default/About/Who-we-are/Policies-and-procedures/declaration-of-interests-policy.pdf). PE: provides medico-legal reports (which may include giving an opinion on life expectancy with children with cerebral palsy); trustee of Castang Foundation, a charity that supports research and management of cerebral palsy; has published a paper on long term and social impact of hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy; and completed an unpaid interview with an American pharmaceutical company about improvements in outcomes for 0-6 year olds. CF: was the chair for the NICE clinical guideline “Cerebral palsy in under 25s: assessment and management”; trustee of Whizz Kidz, a charity that funds powered mobility aids for children.