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Disabled children’s team
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About the service
The disabled children’s team is run in partnership with Calderdale Council’s Children and Young People’s service. The team is made up of learning disability nurses, social workers and occupational therapists who provide support, advice and services to children with a disability up to the age of 18.
The team provide a range of support, including:
- Assessment, advice and guidance relating to challenging behaviours
- Support to try different ways of caring for disabled children
- Support to enable young people to develop life skills
- Support to address multiple and complex health needs
- Accessing support in the home or accessing leisure
- Assessment and advice on home adaptations
- Assessment and provision of specialist equipment
- Information about and signposting to other services
Documents and leaflets
Why would someone choose the service?
We are a specialist team who address the diverse range of the needs of disabled children. We are easily accessible, friendly and helpful.
The assessments, interventions, advice and equipment that is needed by children accessing our service is tailored to provide individualised support in the child’s home, school or wherever they are at their best.
Staff you may meet
- Nurses who choose to specialise in the mental health branch of nursing work with GPs, psychiatrists, psychologists, and others, to help care for patients. Increasingly, care is given in the community, with mental health nurses visiting patients and their families at home, in residential centres, in prisons or in specialist clinics or units.
- Occupational therapy is the assessment and treatment of physical and psychiatric conditions using specific, purposeful activity to prevent disability and promote independent function in all aspects of daily life.
- Social workers help, support and protect people who are facing difficulties in their lives. They help people to take positive steps to overcome problems and improve their lives. This could involve assessing and reviewing a service user’s situation, building relationships with service users and their families and agreeing what practical support someone needs.
Why a professional should choose the service
The disabled children’s team is a team made up of a range of highly skilled practitioners that are expertly trained to provide support to children and families. The team also provide consultations and advice to a range of professionals on the assessment and implementation of care plans to meet diverse, multiple and complex needs.
Support offered
The services provided by each professional group are varied. Services are provided on an individual basis or on a group basis which includes, for example, regular workshops on:
- Sleep management
- Anger management
- Sex and relationships
- Parenting courses
Family support is also offered through direct consultations and support. This may also include short breaks. Direct work is undertaken with children and young people, for example around behaviour management, improving health outcomes or teaching skills to increase independence. The support needs of each child and family are unique and referrers are encouraged to speak with the team for an informal discussion to establish what is needed.
Outcomes
We aim to help improve the health of the children accessing our service and help them to live life to their full potential. Our team work closely with children to increase their confidence, leading to a higher level of independence.
We also recognise that it is important to support the families and carers of the children we see and our team offer support, advice and guidance throughout their loved one’s care.
Referrals accepted from:
Carers/family, Consultants, GP staff, GPs, Health visitors, Hospital staff, Local authority staff, Other NHS services, Patients(self-referral), Schools
Referral criteria:
The disabled children’s team provide services to children and young people who have:
- A severe physical disability
- A moderate or severe learning disability which could include a sensory impairment
- A chronic or life-limiting illness where there is an associated learning or severe physical disability
An autistic spectrum condition where there is a diagnosis of moderate or severe learning disability.