Services for Children with a Disability

 

The Childrens Disability Team is jointly commissioned by Dudley Social Services and Dudley Health Authority. The Team consists of community nurses and social workers who work alongside each other, jointly assessing the needs of children with disabilities and their families and carers. They then aim to provide a package of care to meet the assessed needs from the resources available.

 

The Team works with children with severe disabilities (physical, sensory or learning disability); children with a moderate learning disability and additional permanent significant health needs; and with children where there is a life threatening condition.

 

Our policy is one of inclusion, wherever possible, so whilst there are some services available specifically designed to meet the needs of disabled children (these services are provided by the Childrens Disability Resources Team) many services are provided using mainstream provision.

 

If you know of a child whom you feel would meet the teams remit and you would like to make a referral, please phone 01384 815813 and ask for the Duty Officer.

 

The Childrens Disability Register was launched in May 1998 by Dudley Social Services Department, together with Dudley Education Department and Dudley Health Authority.

 

Social Services is legally required (under the Children Act 1989) to keep a record of how many disabled children there are in the Borough who require help and what help they need or may need in the future.

 

The register collates information to enable those who provide the services to plan and ensure that they provide the most appropriate services.

 

We need to know about children who require significantly more personal help and attention than other children of similar age and circumstances for a great deal of the time because they need:

 

We also need to know about children who are already in receipt of the middle or upper rate of Disabled Living Allowance.

 

Parents have to give their consent to their child's details being included on the register. If you would like to see what questions are asked, please use the links below to download a copy of the questionnaire.

Details that are kept on the register include name, address and date of birth, an outline of the child's disability and the personal attention required by the child together with the services used.

 

The information is confidential, accessibly only to the relevant professionals from Social Services, Health and Education. It is used to tell these organisations, or others working for these organisations (such as voluntary organisations providing services), whether or not the right services are being provided. It will also help to identify any gaps in service provision and help the delivery of better services for children and young people. Finally it will be used as a database of addresses to inform parents and carers of any new developments.

 

If you would like more information or assistance with completing the questionnaire please ring 01384 815813 and speak to our Register Co-ordinator or our Register Administrator. Or write to: