Support for children is given from birth to 18yrs within Education and Social Work when necessary. Transition into Health and Social Care Partnership begins from 14+ years onwards, when there are identified needs.
Children can receive support in Nursery, Primary and Secondary School from trained staff who are aware of strategies to support behaviourally pre and post diagnosis. Signposting to services can happen throughout this process to guide families. The Named Person Service is in place to support children who are ‘in need’ of co-ordination and care planning. The Health Visitor co-ordinates pre-school and then Head Teacher in school. This is embedded in the Getting it Right for Every Child, introduced by the Scottish Government. A Child’s Plan will be created stating which agency will be supporting the family to meet the child’s needs.
The Dundee Carers Centre provide advice and guidance regarding possible supports for parents. The Voluntary Sector provides critical support to parents such as Parent to Parent and One Parent Families Scotland.
Families should raise their concerns regarding the child’s difficulties to the Head Teacher and request a Team around the Child meeting (TATC) if there are one or more services involved with the care of their child. The meeting is a planning forum to recognise where the needs of the child are, and if there are gaps in support for the child.
The Teachers/Support staff can refer children for extra support within their Education services or to FORT (Fast Online Referral Tracking). Consent is given from the parents before the referral is made.
Support/Activity Groups are highlighted to families by Teaching or Support Staff with no or little charge which children can engage in sports, play and activities outside of school to give them social connections and parents support/short break.
Should the supports in the community not bring the help required when regularly attending a request can be made by staff to have a Section 23 Assessment of the Children (Scotland) Act 1995. “The Local Authority has a duty to carry out an assessment of the child or any other person in his or her family in order to ascertain the child’s needs in so far as they are attributable to his or her disability or that of the other person if asked to do so by the child’s parent or guardian.” This is a Social Work Assessment completed to assess the needs of the child and family affected by disability. This can take up to 12 weeks to complete if required.
Once the assessment is completed the recommendation is taken to a Resource Management Group RMG where a Multi-Agency Panel decides if the child should have support hours in the community. The family then decide if they would like Option 1-4 of Self-Directed Support to use the hours allocated if agreed by the Group.
This allocation is reviewed as a minimum annually at School at a TATC meeting or by a Social Worker.
