Children's Social Care

Report abuse of children and young people

Children with Disabilities Team (CWD)

Disabled children have the same rights as other children. We want to make Sure that they grow up with the right support, so that they have the same opportunities as other children to lead fulfilling lives.

Overview

The Children with Disabilities (CwD) Social Work Team provides services designed to meet the needs of disabled children and young people who have impairments or medical conditions which have a significant impact on their day to day mean that without the provision of support and services they would not be able to thrive, play, grow learn or contribute to their local community on an equal level to non-disabled children and young people or a similar age or development stage.

We support disabled children and young people from the ages of 0-18 years. We have a system to enable us to decide which children/young people and families should receive our services. It is based on a careful assessment of need that helps social work staff to reach decisions about what services are to be provided. It is important that decisions about who will get services are made in a fair and open way.

The CwD Social Work Team is one of a range of provisions that can provide Support disabled children/young people and their families. Other services available are those provided by Health, Education, Play and Youth Services as well as community resources in the local area.

Referral

Appropriate referrals include:

  • Children/young people who have a serve learning impairment/disability.
  • Children/young people with multiple or severe impairment or disability.
  • Children/young people with an impairment or disability which  severe communication disability;
  • Children/young people with global development delay;
  • Children/young people with severe sensory impairment;
  • Children/young people with significant physical impairment/disability.

 

Autism – Autism Spectrum Condition (ASC)

Children/young people with a diagnosis of core Autism will receive a Statutory Assessment and may receive further services if the child/young person is assessed as having significant learning disability or impairments which have a substantial impact on communication.

  

ADHD

CwD team are not able to provide services to children/young people with a diagnosis of ADHD. Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services can offer information and advice in respect of this and you may also be able to find other support and services  here on Ask Ollie.

Assessment

Appropriate referrals for a specialist service for children/young people with disabilities will be responded to by a member of the CwD Social Work Team completing an Statutory Assessment, in partnership with the family. The assessment process aims to make clear the nature of the disability, how it impacts on the child/young person’s life as well as identifying strengths and needs of the family. It also aims to find out what may need to change, recognize, that all families and children/young people are different. 

The assessment may be used (with your consent) as part of a further multi-agency assessment, which will help agencies to work together to provide services to disabled children/young people and their families. 

Levels of Need

  • High;
  • Moderate;
  • Low.

Each level of need carries with it a different level of service.

  • High level of need applies to a child/young person who has complex high care needs, requiring the input of specialist services for support;
  • Moderate level of need applies to a child/young person who would not achieve a reasonable standard of health and welfare due to a significant disability, without specialist services;
  • Low level of need applies to a child/young person with disabilities where need can be met by universal services, i.e. Sure Start and other mainstream services.

Contact

Duty and Assessment Team: 01925 44 34 00

Out of hours referrals: 01925 44 44 00

Email: childreferral@warrington.gov.uk