Children’s Specialist Nursing Team for Children with Additional Health Needs

The Children’s Specialist Nursing Team For children With Additional Health Needs works in close collaboration with families and carers to encourage development, manage behaviour issues and promote good emotional health for children and young people, with learning disabilities and additional health needs, aged 0-19 years.

We work very closely with parents to help them develop a consistent approach to managing their child.

Our aim is to provide a high quality, holistic, needs led service focusing on the behavioural and developmental needs of children and young people with learning disabilities, Autistic Spectrum Conditions and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.

The team works closely with parents and professionals supporting the child to develop a consistent approach.

In order to build the skills and capacity of parents and community health staff to work more effectively with the children, young people and families who use the service, the service will offer training and development opportunities to these groups.


What does the Specialist Nursing Team Provide?

Expertise available to families.

Children, Young People and their families can access expert knowledge in the following aspects:

  • Information on Learning Disability, Autism, ADHD and Emotional health and wellbeing.
  • Functional assessment of behaviour issues
  • In depth assessment of sleep difficulties
  • Advice on behavioural issues based on behaviour modification techniques (B.F. Skinner, Pavlov, Bandura)
  • Promotion of Emotional health and wellbeing
  • Advice on eating and drinking difficulties, of a behavioural nature.
  • Advice on toileting issues
  • Advice on early play and development based on the Portage model.
  • Advice on Relaxation techniques using multi-sensory facilities
  • Support for implementing strategies in the home such as structured timetables, symbols, social stories
  • Individual parenting advice and support based on Webster Stratton parenting programme
  • Management of Autism
  • Management of ADHD

Team members also monitor children and young people with a diagnosis of ADHD who are on medication as per NICE guidance, conduct QB tests, deliver training to parent groups and staff groups and complete ADOS assessments.

The Advanced Nurse Practitioner and the Additional Health Needs panel coordinator also make up part of the team. They will liaise with parents and professionals as appropriate as part of the panel referral, triage, allocation and assessment process.

We may take on the role of Lead Professional in Family Support Meetings and complete Early Help Assessments. We also contribute to continuing care decision assessments.

Who to contact

Telephone
01925 867843
Website
Bridgewater NHS Children’s Specialist Nursing Team for children and young people with additional health needs

Where to go

Address
Child Development Centre
Sandy Lane
Orford
Warrington
Postcode
WA2 9HY

Other details

Availability

Referral required
Yes
Referral details

Referrals are accepted via referral form. They can be accepted from:

  • Paediatricians
  • Hospital Consultants
  • Health Visitors
  • School Nurses
  • Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy and Speech and Language Therapy
  • Social Workers
  • Inclusion Workers
  • General Practitioners
  • Education staff e.g. Nursery, School, SENCO, Educational Psychologist
  • Other Professionals: e.g. Family Support Workers

Re referrals are accepted from parents/carers although additional information may need to be obtained.

Once a referral has been accepted, families are assessed and initial advice offered