Children with Disabilities Team

The team provides specialist services to disabled children and their families. This includes:

  • Assessment to access assessed and complex needs support packages
  • Emotional and practical support
  • Advice and signposting
  • Case management
  • Occupational Therapy including equipment and adaptations
  • Child Protection Services
  • Services to Looked After Disabled Children

What do we do?

 The team offers information, advice, support and practical help to families with children who have a permanent and substantial disability or long-term illness that impacts on their everyday living.

We offer advice on how to access services available for children and young people who have disabilities, such as:

  • one-to-one support at home
  • help to enable a child to attend an after school club or play scheme and residential breaks - families are also able to purchase their own help through the Direct Payments scheme
  • we carry out ‘Children in Need’ assessments
  • we help identify resources
  • we make sure children are safe
  • we work with children and young people who are Looked After
  • we work with the Occupational Therapy Service
  • we will seek to provide help in an emergency if needed

How do we help?

We will assess the needs of you and your child to establish which services you may be eligible for. We will do this by talking to parents and the child or young person. We may, with your permission, also liaise closely with other professionals such as teachers, health visitors and doctors. We work in partnership with parents and this includes assessment of their needs as a carer. We have close links with voluntary agencies involved with disability, such as Full of Life.

Before the young person turns 18, we make sure that we have set up plans to ensure a smooth transition to adult services for young people who need ongoing services. We work with the education service, transition workers in the adult service teams and Connexions workers to help the young person and the family prepare for this.

Who is the service for?

The Children with Disabilities Team (CWDT) provide specialist help for Children and Young People up to the age of 18 years with a disability who are substantially and adversely affected in their ability to carry our normal day to day activities by a physical or mental impairments

Referrals

Referrals can be made directly by the family or by professionals involved with the family.

Referrals from families can be made by phone, or email.

Referrals by professionals are made by phone or by completing a Common Assessment Framework Assessment.

Assessment

A social worker, social care worker or Occupational Therapist (OT) will contact the family and arrange a time to make an initial assessment. 

Making contact

You can contact the Children with Disabilities Team directly. Referrals to the team can be made by young people, parents, carers and professionals. The initial way to contact us is through our duty social worker who is available on 0207 598 4921 (9am to 5pm). If you cannot visit the team because of your personal circumstances, you can be seen at home or at another suitable venue.

Occupational Therapists in Children with Disabilities Team (CWDT)

The Occupational Therapists for CWDT provide support through functional assessment and prescription of equipment, advice and adaptation to buildings to promote independence and assist parents/carers in the management and handling of children with disabilities. Occupational Therapiests also assess safety issues when beyond normal parental responsibility. Equipment or Adaptations are only provided, where there is a permanent and substantial disability.

Equipment provided: seating, bathing/showering, toileting, feeding and drinking, hoists/manual handling equipment

Adaptations include minor or major works based specifically on child assessed level of disability and London Borough Criteria Guidance.