Details social services programs available to disabled children and their parents in the UK.

PLEASE BE AWARE THAT THE INFORMATION BELOW IS GENERAL AND PERTAINS TO THE UK. IT MUST BE REMEMBERED THAT ADD/ADHD IS NOT ALWAYS OFFICIALLY RECOGNISED AS A DISABLITY.

Many children have special needs and disabilities, and some are more severely affected than others. Many disabled children and their parents will need practical support at home. This factsheet explains your right to get the support you need.

Social Services Departments of Local Authorities are responsible for arranging support for children and their carers. You have a right to have your child's and family's needs assessed by Social Services.

Duties of Social Services to disabled children and their families

Duties include:

• providing a social worker service  
  
• maintaining a register of disabled children
• providing information about services which may be available
• assessing the needs of disabled children and their carers
• providing a range of services to meet these needs Social Services Departments have a general duty under Section 17 (10) of the Children Act 1989, to safeguard and promote the interests of children in need. The law recognises disabled children as being in need.

A child in need is entitled to an assessment from the Social Services Department. This assessment will set out the services that are considered necessary. An assessment is important because it can lead to a number of services being provided such as practical help in the home and respite care/short term breaks.

Assessments

How do I request an Assessment of my child's needs?

Many Social Services Departments have Children with Disabilities Teams. You should find the number in the telephone Directory under the name of your local authority or Social Services or ring our freephone helpline 0808 808 3555 for information. Alternatively, you can ask your GP, Health Visitor, Community Nurse or Paediatrician to contact Social Services on your behalf. It is usually a good idea to put your request for an assessment in writing and to keep a copy of your letter. The request does not need to be detailed but at the least should include:

• Your name and address
• Details of who is in your household, including any other children.
• A brief description of your child's disability
• What kind of extra help your child needs
• Whether you need help urgently

What if an Assessment has been carried out in the past?

When services are already being provided the assessment should be reviewed regularly. However, if your circumstances have changed, you can ask for a re-assessment or review in the same way as above.

What if Social Services refuse to carry out an Assessment?

If your child is disabled and in need of services, you cannot legally be refused an assessment. Also, if you need help urgently, you can ask for services to be put in place straight away without waiting for the outcome of an assessment.

What is a Social Services Assessment?

An initial assessment may be carried out to help social services determine whether or not a core assessment (an in-depth assessment) should be carried out. Timescales given to Social workers indicate that the initial assessment should be completed within a maximum of seven working days and the core assessment should not take longer than 35 working days.

Beforehand, you should be told how the assessment will be carried out and be given information about what services are available, not just those which are provided by Social Services Departments (for example, a local play scheme).

It is very important to remember that your child should not be assessed for specific services which are already being provided. Instead the assessment should identify all of your child's needs regardless of whether or not services exist to meet them.

Social Services should assess your child in an open way and the assessment should focus on the circumstances of both your child and the rest of the family. As well as your child's disability and health needs, Social Services should also consider other aspects of your child's life, for example, educational needs and religious or cultural needs.