Eligibility for assessment
In Devon, a disabled child or young person is eligible for an assessment if:
- they are aged 0 – 18 years
- they live in Devon
and their daily life is substantially affected by (one or more of the following):
- a hearing impairment
- a visual impairment
- a learning disability
- a physical disability
- a chronic or life-limiting physical illness
- a significant communication disorder (including autism, which substantially and adversely affects their ability to take part in normal day-to-day activities)
Parents, carers or any professional involved with the family, as well as the disabled young person themselves (providing they are over 16 years of age), can ask for an assessment if they feel that the above criteria apply.
If you do have an assessment it might show that you don’t need support from our DCS and by working together we may identify that your child’s support needs can be met by universal services or early help through coordinated family and community networks.
If this is the case, we will aim to provide advice and guidance to signpost you to the most appropriate services.
Request an assessment
Children being referred into the Disabled Children’s Service (DCS) should generally already have an established Early Help Assessment and Plan. If the child’s needs can’t be met at this level then it would be appropriate to consider a referral to the Children’s Social Care.
If you think your child is eligible for an assessment by the Disabled Children’s Service, you or a professional who knows your child (such as a teacher or someone at your child’s nursery, a health visitor, your GP or a support worker) can contact our Pre-referral and Assessment Consultation (PAC) Line on 01392 385276 (option 1) to discuss.
Following this conversation, and to make a referral, you or a professional who knows your child well should complete the Request for Services form and return it either:
- by email to TSDFT.DevonSPA@nhs.net
- or by post to:
Children and Family Health Devon
Single Point of Access Team
1a Capital Court
Bittern Road
Sowton Industrial Estate
Exeter
EX2 7FW
If you need help completing the form or would like to discuss anything, please telephone the Single Point of Access (SPA) Team on 0330 0245 321 (8.00 am to 5.00 pm Monday to Friday).
Once your referral form is received, the SPA Team will talk to other professionals who know your child to gather information to support your referral. This process should take no more than 48 hours.
A qualified social work manager will review the information provided on the form to understand the needs that your child and family have. They will decide whether an assessment by our Disabled Children’s Service is required or will signpost you to other available services.
Disabled Children’s Service referrals
Thinking about making a referral to the Disabled Children’s Service? Please contact our Pre-referral and Assessment Consultation (PAC) Line on 01392 385276 and select option 1.
We support parents, carers and any professional involved with the family as well as the disabled young person themselves (providing they are over 16 years of age). You can ask for a pre-referral and assessment conversation, discuss the outcome of an assessment, or talk with us about options and what is accessible in your community.
The assessment process
If your child meets the eligibility criteria for an assessment, this will be completed by a social worker or community care worker depending how we consider your needs can best be met.
During the assessment, we will contact you, (as parent carers) other professionals and, wherever possible and appropriate, your child to gather as much information as possible to help us understand your child’s needs and whether our Disabled Children’s Service is able to offer support.
When we look at what support your child needs as a part of the assessment, we also consider the impact on the rest of the family. An assessment is broken down into three parts:
- Strengths and needs of your disabled child or young person.
- Your strengths and needs as their parent or carer(s).
- Strengths and needs of your wider family, including your disabled child or young person’s siblings.
Your child’s allocated worker will use the information gathered during your assessment to determine the most appropriate services to support your family.
There are three possible outcomes following the assessment:
- You and your child’s needs can be met by universal services or early help and you are not eligible for support from the Disabled Children’s Service.
- You and your child are eligible for targeted support (including short breaks) from our DCS alongside universal services or early help. In some cases this may be long-term support. However, in many cases this is short or medium-term support.
- You and your child are eligible for specialist support from Children’s Social Care including the Disabled Children’s Service