Children's Disability Team, Children's Social Care and the All Age Disability Team  - SEND Local Offer for Coventry

About

All Age Disability Service works alongside people with disabilities of all ages and their carers to support their personal, social care and health outcomes.

The Children's Disability Team within the service provide support to children and young people up to age 18 with a lifelong disability, such as learning disabilities, physical disabilities or an acquired disability. Children's Services are committed to support these children’s rights and help them reach their full potential.

Coventry Children’s Services have a specialist Children’s Disability Team (CDT), which works closely with Adult Social Care to ensure transitions to adulthood are well supported and planned. Children’s Disability Team helps children, young people, their families and other carers. Children’s Disability Team main work is with children who have severe learning and/or physical disabilities, and children within the autistic spectrum. The team also works with children with sensory needs. Disabled children are supported by mainstream and specialist services.

Disabled children can be referred to the Children's Disability Team via the MASH in if they are 0-18. To meet the criteria, the child will need to be diagnosed to have one or more of the following:

  • Permanent and substantial physical disability
  • Significant learning disability
  • a significant sensory impairment
  • a chronic and serious health problem

What can the Children's Disability Team do to help?

The Children's Disability Team work with children, young people and their families to arrange and set up individual care and support packages. These can include personal care in the home, short breaks, practical support, residential services and other respite options. Children's Disability Team social workers are skilled and have expertise in communicating with children who are non-verbal. Creative direct work is planned and supported by other specialist services to ensure that the voice of the child is the centre of planning and decision-making.

How can you access the service?

Request for a service can be made by a professional and/or parent themselves by contacting the MASH.
Email: mash@coventry.gov.uk
Tel: 024 7678 8555

A Social work Team Manager will whether consider an assessment may be required, either a Carer’s Assessment or Children and Families Assessment. These are the steps to this process:

  1. A Child and Family Assessment (C&F) is requested by a professional via a Multi-Agency Referral Form (MARF)
  2. The MARF is sent to the Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH). 
  3. 3. If the Child and Family Assessment (C&F) identifies that the child needs an additional service, then support is offered via a Child In Need Plan. If a child is at risk of significant harm, agencies will assess the level of harm and identify any action needed to protect the child.

In the following situations, the Children’s Disability team will deliver the service:

  • The primary reason for the involvement of social care services is a disability 
  • The impact of the disability on the child or family is severe; and
  • The disability requires a service that is specialist.

In all other cases the area social work team will provide the service.

What is a Carer’s Assessment?

Parent carers who look after a disabled child, and young carers can have an assessment under the Children and Families Act. This assessment can help determine if you are eligible for additional support. An assessment means collecting information about you and your life and talking with you about the difficulties you have and how they affect your wellbeing. This helps us all to understand your situation, what your needs are and how to plan for the future. It is a very important process and should not just be seen as a way to get care and support services; sometimes there other ways to help you and often just having the time to consider your situation can be very helpful for a carer. 

When a child needs support that cannot be delivered by the Early Help offer alone, a Child and Family Assessment is completed by Social Care.

What is a Children and Families Assessment?

A Child and Family (C&F) Assessment addresses the central and most important aspects of the needs of a child / young person, and the capacity of his or her parents or caregivers to respond appropriately to these needs within the wider family and community context. The conclusion of the assessment should provide analysis of the findings leading to a clear understanding of need that will facilitate care planning and inform service provision. C&F Assessments should contain input from other professionals and make use of additional assessment tools such as scales and questionnaires.

If an assessment is required, the child(ren) will be allocated a Social worker within the Children’s Disability Team for this assessment to commence. This assessment establishes what the needs of the child(ren) and family are and how they can be met.