Gloucestershire Learning Disability Services

If you think your child may have a Learning Disability it is best to discuss your concerns with your Health Visitor (for pre-school children) or GP in the first instance. The Health Visitor can assess your child’s development against what is expected for a child of their age.  The Health Visitor or GP may refer your child on to a paediatrician to undertake a more in-depth assessment of their s needs. If you have reports from your child’s school on their educational progress this can a help professionals in assessing this.

You could use a screening tool Learning Disability Form - Learning Disability Matters Learning Disability Matters, which may help you to decide whether a Learning Disability assessment would be appropriate for your child. Please note: the use of a screening tool does not provide an accurate diagnosis.

If you child is in school and is struggling please discuss this with their class teacher and the school’s SENCO (Special Education Needs Co-Ordinator), they will be able to assess your child’s needs and put a plan in place to support them via the Graduated Pathway (My Child has additional needs, what does this mean and what can I do? | Glosfamilies Directory).  Your child will not need a diagnosis of a learning disability for support to be put in place.

There are many services that may be able to support you and meet your child's needs.  You do not need to wait for a diagnosis to ask for support.

The Family Information Service

The Family Information Service (FIS) provides a wide range of advice on things like family support, education, childcare and activities. They have a directory website for local services www.glosfamiliesdirectory.org.uk on which you will find both local and national support agency information. If you can’t find what you’re looking for on the GlosFamilies Directory website, you can call the Family Information Service on 01452 427 362 or email familyinfo@gloucestershire.gov.uk and the friendly team can offer information and guidance and can signpost you to people who can help.

They can also provide information on:

• Family support and general family advice – where to find support with behaviour, routines, counselling, mentoring, relationships, addictions and anything else a family might need support with.

• Childcare – advice on the types of childcare funding available, how to find childcare near you, and apply for childcare funding.

• The Key Disability Register-provides families and children with additional needs with a newsletter three times a year, advising of any support and financial help families might be entitled to and also entitles the child with a disability to a free swimming pass to attend their local leisure centre.

• Activities – things to do with babies and toddlers, clubs and groups for children and young people, fun days, school holiday activities and events.

• Parenting Courses – please visit Course Bookings | Glosfamilies Directory to search for available dates and locations and call the Family Information Service to book or find out more information on the Triple P parenting programme Triple P Parenting Courses | Glosfamilies Directory

Gloucestershire Parent Carer Forum.

The Gloucestershire Parent Carer Forum is a Parent Carer led organisation which brings together families of disabled children.  The Forum offers opportunities for families to meet (online and in person) for social and peer to peer support whilst gathering their feedback on services.  The Forum can also signpost you to local support groups and activities for your child. Membership is free for any family in Gloucestershire with a disabled child including those with a diagnosis of autism or whose child is experiencing issues which may be due to a neurodevelopmental condition. www.glosparentcarerforum.org.uk

Inclusion Gloucestershire

Inclusion Gloucestershire is run by people with disabilities, to help people with disabilities. The service is there to provide support and advocacy to individuals and families. Inclusion Gloucestershire works very closely with Gloucestershire County Council and also provides quality checking on care providers and training courses for individuals and services, to ensure Gloucestershire is a disability friendly county.

You’re Welcome

You’re Welcome is an inclusive online directory and forum. It's the place to find social events, clubs, groups or places to visit.  You can also get ideas on how to find support to access the things you want to do.

Changing Places

People may be limited in their own mobility so need equipment to help them to either get on the toilet or to have their continence pad changed.  The Changing Places Toilets  website helps you to find accessible toilets.

SENDIASS

SENDIASS Gloucestershire provides free, confidential, impartial advice and support on matters relating to children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). The service is offered to parents and carers of children and young people aged between 0 and 25 years old.

The SENDIASS advisors can:

• Provide information and advice on matters such as support, starting or changing schools, attendance, bullying, home to school transport, exclusions

• Help to explain reports written by professionals

• Explain the Education, Health and Care Needs Assessment process

SENDIASS are open Monday to Friday 9.00am – 5.00pm. SENDIASS has a freephone telephone helpline 0800 158 3603 which is available Monday to Friday 9.00 am – 5.00 pm all year round. Callers who are using a mobile phone can dial 01452 427566 or 01452 427567 as an alternative. www.sendiassglos.org.uk

Gloucestershire Early Help Early Help and Targeted Support - Gloucestershire County Council

Early Help is about getting timely and effective support to children, young people and their families who need it, and also focuses on how families can be supported to do things for themselves and build on their strengths. The service offers a range of advice, guidance and support directly to the families or other practitioners who are supporting them, alongside a range of targeted services where more help is needed.  If direct family support support is needed contact the Children and Families Front Door by calling 01452 42 65 65 or email  childrenshelpdesk@gloucestershire.gov.uk

Gloucestershire County Council – Social Care Support

If you contact Gloucestershire County Council for support professionals at the Children and Families Front Door will speak to you to understand the severity and complexity of your situation.  You will then be allocated either to the Early Help Service (Level 3 – Targeted Intervention) or if there are complex disability issues or safeguarding concerns to the Social Work Assessment Team (Level 4 Specialist Support).  The Social Work Assessment Teams work with a wide range of children including those with disabilities. 

Once you have been allocated to Early Help or the Social Work Assessment Team your family will have an assessment.  An 'assessment' is when a professional talk with you about your child's and family’s strengths and supports, and any concerns you have, or gaps in your support.  All disabled children are entitled to an assessment of their social care needs, leading to a support plan to meet any assessed needs. Any agreed need for short breaks or Personal Assistant (PA) time will be included in your assessment and plan. It should be noted that two children with the same disability may require different services as it also depends on their environmental and family circumstances.

When an assessment has been completed for a child with additional needs those with complex and severe disabilities, complex health issues or severe learning disabilities will be transferred to the Disabled Children and Young People’s Service (DCYPS) within Gloucestershire County Council.  Those children who have additional needs but are functioning at a higher level are supported within the locality teams outside of DCYPS.  The Social Workers in these teams have the skills to be able to respond best to these families and can offer them the right support.  Support from all of our services is intended to enable disabled children to have the same range of opportunities as non-disabled children, and with their families to be able to experience the 'ordinary' things of life that others take for granted.

If you want to ask for an assessment, contact the Children’s Single Point of Access (C-SPA)

• Telephone: 01452 426565
• Email: childrenshelpdesk@gloucestershire.gov.uk

The Children’s Single Point of Access is open between 9am and 5pm Monday to Friday.

Training courses

Gloucestershire’s Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service’s Learning Disabilities Team (CAMHS LD) and Parenting Team offer a range of courses including positive behaviour management (PBS) and Sorry and Joy, a course to help parents to come to terms with their child’s disability diagnosis.

For more details on what courses are provided and how to access them visit Gloucestershire e-Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust’s website.

For information on the Parenting programmes, training and workshops run across the county, you can also search and book on to parenting courses on the Glosfamilies Directory website here.

Children with Learning Disabilities are supported by the mainstream health services Health services - Gloucestershire County Council. 

Learning Disability Hospital Liaison Nurses

If an adult or child with a learning disability, is due to have hospital treatment at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital or Cheltenham General Hospital and may need advice and support they can contact the Learning Disabilities Hospital Liaison Nurses. Learning Disabilities Hospital Liaison nurse team GHPI1179 (gloshospitals.nhs.uk)

GP Learning Disabilities Register

The GP surgeries hold an all-age Learning Disability Register. If you are on the GP’s Learning Disability Register you should be offered extra support when visiting your doctor, this is sometimes called reasonable adjustments.  Reasonable adjustments could be extra time at appointments, appointments at the beginning or end of the day when it is quieter or easy read information.  This information can be shared with other health professionals so they can understand how best to support you if you ever need to access health services.

To join the Learning Disabilities Register you should go to your doctor’s surgery and ask the receptionist if you are on the learning disability register. If you are not on the register, you will need to make an appointment with your doctor to tell them that you have a learning disability and ask them to add you to their register.

People on the Learning Disabilities register may be offered additional services such as Covid vaccinations.

Annual Health Checks

If you are on the Learning Disabilities register and you are over 14 and have:

• a moderate or severe learning disability
• profound learning disabilities
• a mild learning disability and possibly other health needs

GPs will contact all of the people on their Learning Disabilities Register to invite them for their annual health check. Annual health checks are designed to promote the early detection and treatment of physical and mental health problems, which can lead to better health outcomes. Health checks are effective in identifying previously unrecognised health needs, including life‐threatening conditions.

Annual Health Checks are also an opportunity for the young person and the GP to get to know each other. When a young person transitions into adult services the GP may become the main professional supporting their care so this early contact is invaluable.

You can find out more about accessing your annual health check and what it’s about here: https://superchargedme.uk/

Mencap provides information, advice on support for people with learning disabilities and their families this includes more information on reasonable adjustments and Annual Health Checks.

 Further details on what to expect at an annual health check can be found within the document HERE

Specialist Health Support

Children with Learning Disabilities may be able to access the Learning Disability Team within the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS), this is for children with moderate to severe learning disabilities who attend special schools and are expressing their emotions through behaviour.   They provide assessment, intervention and support with:

• behavioural difficulties
• sleep problems
• mental health
• risk management
• puberty and sexuality issues
• epilepsy awareness and monitoring
• medication
• health promotion

They also offer specialist parenting programmes.  Referral in to the Learning Disability Team is via a Health Professional. 

For people with learning disabilities in crisis there is the Learning Disabilities Intensive Support Service.  Referral in to this service is via other teams, for children this will usually be the Learning Disability Team in CAMHS.

Health Passport

A health passport can be used to make services aware of a Young Person’s (or an Adult’s) disability. The health passport is an easy read document that enables Professionals to know what your child needs in order to feel supported and ensure any special considerations can be undertaken.

The health passport is encouraged to be taken to any medical appointments or hospital admissions, so it’s a good idea to always have an up-to-date version ready.

All health services in Gloucestershire are aware of and use the health passport, so it can be presented to Doctors at hospital or if your child gets support from community services like Physiotherapy or CAMHS.

You can fill in the Health Passport template (PDF, 912.5 KB) today.

Inclusion Gloucestershire have developed some short films for Individuals and Professionals to help provide a better understanding on accessing health care services when you have a disability. The videos included are: medicine management, mental health and the Emergency Department and many more.

To view these films either by yourself or with you child, follow this link.

Benefits

If you have a child with a disability it is important that you are accessing all of the benefits available to you to help you in supporting your child. The Government webpages below will provide you with eligibility criteria for certain benefits as well as how to apply for them. Follow the link below to find out if your family may be eligible for additional financial support:

• Disability living allowance for children
• Child tax credit

Personal Budgets and Direct Payments

Personal SEN Budgets

Personal SEN Budgets are essentially the ‘cashable’ amount agreed in Element 3 of a child’s Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP). The funding will help to ensure the child’s needs and learning outcomes are met, as outlined in their EHCP. These are usually managed by the Local Authority or Educational Setting, though this isn’t always the case.

Direct Payments

Direct Payments enable family to manage budgets and funds in line with the child’s EHCP. Families are able to request a Direct Payment in order to manage a Personal SEN Budget if they wish to.

Personal Health Budgets (PHBs)

Children who are eligible for NHS Continuing Care have a ‘right to ask’ for a Personal Health Budget. This enables the family to manage the agreed funding themselves to meet the needs of their child’s long term condition.

Personal Budgets and Direct Payments can be difficult to understand and find your way through. To make things a bit easier Gloucestershire County Council in partnership with NHS Gloucestershire CCG and the Parent Carer Forum have developed a guide to budgets (PDF, 279.9 KB) .

Disabled Facilities Grant

Disabled Facilities Grants are available to support individuals, including Children and Young People who are struggling with their mobility at home. The grants can offer adaptations to the home, to make them more accessible to meet the needs of the individual. Find out more about the Disabled Facilities Grant and whether your child may be eligible.

Blue Badge

Your family may be eligible for a Blue Badge.  The Blue Badge scheme provides people who have disabilities and eligible conditions with a badge to place in their car which allows them to park in more accessible locations. The Blue Badge Scheme - Gloucestershire County Council

Transport to school

Children and young people with special educational needs may get help with travel to school or college but it is not an automatic right. An assessment is made of the child's needs and individual circumstances. You can find out more on the Gloucestershire County Council website Transport assistance for SEN pupils - Gloucestershire County Council

Travel training

Students with special educational needs can struggle to travel independently - and overcoming this can seem like a mountain to climb. Simple journeys to see friends, go to school or college or even commuting to a job can seem really daunting. Encouraging young people to take those first steps to being confident enough to catch a bus, hand over money and navigate their own way to and from bus stops can cause anxiety, stress and concern - for students, parents and carers alike.  The Independent Travel Training team supports young people to travel independently. The support offered to young people helps them to understand the risks of independent travel and introduces them to appropriate coping strategies to help them manage their journeys. Independent travel training - Gloucestershire County Council

Growing up and becoming an adult is known as Preparing for Adulthood or PfA for short. There are 4 areas of PfA which are important for everyone growing up. These are:

•Education, training and employment

•Independent living

•Having friends and being part of your community

•Keeping healthy

The Local Offer (link to PfA page) has more information on Preparing for Adulthood and what to expect.

Once you are over 18 all the support and social activities available are listed on YourCircle rather than the Gloucestershire Families Directory.