main content Support for children with disabilities and special needs

The Council's Children and Young People Department provides help and advice to families in the borough who have children aged 18 or under with disabilities and special needs. This includes children with severe physical, learning or sensory disabilities.

Eligibility

As required by the Children Act 1989, priority for the provision of social services support is given to children who are assessed as being ‘in need’ and their families. To ensure that services go to those in the greatest need, the Council has eligibility criteria for those who are seeking help from social services. The criteria, which are set at 3 different levels of need, and details of the assessment process, are outlined in the following link for Support for Children and Families.

There are also more detailed eligibility criteria for children to receive a service from the specialist Children's Disability Team in Bromley Social Services Department.

Details

Social Workers work closely with families and other agencies such as Health Service Providers and the Education Department to assess your child’s needs and those of the family, and to arrange for the appropriate help to be provided. This may include:

• benefits advice;
• day care; (For more information see Children's Information Service ) short term breaks;
• help with managing a particular disability;
• advice on special needs housing, schooling, health matters and specialist equipment in the home;
• advice and information on adopting a special needs child.

Local voluntary organisations also provide a range of services for children with disabilities and special needs, many of which you can access directly yourself. More information on the services available, including those provided via the Bromley Primary Care Trust, the Education Department and the Voluntary Sector can be obtained from the Children’s Disability Team, your Health Visitor or GP or from Community Links Bromley.

Costs

In the event of a child or young person being ‘looked after’ by social services, a financial assessment would be completed by the social worker. This may lead to a financial contribution being required towards the care costs.

There are no charges for providing respite care to children with a disability.

Next Steps

Contact the Children’s Disability Team Duty Social Worker for advice and information.

Or

Depending on your child’s disability or on the type of support you need, you may be transferred to another specialist team for further specialist help, for example:

• Young people with special needs 14 and over requiring advice on benefits or on moving from school to adulthood may be referred to the Community Adolescent Transition Service. This service is run jointly by the Social Servcies & Housing Department and the Bromley Primary Care Trust and can be contacted direct at the Bassetts Resource Centre.
• Children with emotional or behavioural problems may be referred to either the childcare team at their local social services area office or to the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) Social Workers Service, which is run by Oxleas NHS Trust and has social workers from the Social Services & Housing Department based within it.
• Children with hearing difficulties may be referred to a specialist social worker for deaf children and their families based in the Children’s Disability Social Work Team.
• Children with sight difficulties are likely to be referred to the Kent Association for the blind.

Contacts

If this is your first contact with Social Services OR you  already receive services and your circumstances change OR there is an emergency then please contact:

Children’s Disability Team, Bromley Social Services
Telephone:  020 8461 7777
Minicom:  020 8464 7350
Assistance is available on this number from 8.30am to 5.30pm, Monday to Friday


Bromley Childcare Information Service
Telephone:  020 8464 0276
Fax:  020 8464 0664
e-mail: childcare.information@bromley.gov.uk
Address:
Bromley Central Library 3rd Floor, High Street, Bromley BR1 1EX 

Community Adolescent Transition Service
Telephone:  01689 853388
Fax:  01689 861232 
Address:
Bassetts Resource Centre, Acorn Way off Starts Hill Road, Orpington, Kent BR6 7WF