Disabled children's services

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Disabled children's services

Disabled children's services in Brighton & Hove are part of the city's integrated children's services. Health, education and social care services work together to respond to the needs of disabled children and their families and carers.

Seaside View Centre

The Seaside View Centre, opened at Brighton General Hospital in Elm Grove, Brighton, in August 2007. Download our Leaflet about the Seaside View Centre - this leaflet includes a map and contact information.

The Seaside View staff team includes

• Keyworkers (for more information see below)             
• Nursery Nurses
• Occupational Therapists  (for more information see below)
• Paediatricians
• Physiotherapists  (for more information see below)
• PRESENS
• Psychologists / Counsellors
• Social Workers
• Specialist Health Visitors
• Specialist Nurses
• Speech & Language Therapists  (for more information see below)

To contact Seaside View Child Development Centre telephone : 01273 265780.

The aim of the service is to ensure that wherever possible disabled children and young people have the same opportunitities where possible mainstream services are inclusive, meeting the needs of all children in their local communities.

However, we recognise that we need to provide specialist services too.

Find out about more specialist child health services, including the Chailey Heritage Centre.

Keyworkers

Providing support and information for disabled children and their families.  More information available and how to contact a member of the keyworker scheme available in the Keyworker leaflet.

Occupational Therapists

The Occupational Therapy service works with children to help develop and increase the skills a child needs to use in their everyday lives, through play and activities at home and school.

To contact the Occupational Therapy department directly telephone: 01273 265806.

A leaflet specifically designed for children advising them how the Occupational Therapy service can help is available.

Information for parents/carers is available in the Occupational Therapy leaflet. 

Occupational Therapy - Social Care

The Children’s Social Care Occupational Therapy Service works with children to enhance their abilities and independence at home and to support the parent/carer in managing the child’s daily activities.  

We can be contacted on telephone 01273 265825.  Information Leaflet.

Physiotherapists

 Details of what we do and the conditions that are treated along with contact details are available in our Phsyiotherapy leaflet.

Speech & Language Therapists

The speech and language therapists work with children from 0 to 19 years in a variety of locations including children's centres, health clinics, special education and mainstream schools, hospitals and pre-school settings.  For more information as to how this service can help and to download therapy leaflets and parent/carer information please go to the Sussex Community information page.

Social Care

For general information relating to the Social Care team, including referral process and eligibility process please refer to the information draft guide. 

For the referrals process specificially, please refer to quick guide flow chart.

Have a query?  You may find the answers in our FAQ page.

To contact the Social Care team please telephone : 01273 265825

Resource Panel

Our aim is to work in partnership with families and as far as possible enable parents to care for disabled children at home in their local community.  Our goal is to support disabled children and young people to be included in their lcoal communities accessing as far as possible local services and activities. 

With this in mind the panel is made up of a group of workers and managers from different organisations who provide services that can assist disabled chilren and their families and meets to consider assessments from a social worker or sometimes from a health professional.  For information for parents and carers on the Children's Resource Panel please download our information leaflet.

Short Breaks Services

For more information on all the support services available download our information leaflet Information about Social Care and Short Breaks Services for Disabled Children leaflet [PDF 310KB]

You can also read our short breaks service statement [MS Word 63KB]

All-Terrain Beach Wheelchairs For Hire

We now have 2 super all-terrain wheelchair [PDF 317KB] for use on our beaches, which can be booked in advance. They are free to use with a refundable deposit.

Forest View Holiday Lodge

We have a fully accessible static caravan in the New Forest which is available to use at a much discounted rate. The caravan was bought using Aiming High funding to provide an affordable, suitable holiday venue for families and children with special or additional needs. For more information see our Forest View leaflet, email forestview@brighton-hove.gov.uk or call (01273) 295530.

Whats out there?

A list of activities for young people with disabilities is available in our brochure.  For more information please see the Family Services Directory web page.

Carers Card

If you are a parent carer for a child with special or additional needs you are entitled to a carers card (child must have a Compass Card from Amaze).  A Carers Card offers discounts on a range of activities across the city to help you to look after your own health and wellbeing. For information on when and how to use it, download the Carers' Card leaflet or contact : 01273 295153.

Amaze

Amaze is a voluntary organisation in the city which receives significant funding from the city council to ensure that families are well informed and supported in accessing local services.  The city council is committed to the participation of local famiilies in helping shape its services.

Amaze also hosts the Compass databse of children with disabilities and the Compass Card scheme which gives discounts to all sorts of leisure activities.

To get help for any of these support services, or for general advice and information, contact us directly or ask a professional working with you and your family to refer you.

Further information and useful links :

Assessing your child's needs

• www.amazebrighton.org.uk
• www.nhs.uk/carersdirect
• www.carersuk.org/Home
• www.adviceguide.org.uk
• www.thecbf.org.uk
• http://partner.ncb.org.uk
• www.direct.gov.uk/en/DisabledPeople
• www.direct.gov.uk/en/Parents/index.htm
• Epilepsy information leaflet
• www.disabledgo.com  
• DfE website information on Aiming High for Disabled Children's (AHDC) community equipment and wheelchair services
• Family Information Service
• www.bhfederation.org.uk
• www.fledglings.org.uk/
• www.autism.org.uk
• www.radar.org.uk
• www.whizz-kidz.org.uk