Social workers for disabled children and their families

About the Specialist Community Disability Service

Within the Specialist Community Disability Service, there are 2 Social Work Pods, one for children aged 0 to 13 and another supporting young people aged 14 to 24 years old. Each Pod is managed and supported by a Pod Manager, who are both qualified and experienced children and family Social Workers. One of these Pod Managers is also responsible for overseeing the Short Breaks Service.

The team is made up of qualified Social Workers and Social Work Resource Officers (SWROs) who are not qualified Social Workers but have a range of relevant skills and training. Further support is provided by an Advanced Practitioner and Designated Social Care Officer and, in addition, there is a Head of Service who has overall responsibility for the team.

The Specialist Community Disability Service also includes the Transforming Care Team which provides specialist community support for autistic individuals and those with learning disabilities who are at risk of hospital admission or are transitioning out of specialist inpatient care.

The information found on this page relates to children and young people aged 0 to 24. However, the Specialist Community Disability Service also includes a multi-disciplinary team which supports adults aged 25 years old and above who have a learning disability. 

Who can get support from SCDS

To be offered a service by the Specialist Community Disability Service, the child or young person must have a disability that has been diagnosed and be permanent or long term.

The child or young person must also meet at least one of the following criteria:

• a severe or profound learning disability
• a severe or profound physical disability
• complex medical needs or long-term condition expected to disable the child for more than one year - as defined below
• severe communication disabilities or behavioural difficulties related to the child’s disability

These criteria are based on the definition of disability set out in the Children Act 1989. 

The criteria does not include children with:

• mental health disorders unless in conjunction with a learning, physical or communication disability 
• a disability or disabilities that are not severe. 
• behavioural problems due to social or environmental factors - such as, not associated to a disability 
• a diagnosis of ADHD or ADD unless in conjunction with a learning, physical or communication disability

Children with a diagnosed disability, but who do not meet this criteria, may benefit from the support of the Short Breaks Service.

How you can be referred for support from SCDS

Children and young people

For children and young people under 18, you need to make a referral to the Specialist Community Disability Service (SCDS) via Front Door for Families.

Go to our Front Door for Families pages to find out more and for a link to the online referral form.

Front Door for Families

A parent, carer or young person can refer themselves. 

A professional that knows the family can also refer, however this should always be with the agreement of the parent or carer.

Young adults

For referrals for young adults aged 18 to 24, you need to complete the Specialist Community Disability Service referral form.

Specialist Community Disability Service referral form

If you would like to discuss a referral for a young person aged 18 to 24, phone the Specialist Community Disability Service.

What happens next

Initial screening

When a referral for a child or young person under 18 years old is received, Front Door for Families will share the information with SCDS. The referral will be reviewed by a Pod Manager and we may also request information from other services in order to build a clearer understanding of the situation.

A professional from SCDS may contact the family to discuss the referral and gather more information. 

Based on all the information received, we'll decide if the child or young person is eligible for a service from SCDS. We'll tell the family and the referrer of the outcome. 

Allocation to a Social Worker for assessment

If the young person meets the criteria for our service, we'll allocate them to a Social Worker who will open a Strengthening Families Assessment. This will will be completed within 45 working days. 

The Social Worker will arrange to visit the child and family to collect information about their needs, behaviours and well-being. With agreement, the Social Worker may also contact other professionals working with the family to inform the assessment.

When the Social Worker has gathered the information they need for their assessment, they will make a recommendation about what should happen next. This will be written in a report which the Social Worker will provide to the family. If information needs to be provided in a different way, the Social Worker will discuss this with the family. 

The Social Worker may recommend that no further support from support from SCDS is required. They may provide information about other available services. If this is the recommendation, then the relationship between SCDS and the family will end. 

Alternatively, the Social Worker may recommend a Child in Need (CIN) plan, which will set out the aims and desired outcomes of the service or services to be provided. In this case Social Worker will offer support and advice and they will need to meet with your child on a regular basis, to get to know them and to keep their needs central to our planning. Regular meetings will be held to review the plan and decide if it is still needed. 

If the assessment concludes that a Child In Need plan is not needed but that Direct Payments or respite would be helpful, then the Social Worker will recommended the family are supported by the Shorts Breaks Service.

If required, Short Breaks can also be offered as part of a package of support for a Child In Need.

Resource Panel

To be eligible for the Short Breaks Service, a child or young person must have a diagnosed disability. Requests for Direct Payments or respite are considered by a multi-disciplinary Resource Panel which meets fortnightly and consists of professionals from across relevant services within Brighton & Hove. 

The Social Worker or SWRO will attend this panel and represent the young person and their family and to discuss the request and explain how it will help. The panel will consider the needs of the child and make a recommendation which may include agreeing the requested support, or suggesting an alternative, and the family will be contacted after the panel and advised of the outcome and next steps. 

What happens if there's a child protection concern

For most of the families we work with, parents are putting their children’s needs first and providing a positive family environment. Any family can struggle to cope at times, and we recognise that caring for a disabled child can be difficult and challenging.

Sometimes we receive information from referrals that indicate families are struggling to cope or that there's a child protection concern. The family may even be concerned themselves about how their ability to cope is affecting their child’s welfare.

If you have a concern about a child or young person and you're aware that they have a Social Worker, contact them or their team directly in the first instance. 

If the child or young person does not have a Social Worker, make a referral via Front Door For  Families, using the link above. 

If you're a professional making a referral regarding a child protection concern, you should tell the family and get their agreement, unless to do so would increase the risk to the child or young person.

In relation to children and young people under 18, we have a statutory (required by law) duty to investigate when someone raises a concern that a child may be being harmed in some way. In these situations, a Social Worker will carry out an assessment. This may involve consultation or joint work with the Police Child Protection Team.

We will need to:

• see your child
• speak with professionals that know you and your child, such as school or health staff
• talk to you

We will usually ask you first and make sure you agree. However, if we're worried that your child is at risk of significant harm we'll always carry out these enquiries. We also have a responsibility to consider whether any siblings, or any other children in the household, may be at risk.

Once the investigation is completed, we'll decide if a Social Worker needs to continue to be involved with the family. Sometimes we'll need to carry out further assessment and we could decide to convene a Child Protection Conference to consider whether a multi-agency Child Protection Plan is needed to work with you to improve things for your child or children.

Adult services

At 18 years old, some young people move on to adult services if appropriate. This happens when they have an ongoing need and meet the criteria for help from adult services.

Find more information on our easy read transitions section.

You can raise a safeguarding concern in relation to an adult. The law, and processes which should be followed, are different to those for children and young people. 

Find more information about safeguarding concerns for adults, including how to refer.

If you are aware that the person you are concerned about has a Social Worker, contact them directly in the first instance. 

Comments or complaints

We're always keen to hear suggestions and comments regarding your experience of the service and any ideas about how we could improve things. It's also good to hear if we're getting something right.

If you have a complaint, in the first instance it's always helpful to raise your concern or disagreement directly with your social worker, or the duty social worker. One of the Pod Managers or the Head of Service will also be happy to speak with you if you feel the matter is not resolved.

If you're still unhappy with an aspect of the service, contact the complaints team.