Children with disabilities

Looking after children with disabilities is rewarding, but it can also be stressful. Children’s services have a specialist disabled children's team which helps families and other carers. The service's main work is with children who have severe learning and/or physical disabilities, children within the autistic spectrum and children who are deaf.

We are committed to the rights of these children to fulfil their personal potentials, ambitions and their roles in society. Disabled children are supported by both mainstream and specialist services. All services are expected to be inclusive.

The council has signed up to the Every Disabled Child Charter (pdf 2.2MB) and has produced a Practical Directory (pdf 3MB) for carers, parents and professionals to help 'navigate the system'. It also contains information about all of the care pathways that families might be engaged with.

How we can help

We can arrange practical support, personal care in the home, short breaks, counselling and residential services. We can also put carers in touch with other organisations or groups.

We have a range of workers including:

family link coordinator
transition worker
direct payments coordinator
social workers linked to specialist schools

The children with disabilities team provides support, advice and information to families, carers and other professionals who are involved in caring for the disabled child or young person, where the child’s disability has a significant impact on his/her day to day life.

Download our brochure on disabled children's services (pdf, 1.4MB)

Getting an assessment

Parents can self-refer by contacting the screening social worker who will consider if a child in need assessment may be undertaken. This establishes what the needs are and how they can be met. This assessment takes into account three areas: the child's development needs, family and environment factors and parenting capacity.

Following an assessment, a care plan is identified with the family. The team can arrange practical support, personal care in the home, short breaks, counselling and residential services and can also put carers in touch with other specialist organisations. The team can also provide information in respect of specialist equipment for deaf children.

The social workers attached to the child development team also work with children and families who have been newly diagnosed with a disability. This team includes health professionals and Bangladeshi parent advisors.

Following an assessment the multi-disciplinary team meet to look at what kind of support can be offered. This might include:

health services such as speech therapy or physiotherapy
counselling
help with educational provision
welfare benefits

Along with the family we regularly review all services that are provided.

Short breaks

We have now published the Short Breaks Self-referral form which sets out two ways in which short break services for disabled children can be accessed: self-referral route and the professional assessment route.

Families with children and young people with disabilities can now apply directly for most short break services for their children. If families wish to apply for a short break that can be accessed directly, they can do so by completing the self-referral form below.

For details of short breaks that can be accessed directly, please consult our Directory of Services for Children and Young People aged 0-19 years. If families wish to apply for an overnight provision or more than one short break service for their children, they can contact the Children with Disabilities Team on 020 7364 2724 and ask for an assessment.

To apply for a Short Break, please download the Short Breaks Self Referral Form (pdf 1MB), complete it and send it to:

The Short Breaks Co-ordinator
3rd Floor, Mulberry Place
5 Clove Crescent
London E14 2BG

Or email it back to: short.breaks@towerhamlets.gov.uk

The council's statement of short breaks services can be found by downloading the statement of services link.

How to contact us

A screening worker is available from 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday. The child development team can also be contacted via this worker.

Children with Disabilities Team
Mulberry Place
5 Clove Crescent
London E14 2BG

Tel: 020 7364 2724
Fax: 020 7364 2731
Email: CWD.screening@towerhamlets.gov.uk

Further advice