Eligibility Criteria – Disabled Children’s Team LB Richmond

Why might it be of interest?

This is not to encourage or discourage you from requesting an assessment of your child’s needs.  But before you do so – or decide not to – it’s helpful to have some understanding of the criteria used to assess your young person.

This is what AfC publish but the criteria will be similar across local authorities.

This is about the eligibility of a disabled child for services from the disabled children’s team.  Children may be referred to children’s social care service for many other reasons – safeguarding for example – but this document is not addressing those referrals.

A referral will be followed by an assessment.  This may start as a phone call or online form and followed up by an in person visit if there is evidence that the child meets the threshold.  Social workers will be gathering information about the child and their needs and assessing whether these needs require the LA to offer support.  It is likely, as part of the assessment, that the social worker will want to speak to your young person and possibly without you present for some of the time.

You might find this information from Contact helpful:

https://contact.org.uk/help-for-families/information-advice-services/social-care/needs-assessments/

And this from a government website:  https://www.gov.uk/help-for-disabled-child

And this from the Council for Disabled Children:  https://councilfordisabledchildren.org.uk/sites/default/files/uploads/files/Social%20care%20assessment.pdf

Local authorities have a duty to assess where there is an apparent need and while it might be helpful if your child has a diagnosis a lack of one is not a reason to turn them down for an assessment.  However, thresholds that a child’s needs must meet before they will be deemed eligible for support from a disabled children’s team are high and you may be surprised at how many children with clear needs are not considered eligible.

Local authorities will have a range of services funded by the LA to support children who are not deemed eligible for support from the disabled children’s team and these should be detailed on the local offer website.  They are likely to be a range of clubs and activities.  While many will be free the LA can charge.

If your child is deemed eligible a support plan will be put in place.  This can include support in a number of ways (just an example):

• Help at home
• Holiday play schemes
• Short breaks (overnights)
• Aids and adaptations