Services for Disabled Children

Disabled Children’s Team

The Disabled Children’s Team and Special Educational Needs Team work closely together as part of the Learning Difficulties and Disabilities Service within Children’s Social Care.

The Disabled Children’s Team respond to children with complex needs working closely with other agencies to minimise the effects of a child’s disability and to give them the opportunity to lead lives that are as normal as possible. The Team support children and their parent/ carers to maintain children in their family and to ensure that children are safe.

The Disabled Children’s Team comprises of:

Team Manager
Assistant Team Manager
3 Social Workers
Family Worker
Occupational Therapist

Referrals to the Team are made initially through the Children & Families Duty Team, who will undertake an initial assessment. This assessment will determine whether the Disabled Children’s Team should be involved.

Services that are available via Children’s Social Care to meet the needs of disabled children and their carers include:

Ongoing social work support
Aids and Adaptations to the home
Support via direct payments for additional care needs
Home Care support
Daytime Short Break Care
Community Childminding
Family Placement Short Break Care
Larchwood Short Break Unit

The team work very closely with other organisations and are able to signpost or refer families to other services where appropriate such as:

Margaret Wells Furby (under 5’s) Children’s centre
CAMHS
Health Respite
Other voluntary organisations (such as Kerith Konnections)
Sensory Consortium Service - a Berkshire wide service offering a specialist education support services for children and young people aged 0-19 years with hearing and/or visual impairements.

Contact Details

Children & Families Duty Team – 01344 351582 children.families-duty@bracknell-forest.gov.uk

Simon McKenzie, Head of Service, Learning Difficulties and Disability 01344 353132 simon.mckenzie@bracknell-forest.gov.uk

Sue Hall, Team Manager, Disabled Children’s Team 01344 353132 sue.hall@bracknell-forest.gov.uk

Other useful information/ links