Self-directed Support

Criteria For Assessment

Children and Families - Eligibility Criteria      

A child would be considered for a specialist disability service if he/she has a physical or mental impairment, which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on his/her ability to do any normal day to day activities. 

Critical Need/Risk:

• Children with a high level of special needs or disability requiring constant supervision, which results in a high risk of family breakdown.
• Child whose parent's/carer's are no longer able to manage the child's behaviours and who require to be accommodated.
• Children with severe challenging behaviour which results in serious risk to the child or others, which parents are unable to manage and which results in a high risk of family breakdown.

Substantial Need/Risk:

• There is a significant risk of the child suffering ill health or impaired development. There is a significant risk of family breakdown and of the child requiring to be accommodated. The child and family may be in need of intensive support and this might include respite care or daytime care. There is a need for urgent assessment, but may not require a same day response.

Moderate Need/Risk:

• There is some risk of impairment to health and development. Without support considerable deterioration is likely; there will be a risk of family breakdown or of harm befalling the child. The child may move to the substantial category without the provision of services.

Low Need/Risk:

• There is not an immediate or foreseeable risk of the child suffering harm or impaired health and development, but the provision of additional services would significantly improve the child and family's life chances and quality of life. The child's needs may not be consistently met. Improvements are desirable, but there are no acute risks present. Social work help is not essential to the monitoring or maintenance of the child's well-being, but this requires additional support from universal services.

Factors to be considered in any assessment of need for service:

• Carer has physical or mental health problems which significantly affects their ability to care for a disabled child.
• Actual or potential risk to health or safety of carer.
• Carer or other family members suffers sleep deprivation on a regular basis due to needs of the disabled child through the night.
• Child's behaviour is a serious risk to self or others and requires a structured behaviour management programme. Parents or carers may be unwilling or unable to implement programme and behaviours may result in the child being excluded from some situations.
• Child has been/or is the subject of a Child Protection Plan.
• Other person(s) with disabilities or long-term health needs in the household who needs support.
• Sole carer and has a limited support network which may need to physical or social isolation of the family.
• Significant pressures in the family e.g. domestic violence, substance misuse.
• Risk to the child because of the physical environment.
• Risk of the disabled child's care breaking down.
• Without support the child is likely to need a specialist residential or educational placement.
• The family has difficulties in meeting financial commitments or is on a low income which and this is impacting on the care of the child.
• There are stressful family relationships which may be harmful to disabled child.
• Impact on siblings e.g. needs of other children in the family at risk.
• Child would be considered for a specialist disability service if he/she has a physical or mental impairment, which has a substantial and long term effect on his/her ability to do any normal day to day activities."
• A young person would be eligible for a service if they had the greatest and/or most complex needs as a result of their disability.