Eligibility criteria for the Children with Disabilities 0 to 18 Team

Buckinghamshire Council is committed to delivering the highest quality services for children and young people with disabilities and providing their families with the necessary support.

The goal we strive for is to ensure that all children and young people are safe, happy, learning and thriving, and in order to achieve this goal we need to match the individual with the service that is best suited to them.

In all of our work with children and young people, from referral to assessment and beyond, not only do we take our statutory duty very seriously, but the best interest of the child and or young person is at the heart of everything that we do.

This document sets out the eligibility criteria which is to be used in order for children and young people to benefit from the support and services of the Children with Disabilities 0 to 18 Team within Buckinghamshire Council.

It is important to note, however, that should a child or young person’s needs fall outside the eligibility criteria for this service, it may be possible for them to meet the criteria of another service within the council so that they may still receive the support and services that they require.

In creating this document, the local authority has considered the relevant legislation and guidance, such as the Equality Act 2010 and the Children Act 1989, amongst others.

This eligibility document should be read in conjunction with the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) local offer, which sets out information about services available for children and young people with SEND.

• in terms of children aged 18 and below, a 'disabled' (section 6 (1) of the Equality Act 2010) child is considered to be a child in need for the purposes of section 17 Children Act 1989 and will have their needs assessed (section 17 (10) of the Children Act 1989)
• where it appears that a child who is approaching 18 years of age is likely to have needs for care and support beyond 18 and into adulthood, and if it would be a significant benefit to the child, they will have their needs assessed under section 58 of the Care Act 2014
• where it appears to a local authority that an adult may have needs for care and support, 18 to 25 year olds will be assessed under section 9 Care Act 2014. This is subject to refusal by the adult (section 11 (1) to (4) of the Care Act 2014)

Needs assessments will be used to gather information to determine the needs of the child or young person and whether the criteria for the Children with Disabilities 0 to 18 Team is met.

The Children with Disabilities 0 to 18 Team will usually only provide services to children and young people who have substantial and long-term disabilities at a severe or profound level.

Children and young people may be deemed to meet the criteria if they have a substantial and long-term impairment which limits their opportunity to take an equal part in the life of the community without the provision of specialist help, resources, or information. A person may be born with such impairment or may acquire it at some stage in their life.

There is no right to services from the Children with Disabilities 0 to 18 Team and each case will be considered on its own merits.

The following are indicators that the provision of services through the Children with Disabilities 0 to 18 Team may be appropriate:

• complex health needs that prevents participation in social and educational activities and requires daily specialist medical or nursing care
• profound learning difficulty requiring attendance at an educational provision for children or young people with profound learning difficulties and follow P levels of curriculum
• challenging behaviour associated with a disability, which impacts on all aspects of the child or young person’s functioning and or the child or young person poses a severe risk to themselves or others
• being fully dependant on others for all aspects of personal care, or at least requires high levels of supervision with all aspects of personal care
• the need for constant supervision throughout the day and or night without which they would place themselves and or others at significant risk
• unable to walk
• the child or young person is functioning at around the level of someone half their age
• visual impairment to a level where they would be regarded as blind
• inability to speak or communicate (for example, severe level of aphasia)
• severe to near-total, and total loss of hearing
• the child or young person has an education, health and care (EHC) plan
• carer has physical or mental health problems
• actual or potential risk to health or safety of carer
• carer suffers sleep deprivation on a regular basis due to the needs of the child or young person with a disability through the night
• child or young person’s behaviour is a serious risk to self or others
• child or young person has been or is the subject of a Child Protection Plan
• other person or persons with disabilities or long term health needs in the household who need support
• carer is a sole carer and has a limited support network
• significant pressures in the family such as domestic violence
• risk of the care breaking down for the child with a disability
• without support the child is likely to need a specialist residential or educational placement
• the family has difficulties in meeting financial commitments
• there are stressful family relationships which may be harmful to the child or young person with a disability and impact on siblings, for example, the needs of other children in the family at risk

This list is not exhaustive.

There may be instances where children or young people with disabilities have needs which the local authority concludes do not require the specialist support and resources that the Children with Disabilities 0 to 18 Team supply.

Children and young people who fall into this category may still be able to receive support and resources from another team or service at Buckinghamshire Council.

Indicators that it may not be appropriate for services to be offered by the Children with Disabilities 0 to 18 Team include:

• involvement with other services or the possibility of meeting the criteria of other services that may be better suited to the specific needs of the child or young person
• where there is not a duty to provide services, the limited resources of the local authority