Support with Care
Other Support: Needs Assessments
Local authorities have a duty to provide any non-medical care services to disabled children. This could include equipment for daily living, home care assistance, access to play schemes, educational provisions, transport assistance, home adaptations, respite care and other services.
You will need to request an assessment of your child’s needs by social services. To find out how to do so in your local area, use this website and enter your postcode (England and Wales only):
https://www.gov.uk/apply-needs-assessment-social-services
Carers UK has downloadable fact sheets on assessments for families in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland
https://www.carersuk.org/help-and-advice/practical-support/arranging-care-and-support-for-someone/
Contact UK has more information for parents and carers in England:
https://contact.org.uk/help-for-families/information-advice-services/social-care/needs-assessments/
Cerebra Charity has a downloadable guide for parents and carers in Wales:
https://cerebra.org.uk/download/factsheet-carers-assessments-in-wales/
Cerebra Charity also has detailed guidance in their downloadable information pack:
Social Care: A Guide for Parents. It outlines exactly what social care the local authorities in England are responsible for and the support that is available to you as a parent or carer.
https://cerebra.org.uk/download/social-care-in-england/
They have also created a guide for parents and carers in Wales
Continuing Care Assessments
Some people with long-term complex health needs qualify for free social care arranged and funded solely by the NHS. This is known as NHS continuing healthcare. NHS continuing healthcare is for adults. Children and young people may receive a “continuing care package” if they have needs arising from disability, accident or illness that cannot be met by existing universal or specialist services alone.
The Children and young people’s continuing care national framework outlines the process for assessing, deciding, and agreeing continuing care for children with complex health needs.
Charity Resources
CHC Trustee Ciara presented a guide to Continuing Care from a parent perspective at our recent family conference – the video will be available on our YouTube Channel soon in the meantime you can click on this link to download as a pdf document:
Support at Home Children’s Continuing Health Care From a Parent Perspective CHC Conference 2023