Information provided by The Integrated Child Development and Disability Service (ICDDS) (main location Seaside View at the Brighton General)

Who we are

The Service is a multidisciplinary service working with any child who has developmental delay. Within the service are a range of Health, children's and pre-school educational services who work together to assess and provide a range of support and interventions to meet children’s needs. We work closely with staff and services across Brighton and Hove, linking in with Area based mainstream services.

We recognise that children with more complex needs can require specialist family support services and so we have a specialist social work and family support service which works with children with severe and profound disabilities – for example, any child who attends Hillside or Downs View School. The service also works with some children who are in MLD (moderately learning disabled) schools and mainstream schools where there is a need for specialist support services. The disabilities we cover may be learning and/or physical in nature.

As a service we aim to work in partnership with all service providers to ensure that disabled children have the same opportunities as all children. We are committed to inclusion and work hard to strive for this where ever possible. We also have strong links with a number of voluntary organisations who we fund to provide a range of services.

The ICDDS Service aims to provide support, advice and practical help to children with disabilities and young people and their families. This means looking at the needs of all family members. We know that foster carers may need additional support when looking after a disabled child. We ensure that our services to all parents, carers and children are sensitive to the religious, ethnic, cultural and linguistic backgrounds of the family. Our assessment aims to fully incorporate carer’s needs and where ever possible we fully involve carers in the assessment seeking theirs, and the child’s view . If you would like to get more information about the service please ring the Children’s Disability Team for further advice on 01273 265825

Within the specialist family support services for disabled children there are a number of different services

The Social Work /Occupational Therapy Team

A duty social worker is normally available between 9 to 5 from Monday to Friday . You can contact us on Brighton 265825. It may be necessary to leave a message and we will call you back at our earliest opportunity.

A duty Occupational Therapist is available on a Tuesday PM.

When we receive a referral we carry out an assessment of the child’s needs which takes into account their overall circumstances. This means we work alongside all the professionals involved with an individual child and family. Wherever possible we work in partnership with parents and carers to consider what services are best for their child.

We fully involve disabled children in all service provision through direct communication and consultation. We recognise that looking after a disabled child can sometimes put families under additional pressures. Our priority is to respect the wishes and feelings of children and young people, and to provide services which will help families to care for their children in their own communities .Our research and experience from consulting with disabled children and young people is that when ever possible they want to have the same life experiences as their non disabled peers. This means living in their communities accessing the same opportunities as their friends.

The services available include -

Outreach/ Direct payments

The Outreach/Direct payment Service is based at 55 Drove Road, Portslade. The service is managed by a practice manager and has a number of outreach workers who provide support to children with severe disabilities and families in their home and in their local communities. This may mean taking children out to give parents or carers a break or going into the home to help out at particularly stressful times. Requests for this sort of help are made via the social work team. Direct payments are cash payments which enable carers and young people with disabilities to employ their own workers. Referrals for direct payments should be made via the social work team. Increasingly this is a choice that families are making to enable them to have greater choice and control over the way services are delivered.

Residential services

In Brighton and Hove we aim to care for children and young people within families wherever possible. However, for some children this is not possible and so we have a range of residential options. We also know that most children are best cared for within their local community so that they can have contact with their families, goto local schools and be cared for by local services.  Choice and independence, social and leisure opportunities are actively promoted for all young people in our care.

The residential choices for a child will include:

Link Plus Scheme

Link Plus is a partnership between Brighton and Hove City Council and Barnardo’s, based at 55 Drove Road, Portslade. The service offers short-term breaks with specialist foster carers who are recruited and trained to work with children and young people with disabilities. There are also a small number of specialist carers who are recruited to offer long term and full time placements for children with disabilities. These carers will be supported in caring with respite from other Link carers, Outreach sessions or residential respite in some cases.

You can access the service via the specialist social work team if a child has a severe disability. Referrals for children with a more moderate disability should be made to the Duty and Assessment Team on 01273 296000.

Residential care which is not family based is only considered for children aged ten and over and all referrals to this service are made via the social work team

Tudor House

Tudor House in Withdean Court Avenue, Brighton, is a residential home for up to five young people who have severe learning disabilities and who may also have physical disabilities. Tudor House offers a mixture of long term and short break care.

The staff team works closely with parents and carers and other agencies to set clear aims for each child.

Short-term care

The short-term care unit is located at 55 Drove Road, Portslade. It provides family support in the form of short-term care on a planned basis for up to four children at any one time aged 10-18 who have severe learning disabilities. It also has a shared care and full time flat for up to 4 children .

Teenage Scheme: A teenage group meet fortnightly. This service is for disabled young people and offers opportunities to gain independence skills, mix with people of a similar age and enjoy community activities.

The staff team works closely with parents and carers and other agencies to set clear aims for each child.

Holiday schemes and after school clubs

There are a range of opportunities available for disabled young people we have a teenage befriending scheme being run by the Children’s Society and Extratime and the YMCA also run clubs after school and during the holidays. There are also youth opportunities available at the weekends via the YMCA and also Bhip . The youth service is also able to offer opportunities .

For more information about services for children in general and also what is available for disabled children in their communities the Family Information Service can be contacted on 01273 -293545

Transition planning

Transition planning means how we work with disabled young people and their families to plan for their needs as they become adults., We know that effective planning involves close working with the young person their parents/carers and all the key agencies. All disabled young people are entitled to a multi-agency transition plan so that their needs as adults are understood and appropriate services provided.

Within Brighton and Hove we are currently developing a 14 -25 yrs transition service for severely disabled young people .

Amaze

Amaze is a local grant funded parent information/support service which provides extensive information on local services for disabled children. It has a help line and is an invaluable place to go for help and advice.

Amaze can be contacted on 01273 772289

Further information

For information on any aspect of caring for a disabled child or local and national resources and benefits please contact the duty social worker on 01273 265825. We may not always have the answer but we will do our best to try to find out.

Useful phone numbers

Children’s Disability Service 01273 265825

Outreach Service 01273 295530

Barnardo's Link Plus 01273 295176

Tudor House 01273 296190

Short-term Care Unit 01273 295158

Transition Development Worker 01273 265825

Occupational Therapy Service 01273 265825

Seaside View CDC 01273 265825

Emergency Duty Team 07699391462/day: 01273 814194

Amaze 01273 772289