Complex needs serviceA leaflet for parents and professionals
Our service is for children and young people from 0-25 with complex learning difficulties and disabilities, and their families.
Our vision is that every Leeds child with a significant learning difficulty or disability will benefit from child-centred, high quality, flexible and responsive services that help them to live a successful and fulfilling life.
We will do this through:
• Publishing our services and how to get them on the Leeds Local Offer (leedslocaloffer.org.uk)
• Developing quality connections with children, families and other professionals
• Listening to the voice of the child and acting on what we hear• Working restoratively with families• Promoting inclusion and best practice• Using evidence to show the impact of our work and improved
outcomes for children and young people
The Local Offer is a web-based tool designed for families, children and young people living in Leeds with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). It offers links to both national resources and local information and services that are available within Leeds to help families with SEND. It can be found at leedslocaloffer.org.uk
Area complex needs teamsWe have three area teams in Leeds (East North East, West North West and South) that work closely with families, schools and other learning providers to help them meet the needs of children and young people age 0-25.
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Leeds City Council complex needs service
Each area team includes three professional cohorts:
• Educational Psychology• Special Educational Needs and Inclusion• Child Health and Disability Social Work
Educational PsychologyEducational psychologists support inclusion of children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) through application of psychology. They are trained in assessment and research and apply knowledge of child development and learning to improve young people’s outcomes. They work across the whole continuum of SEND in partnership with others though joint problem solving and consultation.
The Special Educational Needs and Inclusion Team (SENIT) is a team of specialist teachers and inclusion workers working with schools and other learning settings to raise the achievement of pupils who are experiencing difficulty with their learning.
Child Health and Disability (CHAD) work with families with children with disabilities. They assess, identify and support children, young people and their families who are: children in need, children subject to child protection plans, children subject to care proceedings and children looked after by Leeds City Council.
The CHAD teams work with all children and young people where their disability is impacting on their ability to have opportunities to be safe, develop skills for life and be part of their local community growing up.
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Some services are city-wide:
The STARS team: Specialists Training in Autism and Raising Standards STARS is a team of autism specialists who offer advice and training to mainstream settings to ensure that professionals gain a better understanding of autism. The STARS team uses a variety of strategies and approaches depending on the individual needs of the child. Their approaches are evidenced based and recognised nationally as excellent autism practice. They are accredited by the National Autistic Society and are the Autism Education Trust hub for Yorkshire and Humberside.
The Occupational Therapy Team assesses the long-term needs of a child and his or her carers in relation to their needs in the home. After an initial assessment, equipment or adaptations to the child’s home or short break setting may be recommended to help the child be safer and more independent. Occupational therapists also support families seeking re-housing to a suitable property and provide education and advice about specific aspects of a child’s daily routine, such as safe moving and handling techniques.
The Regional Specialist Paediatric Team is based at Leeds General Infirmary. They work with children with specified and serious health conditions and their families.
The Special Educational Needs Statutory Assessment and Provision Service (SENSAP) is responsible for co-ordination, casework and planning for children and young people with special educational needs.
‘Statutory assessment’ is the process by which a young person’s needs and the provision required to meet those needs, are identified and described. SENSAP also helps co-ordinate funding arrangements for schools to provide for pupils with significant needs. It plans specialist provision and monitors the appropriateness of this.
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The Sensory Service ensures educational needs of children and young people with a sensory impairment are met and that they are able to achieve their potential. It includes:
The Deaf and Hearing Impairment Team (DAHIT), and the Visual Impairment Team (VIT) work with children from the time of diagnosis. Referrals to the teams normally come from health professionals but educational settings, parents and carers may also refer. The teams work with families as well as educational settings, and provide individual assessment, training, advice and direct teaching.
Peripatetic teams have a locality focus and work alongside their complex needs area colleagues. The service also provides staffing to the specialist resourced provisions in the city.
Deaf START provides support for post-16 deaf students in colleges of further or higher education. The support offered includes British sign language interpreting, note-taking and training. Colleges are charged to cover the cost of this service.
Short breaks are services that are designed to support families withdisabled children that could potentially be at risk of breakdown orsignificant disadvantage and that can also enhance disabled childrenand young people’s personal, social and emotional development. They form part of the wider package of support available to disabled children and their families.
Acorn LodgeThe home accommodates up to 5 fully looked after young people of both sexes, aged between 11 and 17 years, children who have learning difficulties, physical and or sensory impairments and some children who may also present challenging behaviour.
Rainbow HouseRainbow House is a Short Breaks and Shared Care service. At any one time Rainbow House caters for up to 12 children and young people with learning disabilities, physical disabilities and sensory impairment. It can accommodate children between the ages of 8 and 17 years.
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Complex Needs Children’s Homes
Pupil tuition teamThe team provides sessional tuition to vulnerable leaners including young mothers, supporting pupils’ confidence in their learning and working towards the return or start in full time educational provision. The team considers referrals from schools and works with other agencies supporting the pupil and their family.
Commissioned service – Medical Needs Teaching ServiceThis service offers sessional tuition to young people currently in hospital or with on-going medical/mental health needs who cannot access full time education at their own school. The service provides home or centre based tuition with CAMHS alongside to support return to their home school where possible.
Elective home education teamThe team supports the LA duties in regard to elective home education where parents choose to take full responsibility for their child’s education.
The Best Practice Development Team develops local policy, provision and practice to meet the needs of children, young people and their families with special educational needs and disabilities. They work with a broad range of partners in response to local and national initiatives.
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Areas of work under Children missing out on education and exclusions monitoring lead
Educational psychology (all areas) 0113 378 5163SEN and Inclusion East North East 0113 224 3183SEN and Inclusion West North West 0113 224 3254SEN and Inclusion South 0113 378 5431
Child Health and Disability Team (ENE) 0113 378 5140Child Health and Disability Team (WNW) 0113 378 4068Child Health and Disability Team (South) 0113 378 4915
Occupational Therapy Team 0113 378 5140
Regional Specialist Paediatric Team 0113 392 2446 or 0113 392 3975
SENSAP (all areas) 0113 378 5256
The Sensory Service 0113 378 5296(DAHIT) 0113 378 5296(VIT) 0113 378 5296(Deaf Start) 0113 37 85346
Children missing out on education and exclusions monitoring
EHE team – office number Adams Court 0113 378 5028Pupil Tuition Team - CHS Pupil Tuition Team [email protected] – office number Adams Court 0113 378 5028Medical Needs Teaching Service 0113 336 8060
The STARS teamSpecialists Training in Autism and Raising Standards: 0113 336 8287 (city-wide service).
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Useful phone numbers
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