Specialist Health Visiting Team
The Specialist Health Visiting team are a skill mixed team, including Health Visitors, Nursery Nurses, and administrative support. The team work closely with Paediatricians, Therapists and agencies outsides of health including Education and Social Care, also working with independent and voluntary services across Essex & Thurrock. The team provide advice, support, and assessment to families of children with additional or suspected additional needs, complimenting universal services — Family hubs | Thurrock Council.
Specialist Health Visitors are qualified nurses with additional qualifications and experience relating to the complexity and special needs of children and the impact this has on the individual and wider family. They manage the skill mixed team in localities Thurrock, Brentwood/Billericay, and Basildon/Wickford. They help develop and deliver care pathways for children with additional needs, offering advice, support, and assessment, working in partnership with the multi-disciplinary teams and partner agencies.
Nursery Nurses are trained in child development and observation and have acquired additional skills through experience and training. They can assist in the delivery of care pathways for children with additional needs, offering advice, support and interventions to children and their families. They also work using a partnership approach with the multi-agency team and partner agencies.
Referral criteria
Referral criteria
Children must be aged between 0-19 years of age and have complex health care needs with impairment in at least two areas of development e.g.
• Life limiting health conditions
• Severe learning difficulties or profound multiple difficulties
• Physical neurological impairment where assessment is required
• Global developmental delay
• Social and communication difficulties where assessment is required
• Diagnosed social and communication disorders
Referrals are received through the Children Single Point of Access these referrals can come from any professional giving clear indication of what is required from the specialist health visiting team that universal serves are unable to offer.
Find the referral form here - Specialist Health Visiting Referral Form.docx [docx] 62KB
Essex Local Offer
Information about support services and local opportunities for children and young people with SEND – find what you need all in one place. https://www.essexlocaloffer.org.uk/
SEND Information & Advice Support Service http://www.essexlocaloffer.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/SENDIASS-Leaflet-for-Parents-and-Carers.pdf We can help by listening to your concerns and explaining what options are available, explaining how education settings can support children and young people with special educational needs/a disability. Giving you information about what the law is and what your choices are, to help you make your own decisions. Supporting you where required at meetings and helping you to get your views across, finding voluntary groups and other agencies that can also support you, with the help of the Essex Local Offer, guiding you through the Education, Health and Care Needs assessment process. Supporting you in discussions with education settings and
The local authority where a child or young person is at risk of exclusion or has been excluded, advise you on processes for resolving disagreements, appeals processes and means of redress. Consulting parents, children and young people and ensuring your views influence the development of local policy and practice for children and young people with special educational needs/a disability
Good Beginnings http://www.essexlocaloffer.org.uk/listing/good-beginnings-course/ For parents/carers of Early Years children aged 5 or under, who have autism or social communication needs.
Thurrock Local Offer
https://www.askthurrock.org.uk/kb5/thurrock/fis/localoffer.page
PATT SENDIASS http://www.patt.org.uk/ Give advice and guidance on SEN Support, guidance and resources to families to complete Family Views documents. Support Young People to give their views and create a One Page Profile. Support families on all aspects of the EHCP process, Arrange and attend Disagreement Resolution Meetings with the family/local authority/school, Support family to identify appropriate provision at Transition Stages. Support families at School Exclusion Hearings and/or Independent Review Panel Hearings. Support family/young person with all aspects of Preparing for Adulthood. Give guidance to family and school on Local Authority Policy & SEND law. Identify and signpost to local support groups and national organisations
Activities & Clubs https://www.askthurrock.org.uk/kb5/thurrock/fis/results.page?localofferchannel=2676a&lo_persona=2