Disabled Children's Team (DCT)
The Disabled Children’s Team (DCT) is part of the range of Children’s Social Care services offered in Shropshire. We are a specialist service that offers support to children and young people, who have been assessed to need help under the Children Act 1989 and/or Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act 1970, with severe, enduring, complex disabilities aged 0-18 and their families.
The team offers a person-centred approach where children with a disability are regarded as children first and as children with additional needs second. We can provide information, support, and advice when a child’s disability is complex, and specialist social work assessment and intervention if required.
We work closely with parent carers and your child/young person to improve outcomes and life chances. We also work in partnership with health, education, and other professionals as appropriate who share responsibility to meet your child’s needs.
Our team is made up of Social Workers, Team Managers, Business Support, and a Service Manager, who all have specialist disability knowledge and experience. We are based in Shrewsbury and cover the county of Shropshire, excluding the area under the jurisdiction of Telford and Wrekin Council.
Our team aims to offer the right service at the right time. We aim to meet care and support needs whilst promoting choice, inclusivity and equality of opportunity. We support children and young people, working in partnership with their families to identify their strengths, to become more resilient, to minimise the impact of disability and to promote independence in preparation for adulthood. We work in partnership with the Preparing for Adulthood Team from when a young person is 16 to ensure a seamless transition to adult services when that person becomes 18.
The team aims to:
- ensure children and young people are safeguarded and protected from harm
- offer the right service at the right time
- meet care and support needs whilst promoting choice, inclusivity and equality of opportunity
- provide access to short breaks to deliver positive outcomes for children, young people and their families, including opportunities to have fun, learn new skills promote independence and life skills in preparation for adulthood
Who do we help?
Many children in Shropshire who require services will receive them through universal provision within their local community. The same should be true of any child with a disability. Disabled children have the same rights as other children and we want to ensure that, with the right support and the same opportunities, all children lead safe, healthy and fulfilling lives.
The Children Act 1989 places a duty on Children’s Services to provide or co-ordinate the provision of services to all disabled children:
‘To provide an appropriate range and level of services to safeguard and promote the welfare of children in need’ and ‘so far as is consistent with that duty to promote the upbringing of such children by their families’.
Social workers in the team assess needs and provide social work support and care management to children and young people who meet the eligibility criteria which includes:
- Severe learning disabilities
- Severe physical disabilities
- Profound multiple disabilities
- Severe sensory impairment
- Complex and severe health problems, including life-limiting conditions
We may sometimes be able to help children with less severe disabilities if:
- A parent has a disability or chronic illness
- The impact on the family is severe
- A sibling also has moderate disabilities
If your child/ young person has a disability, as identified in the criteria, this will lead to a Social Work Assessment being completed. Where your child clearly does not meet the criteria, the assessment would be signposted to an appropriate service.
Your child may have an education health and care plan (EHCP), but this does not mean they will meet the threshold for support from DCT. Similarly, your child does not need an EHCP to access our service.
What do we do?
The Disabled Children’s Team (DCT) works with children and young people up to the age of 18 and their families whose primary need for services is the child’s disability, which has a critical impact on the quality of the child, young person and their family’s lives and needs cannot be met by universal or targeted services alone.
DCT works to the same statutory requirements as all other children’s social work teams. This includes providing services through Children in Need, Child Protection and Children Looked After processes.
We undertake Social Work Assessments following referrals received through Compass which is the Children’s Social Care front-door. The conclusion of the assessment should provide a clear understanding of need that will enable care planning and inform service provision. The team aims to promote the care of children within their own families and communities by signposting to or providing services including short breaks if assessed as appropriate. A parent carer needs assessment will be offered, and undertaken if agreed, as part of all Social Work Assessments, as set out in Section 97 of the Children and Families Act 2014.
Some of the services that we provide alongside social work support include overnight short breaks, community based short breaks through groups or outreach and short breaks via Direct Payments. Not all children and families will need the same level of services, some need more than others because of the impact of their child’s disability or because of their individual family circumstances.
We know that needs change over time, and this is considered through a review process, revision of support plans and reassessments as appropriate.
We seek to support children, young people, and their families to identify their strengths, to become more resilient, to minimise the impact of disability and to promote independence in preparation for adulthood. We work in partnership with the Preparation for Adulthood Team from when a young person is 16 to ensure a seamless transition to Adult Services when the young person becomes 18.
We work closely with parent carers and children and young people to improve outcomes and life chances. We also work in partnership with health, education and other professionals who share a responsibility to ensure that the best outcomes are achieved for children and young people.
What we don't do
The Disabled Children’s Team does not provide:
- a service for social, emotional, and mental health needs
- education health and care plans (EHCP), although we do provide advice to contribute to your child’s EHC needs assessment and EHCP annual review
- a service to children and young people with Dyspraxia, ADHD, OCD and Dyslexia alone or in combination with each other
- a service to children and young people diagnosed with an Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD)/Autistic Spectrum Condition (ASC) in conjunction with Dyspraxia, ADHD, OCD, Dyslexia, unless their condition has a profound and enduring impact on their day–to–day living
- a service to a young person aged 18 or over as they would need to be assessed under the Care Act 2014 by Adult Services
How to access a Social Care service for your child with SEND
To access a social care service your child needs to first be referred into Children’s Social Care. This can be done by any practitioner who supports your child, with your consent, or yourself as their Parent Carer and is done by contacting Shropshire Council’s First Point of Contact (FPOC) on 0345 678 9021.
Once your child’s referral is received by Compass, which is the Children’s Social Care front-door a Social Worker will check their presenting needs against the threshold for support and send it through to the most appropriate team so that the right support can be offered. These teams could include:
- Early Help
- Safeguarding Assessment Team
- Disabled Children’s Team (DCT)
Following the threshold decision as parent carer you will be contacted, and checks are completed by Compass with health, education and social care to obtain any historical or current information or involvement. These checks are done with your permission.
Your child’s referral may result in signposting with no further action for Children’s Social Care.
All children with a disability who have been identified as needing support will be discussed at a new referral meeting called a triage meeting. This takes place weekly and will look at the eligibility for assessment. The meeting is attended by Senior Social Workers from DCT and Compass, Early Help and Public Health Nursing Service. Outcomes from the meeting may be that your child is offered an assessment under Section 17 of The Children Act 1989 as a Child in Need due to their disability; a whole family Early Help assessment or that there is no further action for social care. You will be notified of the outcome.
Professionals making referrals will need to complete the Multi-Agency Referral Form (MARF) <ADD LINK>
For existing service users who need to contact their DCT key worker or social worker directly:
Email - PACT-DCTMailbox@shropshire.gov.uk
Phone - 01743 250227
The assessment process with Disabled Children’s Team
If your child is accepted for an assessment with the Disabled Children’s Team (DCT) a Social Worker will be allocated and will contact you to arrange an initial home visit and ask for your permission to contact other practitioners involved with your child e.g., GP, school, Health Visitor, college.
Your child’s Social Work Assessment is usually completed within a 45-day timescale, however sometimes this may be longer due to your child’s needs. This can be done quicker depending on individual circumstances. As part of your child’s assessment, it will be considered whether it is necessary to provide support under Section 2 of the Chronically Sick and Disabled Person’s Act 1970.
Once the assessment is completed your child may be offered a support plan with DCT. This could be a Short Breaks Plan which would recommend provision based on your child’s needs. Some of your child’s needs may be better met by an Early Help service such as Autism West Midlands or targeted support for the whole family. It may be that the assessment identifies that all your child’s needs can be met by services other than social care or targeted early help. You will be signposted to alternative support offers at this point.
If your child has been assessed as needing access to community short breaks/overnight short breaks your Social Worker will discuss this with you and make a request to the DCT Resource Panel for funding through a Social Care Personal Budget known as a Direct Payment. The panel will consider your child’s needs and whether a short break will support them to achieve their identified outcomes, and if so, agree funding. The outcome of this will be shared with you.
If your child has a Short Breaks Plan this will be coordinated by the Short Break Reviewing Officer and reviewed every six months or more frequently if your child’s needs change. Sometimes if your family still needs support while your child has a Short Breaks Plan you will be offered this through an Early Help service.
If your child has a Child in Need plan (with or without recommendation for Short Breaks) you will be supported by a Social Worker. The plan will be reviewed every three months and you and your child will be asked to be part of this.
Shropshire Children With Disabilities Register
The Children Act 1989 requires all local authorities to keep a register of children with disabilities to assist with planning and monitoring services.
We're required to maintain the above, which holds information about children with disabilities, and gives service commissioners the access they need to information to plan and deliver effective services.
Inclusion on the register is voluntary, and parent carers can supply information to the register by following our All-in registration process, which we use to determine whether children with disabilities are eligible to access our All-in short breaks. Nearly all of the information on our register comes from that process.
All information is removed from the register once a young person turns 18.
The support we offer
We aim to offer the right service at the right time. We aim to meet care and support needs whilst promoting choice, inclusivity and equality of opportunity. We support children, young people, working in partnership with their families to identify their strengths, to become more resilient, to minimise the impact of disability and to promote independence in preparation for adulthood.
The team aims to:
- Ensure children and young people are safeguarded and protected from harm
- To offer the right service at the right time
- To meet care and support needs whilst promoting choice, inclusivity and equality of opportunity
- Our aim is that short breaks deliver positive outcomes for children, young people and their families, including opportunities to have fun, learn new skills promote independence and life skills in preparation for adulthood
Two social workers within the team are currently involved in a pilot project for preparing for adulthood. The aim of which is to strengthen transition planning between children's and adult services, change culture, identify gaps in provision, and also areas for development and practice in relation to preparation for adulthood.
We understand that all families are different and need different levels of support and different types of 'short breaks' dependent on their child’s disability, age and family circumstances.
Not all children and families will need the same level of short breaks: some will need more than others because of the impact of their child’s disability; some families may need more support because of their individual family circumstances. It is also recognised that needs change over time for a child with a disability and their families. This is considered in reviews and reassessments as appropriate.
Our aim is that short breaks deliver positive outcomes for children, young people and their families, including opportunities to have fun, learn new skills and promote independence where possible.
The Breaks for Carers of Disabled Children Regulations 2011 require local authorities to set out a range of services that will help parents of disabled children to have breaks from their caring responsibilities. This is set out within the Shropshire Short Breaks Statement.
Examples of some of the services we might be able to provide or organise based on assessed need include:
- The opportunity for children and families to have a short break
- Support for a child to access their community
- Short breaks such as family-based shared care, residential overnights, outreach, sessional support, childminding
- Support in meeting a young person’s personal care needs
- Direct payments for carers of disabled children for children services
- Direct payments for children with a disability who are 16-17 years old
These services can only be provided following a social care assessment of your child’s needs and those of your family. Services for disabled children are provided under Section 2 of the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act 1970, and under the Children Act 1989.
The type of break and frequency will depend on assessed needs and the impact the disability has on family life. When we assess the needs of a child with a disability we also take into account the needs of their parents and other children within their immediate family.
Section 97 of the Children and Families Act 2014 requires local authorities to assess parents and carers on the appearance of need, or where an assessment is requested by the parent/carer. This is called a ‘parent carers needs assessment’.
We work in partnership with the Preparing for Adulthood Team from when a young person is 16 to ensure a seamless transition to adult services when that person becomes 18.
'Looked-after' children
Children and young people in care are children who have become the responsibility of the local authority. This can happen by voluntary arrangement with parents or through a court order.
It can be for a variety of reasons, such as the impact of complex disability upon the family despite a high level of support, parents struggling to manage the needs of their child for various reasons, or intervention by children’s services or the police due to safeguarding concerns.
Children who are Looked-after can live in a variety of arrangements, for example in at home with their parents under supervision, in a foster placement or in a residential home. Children with SEND who are Looked-after usually receive specialist help from the Shropshire Virtual School.