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Contents

1. The Children Act 1989 Definition
2. Child Health and Disability Team (CHAD)
3. Referrals to the CHAD Team
4. Assessments in Respect of Children/Young People with Disabilities when the Referral is for a Assessment of Need in Respect of the Child/Young Persons Disability
5. Section 47 Enquiries in Respect of Children/Young People with Disabilities when the Referral is due to the Concerns about a Child's Welfare and not a Request for an Assessment due to the Child/Young Persons Disability
6. Specialist Resources

1. The Children Act 1989 Definition

The Children Act 1989 defines a category of Child in Need for whom Children & Young Peoples' Care should provide services, if necessary, to safeguard and promote their welfare. A child is defined by the Act as being 'in need' if:

• He is unlikely to achieve or maintain, or have the opportunity of achieving or maintaining, a reasonable standard of health or development without the provision of services by a Local Authority under this part of the Act.
• His health or development is likely to be significantly impaired, or further impaired, without the provision for him of such services; or
• He is disabled.

The Children Act definition of disability states that:

"a child is disabled if he is blind, deaf or dumb or suffers from mental disorder of any kind or is substantially and permanently handicapped by illness, injury or congenital deformity or such other disability as may be prescribed".

2. Child Health and Disability Team (CHAD)

The criterion for access to the social work service for children and young people with disabilities is

"The child has a major physical or sensory impairment and/or a moderate to severe learning disability and there is an ongoing high level of dependency on others for personal care and the meeting of other basic needs".

The service does not normally work with children and young people who have mild learning difficulties, or who have ADD or ADHD, or emotional and behavioural difficulties, unless they also have a moderate to severe learning or physical disability. CHAD will be able to offer advice in respect of cases that do not meet the above criterion.

CHAD has three Child Health & Disability Teams that are area based; West/North-West; East/North-East and South. Each team undertakes assessments and care management tasks.

3. Referrals to the CHAD Teams

Any referral to CHAD will have a completed common assessment. This will demonstrate that the child's identified needs are unable to be met by universal/targeted services. Without a common assessment the referral will not be proceed to an assessment being undertaken by Children & Young peoples' Social Care.

Any referral to CHAD should be made via the usual route of the call centre with a copy of the common assessment attached to the written confirmation of referral

4. Assessments in Respect of Children/Young People with Disabilities when the Referral is for a Assessment of Need in Respect of the Child/Young Persons Disability

The local area CHAD team will complete the Initial Assessment. Depending on the outcome of this assessment, a Core Assessment will be undertaken and appropriate support put in place if identified as a need.

5. Section 47 Enquiries in Respect of Children/Young People with Disabilities when the Referral is due to the Concerns about a Child's Welfare and not a Request for an Assessment due to the Child/Young Persons Disability

Child/young person with a disability not open to social care at the point of referral - area to investigate with access to CHAD for advice and support. 

Child with a disability open to CHAD social worker and there are other children in the family that are not disabled - joint investigation with CHAD and Area worker if concerns relate to all children. CHAD to be the lead for the disabled child, area to lead non-disabled children.

Disabled child/young person open to CHAD - CHAD will investigate with access to Area support. 

6. Specialist Resources

CHAD is a specialist resource , therefore the children/young people who meet the criterion for access to CHAD should also meet the criteria for access to the specialist resources - e.g. Family Placement, Broom Court, Pinfolds, Acorn Lodge, Weekenders and Health residential provision.  Children/young people who do not meet this criteria are not held in CHAD.

End