What do we mean by 'special needs'?

A child who has, or is likely to have moderate, severe or profound difficulties in one or more of the following areas:

• hearing
• vision
• speech or language
• learning difficulty
• physical health - including continence, ability to move themselves/mobility, personal care, use of hands or eating and drinking
• emotional or mental health
• behaviour

When the child has, or is likely to have, difficulties which are complex or severe such that they will require a co-ordinated response from more than one agency, their needs will be assessed through the Joint Agency approach.

Joint Agency Services

In Devon services for children with special needs are delivered by Joint Agency Services.

Why joint agency services?

Reviews highlighted that many families:

• were confused as to where to go for advice
• said they were giving many people the same information
• said that assessments seemed to be duplicated
• felt that many services were poorly funded or inaccessible.

Many professionals:

• didn't understand the funding of different types of care
• had heavy case loads and long waiting lists
• were not able to use their particular skills because they spent too much time on administration.

The Joint Agency Service's have agreed to work towards a common format for assessment, planning and review for children with complex needs.

Is a joint agency assessment needed?

The person working most closely with the child and the parent/carers may decide that more specialist help is needed. If so, the child's information will be shared with a joint agency team working in your locality.

The Joint Agency Service may decide that a comprehensive joint agency assessment is NOT needed. If so they will either:

• advise how the child's difficulties might be better managed by the family and the people presently involved, without the need for more specialist input, or
• offer more specialist input to help manage a particular area of difficulty.

How is the joint agency assessment undertaken?

If the locality team decide that a joint agency assessment is needed, they will:

• decide which areas of difficulty require further assessment and who should de this. They may include an assessment of the needs of the main carers as well as those of the child
• appoint an initial keyworker who will explain who will be involved and how long it will take.

The professionals involved will submit a written report to the keyworker, with a summary of the main needs they have identified. the keyworker will prepare a summary of the specialist assessments.

How is the joint agency plan drawn up?

The action proposed will be recorded in a 'joint agency plan'. The keyworker will discuss the assessment review or care planning process with the carers beforehand and will decide with them if a meeting is needed. If a meeting is needed, the keyworker will decide with the carers who should attend and how the carers can be helped to contribute fully to the meeting.

A meeting will:

• consider all the individual assessments
• agree an integrated summary of assessed needs
• consider with the carers whether the child should be on a record of children with special needs
• recommend and, where possible, decide on the services to be provided and any further assessment work needed
• confirm the named keyworker
• set a date for the first review of the joint agency plan.

Implementing the plan

The joint agency plan will:

• clearly set out the outcomes to be achieved for your child and family
• define the accountabilities of everyone involved.

The keyworker will:

• be the first point of contact
• help ensure that the plan is implemented as intended
• decide whether an earlier review is needed if the needs of the child or family change unexpectedly.

• Joint Agency Service Processes
• Information Sharing by the Statutory Agencies