Supporting children with vision and sensory impairment

We can advise and support you and your child in the following ways:

Advice, assessment and skills training

We provide advice, information, assessment, and training throughout the year. Your child may be offered support and training after an assessment has been completed. This may include learning or the re-learning of life skills.

We may also offer awareness and skills training to those supporting your child.

We deliver our services (training, advice and support) where they are most needed. This can be at home, in an educational or club setting and the wider community.

The combination of help and support families can receive will depend upon their needs. The list below gives some examples of the kinds of training we provide and the reasons why:

• Understanding spatial concepts – such as in front, behind, above, below (orientation).
• Understanding proprioception, which means for one’s body to sense its position, movement and actions in relation to its surroundings – for example, holding your hand next to your right ear.
• Learning and feeling confident using ‘sighted guide’ techniques (important for both guider and those being guided).
• Using a long cane or symbol cane (independence).
• Learning routes – this means teaching the young person the skills to find their way, for example, to school or shops and return home as independently as possible. This can be on foot or by public transport.
• Learning to walk in pedestrian areas and cross roads safely.
• Using public transport (independence).
• Using technology (independence).
• Managing independent life skills including shopping and cooking.

Please remember you can always contact us to discuss any of the above if you have any questions or queries.

Early years

We run an outreach session called the SENSE-ory group for parents, carers and under 5’s. This group is for young children with a dual sensory (vision and hearing) or visual impairment.

The venue is in Exeter but open to all Devon families. Contact us if you would like further information about this group. Why not come along and meet Charlie Caterpillar!

Information and support for babies born premature or unwell can be found here at Bliss.

The WonderBaby website was founded by Amber Bobnar who describes WonderBaby as being “dedicated to helping parents of young children with visual impairments as well as children with multiple disabilities”.

Free home safety checks

The ROVIC Service work in partnership with the Devon & Somerset Fire and Rescue Service. We can arrange a home safety visit on your behalf. See our contact us page for details of how to get in touch.

You can also make direct contact by telephone on 0800 05 02 999 or for further information please look at the Devon & Somerset Fire and Rescue Service website.

A needs assessment

All children and young people with disabilities under 18 years old, who live within the Devon Local Authority boundaries and who have a disability can ask for an assessment of all their needs.

The purpose of a needs assessment (Care Act 2014) is to identify:

• what needs the child or young person may have
• what can be done so that their wellbeing is maintained or improved.
• the needs and wellbeing of siblings, young carers, parents and carers are also taken into account

The outcome of this assessment will identify the individual’s needs so that the local authority can provide an appropriate response, at the right time to meet the level of the young person’s needs. This might range from offering guidance and information to arranging for services, including direct payments (a personal budget) to meet those needs.

The Disabled Children’s Service can undertake a needs assessment. Find out more about accessing support from the Disabled Children’s Service.

Education, health and care (EHC) plans

We can provide contributions towards EHC plans. Early years and educational settings can contact the Single Point of Access (SPA) to ask the ROVIC Service to provide information about your child’s sensory impairment and needs. Find out more about EHC plans.

We offer support children and young people (up to 18 years old) who have a:

• vision impairment
• dual sensory impairment (vision and hearing impairments)
• multisensory impairment (vision, hearing, additional sensory processing and or disabilities)
• deafblind impairment
• registration status of sight impaired or severely sight impaired
• deafblind record

If you would like to talk about your child’s needs or discuss making a referral then please contact us.

If you think your child is eligible for an assessment from our service then you, your child or a professional who knows your child (for example, an ophthalmologist, orthoptist, social care worker, healthcare worker, teacher, GP or support worker) should complete the Request for Services form.

Alternatively, you can write to:

ROVIC Service
Devon County Council
County Hall – Room 235
Topsham Road
Exeter
EX2 4QD

If you need help completing the form or would like to discuss anything, please telephone the ROVIC Team on 01392 380992 (telephone line is available 9.00 am to 5.00 pm Monday to Thursday).

Our Clinical Service Manager will review the information provided on the request for service form to understand the needs that your child and family have. They will use this information to decide whether an assessment by our service is required or will signpost you to other services.

When a request for service has been accepted, we will contact you (as parent/carers) to start the assessment process.

To help us understand your child’s needs, we will get to know you and your child. This will include observing your child and areas of difficulty.

We’ll also discuss concerns and progress during our assessment.

We will work with you, your child and, wherever possible and appropriate, other professionals to gather information to help us understand and identify your child’s visual or dual sensory / deafblind needs, and whether habilitation and rehabilitation could support them.

With your permission, and in order to fully see the benefits of working together, we will work with other professional teams across health, education and social care.

We will identify the training recommended to support your child’s independence and learning of life skills.

The ROVIC Service will agree a workable training programme with you and your child. This can include other settings such as education and clubs.

At the end of a training programme, we often recommend a time of ‘consolidation’. This means a time to practice and perfect those newly learnt skills.

We also know that throughout childhood the need for independence and inclusion can change. Therefore, we will support the development of childhood and transition skills based on your child’s visual needs.

Only an Ophthalmologist (eye doctor) can issue a ‘Certificate of Vision Impairment’ (CVI), change it or officially cancel it (de-certify).

This link explains why and how a certificate of vision impairment is given.

The CVI formally confirms someone as either severely sight impaired or sight impaired.

The CVI is also a request for a social care assessment. This assessment can bring together services and support if needed. In Devon, the ROVIC Service carry out this assessment as part of the CVI registration process for all children under the age of 18.

The ophthalmologist will send a copy of the CVI to the ROVIC Service. Once we receive this, we will contact you.

What happens after a CVI has been issued

The issuing of a Certificate of Vision Impairment (CVI) by a consultant in ophthalmology (eye doctor) formally confirms the level of vision as either severely sight impaired or sight impaired.

The CVI also acts as a request for a social care assessment. This assessment will be undertaken by the ROVIC Service.

Completing the registration process

After we have received a copy of the CVI from the consultant ophthalmologist we will contact you to arrange either a home visit, video or telephone call. Please allow around 90 minutes for this meeting. We need time to make sure we find out what support your child or young person might need from us.

Following our meeting with you we might, with your agreement:

• make a referral to other specialist services
• sign post you to local or national charities and organisations
• make a referral to the Disabled Children’s Service and request a social care needs assessment

Local authority register for vision impairment

Under the Care Act 2014 all local authorities have a duty to keep a register of people issued with a CVI for their sight loss.

In Devon, the register for those under the age of 18 years is kept and maintained by the ROVIC Service. However, you can choose not to have your child’s name added to this register. If you have any questions or concerns about this please contact us.

Information about the Care Act 2014 can be found here.

A social care needs assessment

Children and young people with disabilities under 18 years old can ask for an assessment of all their needs.

The aim of a needs assessment is to find out the needs of both the child as well as their family and agree outcomes to help maintain or improve their wellbeing.

This can range from offering information and sign posting, to the arranging of services or support, including direct payments (personal budgets) to meet the identified needs.

The Disabled Children’s Service can undertake a child’s needs assessment. Find out more about accessing support from the Disabled Children’s Service.

Information pack

A ROVIC information pack will be given during the home visit or hospital eye clinic appointment. If you need an additional or replacement pack please contact us.

CVI – benefits and concessions

You might be eligible for the following benefits and concessions if you are certified as either sight impaired or severely sight impaired:

1. The National Bus Pass gives free off peak travel on local buses anywhere in England from age 5 years.
2. The Disabled Persons Railcard provides a discount when travelling by train. One adult can get a third off most rail fares. Fares will be charged for children aged between 5 and 15 years old.
3. Rail discounts are also available in England and Wales if you don’t have a Disabled Persons Railcard. You can use the ROVIC ‘registration’ card to buy discounted rail tickets.
4. For customers who stay in their own wheelchair during a rail journey, concessionary rail discounts are available on adult and child fares.
5. The Cinema Exhibitors Association offer a national concessionary card that enables those aged 8 years and over with disabilities to receive a complimentary ticket for someone to go to the cinema with them.
6. Royal Mail offers free postage on qualifying items labelled ‘Articles for the Blind’.

The following additional benefits are available only if you are certified as severely sight impaired:

1. There is a 50% reduction in the cost of a TV license for those who are certified as severely sight impaired.
2. The Blue Badge parking scheme helps people with disabilities or health conditions park closer to their destination.
3. The Devon Companion Bus Pass is available to applicants of secondary school age or above who are registered severely sight impaired or have a severe disability and are only able to access local bus services with the assistance of a travelling companion.

The above information can also be found in the Starting Out booklet from the RNIB.

Registration card

We will send you a registration card which will state:

• your name
• your home address
• the date the certificate was issued
• your visual impairment status of either sight impaired or severely sight impaired

This card can be used instead of the paper certificate to access leisure concessions when out and about.

Free home safety checks

The ROVIC Service work in partnership with the Devon & Somerset Fire and Rescue Service. We can arrange a home safety visit on your behalf. See our contact us page for details of how to get in touch.

You can also make direct contact by telephone on 0800 05 02 999 or for further information please look at the Devon & Somerset Fire and Rescue Service website.

Local Authorities have statutory responsibilities towards assessing the needs of children and young people who have a combined sight and hearing impairment causing difficulties with communication, access to information and mobility. Children and young people do not need to be completely deaf and blind. As with other conditions dual sensory impairment spans a continuum of need ranging from slight sensory impairments to severe / total deafblind sensory loss and complex disabilities.

The local authority are required to provide specialist assessments, appropriate information and services designed to meet the needs of children and young people presenting with a combination of sight and hearing impairment.

Within Devon the ROVIC Service undertake these assessments for children and young people up to the age of 18 years old. You can read more about the Deafblind Policy guidance we follow here.

The Guidance in brief

The responsibilities are to:

• identify, make contact with and keep a record of children and young people presenting with a combination of sight and hearing impairment in the Devon area (including those who have dual sensory impairment / deafblindness)
• ensure that when an assessment is required or requested, it is carried out by a specifically trained person or team, equipped to assess the needs of a child or young person with dual sensory impairment in relation to their communication, access to information and mobility
• ensure they are able to access specifically trained one-to-one support workers for those children and young people they assess as requiring one
• ensure that appropriate services are provided to those children and young people identified with dual sensory impairment or deafblind needs, who are not necessarily able to benefit from mainstream services or those services aimed primarily toward vision or deaf impairments
• provide information about services in formats and through methods that are accessible to those with dual sensory impaired / deafblindness
• ensure that one member of senior management includes, within their responsibilities, overall responsibility for deafblind services.

Areas covered in the assessment include:

• use of vision and hearing
• use of other senses
• orientation, mobility and impendence skills
• communication and access to information
• emotional, social and personal skills
• health and medical needs
• behaviour
• educational needs
• leisure needs

If you would like to discuss the deafblind policy guidance further please contact us.

Information and support is also available from Deafblind UK and SENSE.

Parents, Carers and Professionals can request our services using the online request for service form.

We work from several offices across Devon. County Hall in Exeter is our administrative office base. Our other offices listed below:

• Springfield Court, Barnstaple.
• Phoenix House, Tiverton.
• Follaton House, Totnes.

Email us at ROVIC@devon.gov.uk

Call us on 01392 380992 (telephone line is available 9.00 am to 5.00 pm Monday to Thursday).

Post to:

ROVIC Service
Devon County Council
County Hall – Room 235
Topsham Road
Exeter
EX2 4QD

There are lots of organisations and charities that offer support and resources to help children and young people with sensory impairments or difficulties.

Sensory signposting guides

• Sensory signposting guide: Vision impairment
• Sensory signposting guide: Deaf and Hearing impairment
• Sensory signposting guide: Dual Sensory impairments

Sensory support charities and organisations

• Charities offering Vision impairment support
• Charities offering Deaf and Hearing impairment support
• Charities offering Dual Sensory impairment support

Additional resources

• Resources for vision impairment
• Resources for hearing impairment
• Lending libraries – audio, braille, large print and tactile books
• Resources to help early years aged children (0-5)
• Resources to support transitions for young people age 14+

Staying well and safe

• Resources to help keep children and young people safe
• Wellbeing support