Health care and support

Many children and young people with SEND will also require support from the health services. Finding your way around the NHS can seem confusing, especially if your child needs to be seen by lots of different health professionals and services. CONTACT have some really useful information about health support on their website. This includes;

• an introduction to the NHS and how it works
• the different types of services 
• moving to adult services
• top tips for appointments
• what to do if things go wrong

You can find all this information by clicking here.

If the child or young person has an EHC Plan, this may cover their health needs relating to their SEN and social care needs relating to their SEN or to a disability. You should discuss this with your SEND officer in the first instance. Bolton also has a DCO (designated clinical officer) whose role it is to oversee and support joined up working between services for children with SEND who have health needs. 

For all children, access to timely health services are paramount to families wellbeing. Knowing where to go for guidance can be crucial in getting those early concerns addressed. The SEND handbook contains health service profiles, where you can find out what the different health services do here in Bolton, how they can help children with SEND, how they are accessed, and how to get in touch. You can view the SEND handbook here.

Bolton IAS can support you to access and navigate health services. We can also support you if things go wrong and you need support to get things on the right track again.