Social Care and Learning, Housing

Social Services and Housing Department

Bracknell Forest Borough Council
Time Square
Market Street
Bracknell
RG12 1JD

The main office opening hours are Monday to Friday 8.30am to 5.00pm.  There are a number of different services available to support children with special needs, both within the Social Services section and the Housing section.  The two sections of the department work closely with each other wherever appropriate.

Disabled Children Team

This team consists of specialist social workers and an occupational therapist, who deal with enquiries and signpost families with disabled children to the relevant agencies.  They also undertake core assessments of disabled children and review and monitor the services provided by the department, in partnership with the parents and/or carers.  New referrals are processed by the Children’s Services Duty Team for an initial assessment.  They are then passed on to the Disabled Children Team for ongoing work and/or further complex assessments.  The aim of the team is to ensure that disabled children and their families receive help and support where an assessment indicates this is appropriate to their need.

Larchwood Short Break Unit

10 Portman Close

See entry in Short Breaks section.

Family Placement Team

This team provides family placements for all children assessed as being in need of care in a substitute family, including foster care, adoptive families and short breaks for children with disabilities.  For further information about short breaks, see the entry in the Short Breaks section.

Bracknell Family Centre

Wick Hill Cottage
Warfield Road
Bracknell
RG12 2JA

The Family Centre provides support for families who are experiencing difficulties and where there is a risk of breakdown in family relationships.  Support includes a general session for families, parent groups, individual work, Parenting Assessments for families, and play therapy.  The Family Centre has a sensory unit located at the rear side of the building.  The ground floor of the main building is fully accessible to those with limited mobility.

All referrals must go through the Children’s Services Duty Team at Time Square for an initial assessment to ensure that families meet the Department’s eligibility criteria.

The Child Participation and Development Officer

The main role of the Child Participation and Development Officer is to ensure that children and young people of any age or ability, who use children’s services, are able to comment or complain about, contribute to and participate in, planning or services relating to them.

The Child Participation and Development Officer may work with individual children and young people or with groups and can ensure that a child or young person has access to an independent advocacy service if appropriate.

Young Carers’ Group

This is a group for young people, aged 10 to 15 years, who have parents or siblings who are disabled.  The group meets fortnightly, is free and has transport provided.  For further details, contact Emma.

Margaret Wells-Furby Children’s Resource Centre

Great Hollands Square
Great Hollands
Bracknell
RG12 8UX

The project provides a range of services for children of pre-school age who have special needs, and their families.  The Centre is managed by NCH, through a partnership arrangement between NCH, Education, Children’s Services and Libraries, and Bracknell Forest Primary Care Trust.  Multi-disciplinary assessments are undertaken, by a combination of Health, Education and NCH staff.  Other support groups include a physiotherapy group, a family support group and a children only group.

The centre also runs the National Autistic Society EarlyBird programme for parents of children diagnosed with an autistic spectrum disorder.

Referrals to the Centre have to be made by Health, Social Care or Education professionals, with the exception of referrals to the EarlyBird programme.  Parents may refer themselves to this as long as their children have a formal diagnosis of an autistic spectrum disorder.

Dialogue Group

Contact: Mary Hands - Information Development Worker
Children’s Information Centre
49 Broadway
Bracknell

This is a discussion and consultation group, set up by Bracknell Forest Borough Council, to provide an opportunity for parents and carers of children with special needs to meet to discuss relevant issues with professionals from Children’s Services, other agencies such as Health or Education and local councillors.  The group meets on a bi-monthly basis and covers a range of topics, aiming to feedback parent and carer views into the planning and development of services.  A crèche is available.  For dates and times, please contact Mary Hands.

Family Resource Centre UK

This is a centre providing information about childcare, children’s services and activities in Bracknell Forest and is run as a partnership between three of the unitary authorities in Berkshire: Reading, West Berkshire and Bracknell Forest.  For full details see entry in Early Years section.

Voluntary Register of Children with Disabilities

This has been developed in conjunction with local partner agencies, parents and the voluntary sector, in order to comply with the Children Act 1989, which requires every local authority to hold a record of the disabled children living in their area.  The intention is that accurate information can be collected about children who have disabilities or special needs, so that the planning of services for these children can be improved.  The register is confidential, and names held on it are not released to any other agency without prior permission from the parents.

Inclusion on this register is entirely voluntary and is dependent on the child meeting the criteria for registration.  Further information can be obtained from the Disabled Children Team.

Community Team for People with a Learning Disability (CTPLD)

Waymead
St Anthony’s Close
Priestwood
Bracknell
RG42 2EB

The CTPLD is a multi-disciplinary team, mostly serving the needs of adults with a learning disability.  They work closely with the Disabled Children Team during the transition years.

Sensory Needs Services

This is a Berkshire-wide service, provided under an agreement between five Berkshire unitary authorities (Slough have set up their own service).  The Sensory Needs Service is split into two teams, the Visual Impairment Team and the Deaf Services Team.

Visual Impairment Team

Wellington House
Wellington Road
Wokingham
RG40 2QB

This team provides a range of services for adults and children who are visually impaired, focussing on the rehabilitation perspective.  A team of rehabilitation officers will undertake a holistic assessment and will refer to other agencies where appropriate.  They provide comprehensive advice on all aspects of living with visual impairment, equipment and adaptations to assist daily living and full training of the visually impaired person.  They will liaise with the Sensory Consortium Service on educational issues.

Children being supported by this service have to have a significant eye problem but they do not have to be registered as visually impaired.

A duty officer is available for telephone advice and personal callers on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays between 9.30am and 1.30pm.  Messages will be left for the Duty officer at other times.

Deaf Services Team

Lytham Court
Lytham Road
Woodley
Reading
RG5 3PQ

The team provides social services to deaf and hard of hearing adults and children.  It consists of specialist workers who can communicate in a variety of ways and are able to use sign language (BSL/SSE).  They aim to provide social work support, information about essential equipment to assist daily living and information about deaf issues and deaf clubs.  They may also be able to provide specialist services in addition to those which the local Social Services offices can provide and they work closely with other agencies.

A duty officer is available for telephone advice and personal callers on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays between 9am and 1pm.  Messages will be taken for the Duty Officer at other times.

Blue Badge Scheme - disabled parking

Contact the Blue Badge Administrator at Time Square.

A blue badge, which allows recipients to park in any car parking space reserved specifically for disabled people, is given as of right to adults and children in receipt of the higher rate of DLA mobility allowance and/or registered blind.  From October 2007 Blue Badges will be available to very young severely disabled children with leg braces/callipers and children under two whose parents need to transport bulky medical equipment - for example oxygen cylinders. Other applicants are assessed individually.  Please apply to the administrator for an application form.

Parents or carers of children with special needs may find that their homes are not suitable for the circumstances in which they find themselves.  There is a range of services available to assist with problems.

Alternative housing

If parents or carers wish to discuss their request for alternative housing, they should contact:
Applicant Services

Adaptations and fixed equipment

If the child’s home is in need of adaptation or alteration, initially this should be discussed with an Occupational Therapist from the Disabled Children Team.  Under some circumstances it may be possible to apply for a Disabled Facilities Grant, which is not means tested.  Contact the Disabled Children Team on the number listed earlier for further details.

Warm Front Grant

When a child is severely disabled with limited mobility, there may be further grants available, such as a Warm Front Grant.  This is normally only available to homeowners who are claiming benefits in their own right, but there may be certain circumstances under which it can be claimed on behalf of a child.  It may be worth a discussion with an officer in the Warm Front Grant scheme.  The freephone telephone number is 0800 316 6011.

Heating and Insulation

If you are concerned about the heating and insulation levels in your house, it is possible to request a free Home Energy visit by the Sustainable Energy Officer within Bracknell Forest Borough Council.

This officer will advise on the best ways to conserve heat and insulate the house.  They can provide information about discounts if parents wish to purchase house insulation.  There is also a freephone number to contact for quotes for discounted loft and cavity wall insulation:

Those on income related benefits may be entitled to free insulation, and may be able to have heating installed, repaired or replaced, although often there are long waits.  For more information please call Warm Front Grants on 0800 316 6011.

British Gas discount prices for loft and cavity wall insulation schemes.  Please quote BRAC for details of £50 rebate scheme.

Contents of the guide:

Introduction
1. Access
2. Advocacy
3. Counselling
4. Early Years
5. Education
6. Equipment, Mobility and Transport
7. Financial Matters
8. Health
9. Holidays
10. Information Technology
11. Leisure
12. Local Support
13. National Organisations
14. Publications
15. Short Breaks
16. Social Services and Housing
17. Transition
18. Working Parents/Carers

Index