Disabled Children's Team - NCT

The Disabled Children’s Team is a statutory service that focuses on the most vulnerable disabled children and young people in Northamptonshire.

The team ensures that children and young people with substantial and long-term disabilities and complex health needs are given every opportunity to meet their full potential, enjoy the best possible quality-of-life, and are safeguarded from harm.

The Disabled Children’s Team provides a social model of disability that challenges and seeks to remove the barriers to children and young people with disabilities and thus enable all children and young people to have access and opportunities to reach their full potential.

Referrals to the Disabled Children’s Team are made through the Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) and will be for a Child in Need (CIN) as per the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act 1970 (CSDPA).

Eligibility Criteria:

In order for a child or young person to be considered for specialist (tier 4) support from the Disabled Children’s Team, a number of areas of need relating to the child’s disability and impact on the family are considered. The needs identified below are usually present for intervention from the Disabled Children’s Team to be provided.

Disabled children meeting eligibility for specialist (tier 4) services will usually have:

• Severe learning disabilities
• Severe physical disabilities that require a high level of personal care support, without which their independence would be significantly restricted; including substantial sensory impairment together with auditory and/or visual impairment
• Severe developmental delay in motor and/or cognitive functioning
• Profound multiple disabilities
• Complex and severe health problems that arise from the disability, that are life limiting, degenerative illness or organic disorder resulting in severe disability
• Children and young people who are diagnosed with Autistic spectrum disorder which has a significant impact on their communication needs, social and behavioural development.

The Disabled Children’s Team is unlikely to provide a service to children with:

• Moderate physical disabilities
• Specific learning difficulties
• Speech and language difficulties
• Minor sensory impairment
• Educational problems
• Emotional and behavioural problems including children with ADHD
• Mild to moderate developmental delay
• Mental Health difficulties
• Anxiety

Children and young people with disabilities who do not meet the criteria for this specialist support may require services from other tier-four services or lower tier services. Detailed information about the social care thresholds (tiers) can be found here:

• Northamptonshire Safeguarding Children Partnership - Thresholds Guidance (PDF 461KB)
• Local Offer guide to Social Care and Early Help for disabled children and young people.