The Blenheim team consists of consultant paediatricians specialising in child development, specialist nursing team, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, specialist speech and language therapists who are all supported by an administration team.
They work with families and other professionals involved to assess and support a child to reach their developmental potential.
Assessments take place during normal working hours in a range of venues, including the child’s home, nursery and clinic setting. A child may be referred to other services such as feeding clinic, ophthalmology, children’s hearing services and the continence team as well as educational services as appropriate.
When a developmental delay is identified a referral will be submitted, with your consent to the child development centre. This may be to one or more of the services available. You will continue to receive support from your health visitor.
There may be a wait for your first appointment but please be assured you will continue to receive support from the professionals known to you and your child including your family health visiting team.
Your child will be invited to attend a clinic appointment with one of our consultant paediatricians to gather relevant information, undertake a full physical examination and assessment.
One of the specialist nursing team will complete an in-depth developmental assessment with your child through play.
A plan will then be discussed and agreed with you and will include signposting for ongoing support for you and your child.
We may need to liaise with other professionals such as nursery or the Specialist Educational Needs and Disabilities Team (SEND) and some additional investigations may be discussed. These will all be explored with you at this appointment so you can ask any questions.
Following your appointment, you will be supported by either the health visiting team or the specialist nursing team.
We will also support with diagnosis and in all future clinic appointments.
Some children who are born prematurely may be referred to the us for further developmental assessments.
This is a nurse-led clinic where your child will be offered three additional in-depth developmental assessments at:
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3 to 5 months corrected
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1 year corrected
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2 years of age
Your child’s named hospital consultant will be updated with the outcome of these assessments.
The programmes offered by the nursing team are specialist and based on available evidence and research.
They may not be appropriate for all children and some families will be advised to discuss further with their health visitor. Contact the team to find out more.
We offer tailored support to you and your family on your journey with us.
The level of support will depend on each child’s needs and will vary at different stages. Where applicable we support with different news that may be given and offer specialist programmes of care for some of the children.
Toileting
Not all children will be toilet trained by the time they go to school. You can offer them the best opportunities by going at their pace and by building up the skills around toileting. This will include getting them used to being in the bathroom for nappy changes, learning the routine around wiping, flushing and washing hands and by practicing sitting on the toilet. Once these skills have been achieved it can be easier to make progress.
The Eric website has additional information that you may find helpful.
Sleep
Sleep difficulties are one of the most common concerns we discuss with parents. Prior to attending your appointment there are a few basic steps you can take to assist with a restful night’s sleep:
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Ensuring a good bedtime routine is in place
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Having set sleep and wake times
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Ensuring the bedroom is free from distractions and safe for your child
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Stopping any screen time at least an hour before bed and limiting daytime naps
Before your initial appointment, further sleep support can be requested from your health visiting team.
The Sleep Charity has a wealth of good information which may also help. You may require more specialist input so we may ask you to complete some sleep diaries.
Behaviour
Some children can show quite challenging behaviours and these can be very difficult for parents.
Consistency is key but also having an awareness of your child's level of understanding is vital. You may be asked to complete some behaviour diaries so that we can assess the issues.
We know this can be daunting but we want to reassure you we appreciate how challenging some behaviours can be and the impact this can have on family life.
By giving us as much information as possible, we can then work together to look at how we can best support you.
We know the wait for your first appointment to see us can be lengthy and you do have your family health visiting team who can seek specialist advice from us to support you where appropriate.
You can also seek extra support from:
Blackpool area: Managing Challenging Behaviour course delivered over two days 9.30am to 2.30pm or over four evenings 6pm to 8pm at
Blackpool Carers
Beaverbrooks House
147 Newton Drive
Blackpoo
FY3 8LZ.
The course is open to all parents living in Blackpool who have a child with challenging behaviour.
Contact Alison Brown on 01253 393748 for further information
Fylde and Wyre: Triple P and Triple P Stepping Stones for children with additional needs. To find the nearest service visit the Lancashire County Council website.
