Referrals must be made with the knowledge and consent of the person(s) with parental responsibility for the child or young person.
Referrals are to be made by professionals.
The service does not accept self-referrals.
The child or young person being referred must have evidence of a moderate or severe Learning Disability and a GP within the Blackpool area. There will also be evidence of targeted interventions and reasonable adjustments in care prior to the referral being made. We do not work with specific learning difficulties or presentation relating mainly to Autism and ADHD.
All referrals go through our duty system which operating 9-4.30pm each day. If accepted, the team will contact the families to discuss the process and start to gather further information about the child or young person prior to their support with the team so we can establish the most appropriate pathway of care.
Referral criteria
How we define a Learning Disability -The term is used in relation to individuals who have the following 3 core characteristics:
- A significant impairment of intelligence, IQ below 70
- A significant impairment of adaptive and/or social functioning (ability to cope on a day-to-day basis with the demands of his/her environment and the expectations of age and culture)
- Age of onset before adulthood (18 years of age)
Learning Disability is divided into four classification groups: Mild, Moderate, Severe and Profound. The diagnosis of profound and multiple learning disability (PMLD) is used when the individual has more than one impairment (i.e., sensory, physical, complex health needs, mental health issues) with the most significant being a learning disability.
People with PMLD will require support from a carer/s to assist them with most areas of everyday life, such as eating/drinking, washing/dressing and going to the toilet.
To submit a referral please follow this link:
Children's Learning Disability Referral Form
Referrals for Neuro (ADHD Pathway)
ADHD Referral Guidance (in line with ADHD NICE guidance NG87)
For the referral to be screened by the team, lead professionals need to ensure they have attached any relevant supporting documentation/evidence including SNAP IV forms, School assessment forms (including learning levels), relevant social care assessments, Paediatric Clinic letters and EHCPs. Referrals that do not contain the necessary information will be returned to source.
Referrals can be made by a lead professional; this will be the professional who knows the family best, has regular contact with the family and is able to collate the supporting evidence above. This may be a School Nurse, Health visitor, SENDCO, Social Worker etc. Please ensure consent is gained from the family, in certain cases the young person, for the service to discuss and share information as we work in partnership with other agencies. Please provide evidence of a watchful wait of at least 10 weeks following initial contact this include the graduated approach in education.
The Neuro (ADHD) Pathway does not accept referrals where the predominant needs relate to:
- Children and Young people with identified emerging mental health, emotional and attachment issues at the time of the referral needing mental health intervention.
- Toileting, Sleeping issues.
- Specific Learning Difficulties: Dyslexia, Dyspraxia and Dyscalculia
- Social Communication, social difficulties, rigid and repetitive routines needing further assessment for Autism. These referrals need to be directed to the appropriate service.
Submitting a referral for the ADHD Pathway
Referrals can be made using the form available to download here, by lead professionals only and should be submitted via the CYP single point of access - bfwh.
If you require the form in a different format, please contact the team by email at bfwh.
