Referrals must be made with the knowledge and consent of the person(s) with parental responsibility for the child or young person.
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.
