What is the Complex Needs team?
The Complex Needs team sees children with complex medical and / or learning needs impacting their communication. We see children with moderate, severe and profound learning difficulties who are not in an educational setting or who are in mainstream nursery or school.
Children with complex needs will have significantly delayed speech, language and communication skills so their communication will be significantly behind that of their peers. They may have a medical diagnosis which is known to affect speech and language development such as Trisomy 21 (Down Syndrome). They may also have physical or other disabilities which impact their ability to communicate, for example they may be quadriplegic or have some level of sight or hearing loss
We are a community-based team who assess the communication skills of children with complex needs aged 0-18 in Blackpool, Fylde and Wyre. In addition to assessing, we provide support to families of children on our caseload, and educational settings to ensure children are most effectively supported.
Our assessments are usually in community clinics, our workshops are usually offered online and our support to parents and settings sometimes takes place in clinic, at home or in their educational setting.
- Aiming Higher - A charity offering different levels of family support, counselling and events to families with children who have disabilities
- Local Family Hubs in Blackpool - Blackpool Better Start provide free services and events at community venues, libraries and green spaces that help local families
- Blackpool SENDIASS - SENDIASS is short for Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) Information, Advice Support Service (IASS) and exists to help parents and carers of children who have, or may have, special educational needs and/or disabilities; and children and young people themselves, in matters relating to their Education, Health or Social Care provision
- Lancashire SENDIAS
- Blackpool Local Offer - Information about what is available in Blackpool for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities, and their families
- Lancashire Local Offer - The local offer brings together information for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities and their families
- Down's Syndrome Association - Information for parents or careers of a child with Down's Syndrome including speech and language, behaviour and benefits and finance
For complex needs workshops visit our workshops page.
