The Services we provide
These are divided into three main areas, and provide care from pre-birth to adulthood, from both universal and acute/specialist provision. The three main service areas, each headed by a Senior Manager are: Community and Maternity Services (Senior Manager Jacqui Gallienne); Acute & Assessment Services (Senior Manager Rona Jones); and Accommodation and Long-term Services (Senior Manager Richard Burrows).
Community & Maternity Services
These comprise a range of services staffed by a wide range of different professional groups, and are mainly universal services that can be accessed by most or all children and their families. They are aimed mainly at prevention and early intervention, and aim to give children and young people the very best start in life by ensuring that their health, social and emotional needs are being met. This starts with the care of mothers-to-be, moves through a range of services that aim to support families in caring for their children successfully and identifying and offering services where early problems are identified. The services provided are:
- Maternity
- Health Visiting
- School Nursing
- Family Centres
- Speech & Language
- Orthoptics
- Dental
Acute & Assessment Service
These services provide for those children and young people who are presenting with particular health or social needs that require a specialist assessment and treatment or further social care support. Following the intensive assessment processes, some of the children will move back into community support, and other will require longer-term care and therapeutic support. These services are:
- Acute medical services (Frossard Ward)
- Child Protection Services and social work assessment and support
- Youth Justice
- Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services
- Court Welfare Service (pending transfer to Court Services later in the year)
Accommodation & Long-term Services
These services provide for children who are in need of longer-term care either within HSSD resources, or at home or out of island. These are children who need care and support because they are unable to live at home, or their special needs mean they require specialist care. The services are also provided for those children with longer-term special needs and disability who require on-going therapeutic help and support. The services provided are:
- Accommodation in both residential and foster homes
- Adoption Services
- Support for children and their families when children are in care
- Respite care and support for children with a learning disability’
- Paediatric physiotherapy
- Paediatric occupational therapy
- Child Development Service for disabled children.
As will be seen from the services provided, we employ a wide range of professional staff, including nurses, midwives, health visitors, school nurses, social workers, social care staff, dentists, speech and language therapist, psychologists, psychiatrists, Orthoptists, paediatric physiotherapists and occupational therapists, and a team of administrative and secretarial staff to provide the support for the front line services.
Our services are based in a range of locations, and we are aiming to provide as many services as possible from community bases that are accessible to parents-to-be, parents, carers, children and young people.
It is a real challenge for us all to bring such a wide range of services and professionals together, working towards agreed aims. This is an exciting opportunity for real development in the services for children, young people and their families.
JANET GAGGS
DIRECTOR, SERVICES FOR CHILDREN & YOUNG PEOPLE