Whos Who

A guide to who may be providing a service to your child

FREEPOST RSSL-AJEZ-ZSCZ ROMFORD RM1 3SL Telephone: 01708 433885 Email: pips@havering.gov.uk www.havering.gov.uk/pips

Special Educational Needs (SEN), Social Care and Learning London Borough of Havering Mercury House Mercury Gardens Romford RM1 3SL Telephone: 01708 431885

JULY 2008

Professionals working in Social Care and Learning

Advisory Teacher A qualified teacher who advises other teachers working with children with a range of disabilities or SEN. Some of them have specialist knowledge e.g. hearing or visual impairment, physical difficulties, medical needs, behaviour etc. Sometimes they work directly with children. Childrens Rights Officer Someone who acts as an advocate i.e. represents the voice of the child or young person. They are usually based in a charitable organisation . This service is usually only available to children who are looked after or receive another service from one of the Social Care teams. Educational Psychologist (EP) Someone who has a psychology degree and a background or an additional interest in education and a postgraduate qualification in Educational Psychology. All schools have an EP allocated to them and they regularly visit their schools offering advice, support and staff training on SEN or disability matters. On occasions they may assess how well individual pupils are achieving in things like literacy, comprehension and numeracy and may observe them in different situations. They usually write their findings in a report which will include recommendations and ideas for schools to use to help meet pupils needs.
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Psychotherapist Is qualified to apply psychological approaches to treat people experiencing emotional difficulties as a result of an illness or condition. This could include a condition where someone wrongly believes that they are not able to do something. Speech and Language Therapist (SALT) Is qualified to assess the difficulties someone may have with communication, understanding and speech defects. Some may also deal with chewing and swallowing issues. Specialist Nurse Practitioner A nurse who is qualified at a higher level who can make an assessment of a patients needs. Can also request investigations and may provide direct treatment or treat as part of a team of specialists. School Nurse A qualified nurse who is attached to a number of schools, offering a service to school aged children and young people. They promote good health and wellbeing through growth monitoring and health promotion on nutrition. The School Nurses also provide training for school-based staff to support children with healthcare needs, eg asthma, diabetes, epilepsy or mental health problems. They also provide support and advice for parents, carers and school staff on childhood illnesses and the management and control of infection and contagious illnesses. A school nurse also carries out routine health checks eg hearing and are involved with immunisation uptake programmes.
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Neurologist A doctor who deals with the diagnosis and treatment of conditions that affect the nervous system and/or brain. Occupational Therapist Will assess the level of physical difficulties that arise as a result of a condition or disability. They may provide exercises or specially adapted pieces of equipment or utensils to help overcome the problem. Ophthalmologist Is a doctor that specialises in eyes and may perform surgery and prescribe medication. They are sometimes known as eye surgeons or eye specialists as they concentrate on diagnosing and treating eye diseases. Optometrist Is qualified to check for eye and associated diseases and refer patients on to an ophthalmologists if necessary. Mainly their work involves providing spectacle and contact lens prescriptions.. Psychiatrist A doctor who is able to carry out an assessment of someones emotional state or mental health and is qualified to make a diagnosis and/or prescribe medication. Physiotherapist Is trained to treat the physical difficulties caused by accidents or illness especially those affecting the muscles, joints, bones, heart and lungs.
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Education Welfare Officer/Youth Attendance Adviser A person employed by the Education Dept to ensure that all children and young people of statutory school age i.e. 5 to 16, attend school or another suitable education provision. They also provide support to parents experiencing problems regarding their childrens attendance. Learning Support Assistant (LSA) Someone working in a classroom under the direction of the class teacher to provide additional support to an individual pupil or a small group of pupils. They may also be referred to as Special Needs Assistant (SNA) or Teaching Assistant (TA). SENCo The person in the school responsible for identifying pupils with SEN and/or a disability and for providing or arranging the necessary support Social Worker Someone who is qualified to provide support to individuals or families who are in need of additional support either due to longterm difficulties (someone with a disability) or in a crisis e.g. mum rushed into hospital and there is not sufficient family support to take care of the children. They also have statutory (legal) duties for Safeguarding Children previously known as Child Protection.

Child Health Service Professionals

The descriptions provided represent the view of the Parents in Partnership Service Co-ordinator and are intended as a guide only.

Audiologist Is qualified to assess hearing and balance difficulties. They recommend treatment and/or provide solutions e.g. hearing aids. Clinical Psychologist Will assess emotional needs by using tests, questioning and observation, sometimes in different settings. They will then identify a programme to help overcome the difficulties. This may include advice, counselling, etc. They usually work as part of a team of professionals who are also involved. Community Nursery Nurse Have a qualification in child care ie, NVQ level 3 or BTEC national diploma in Child Care. They work closely with Health Visiting teams and School Nurses to assess families care needs, aimed at improving the health and wellbeing of families with children up to the age of 7-8 years. Community Paediatrician A doctor who specialises in assessing general health needs of children who are living in the community i.e. not admitted to hospital. They are qualified to make a diagnosis and prescribe medication. In order to see a community paediatrician you have to be referred, usually by your GP. Community Psychiatric Nurse (CPN) A nurse who has undertaken specialist training in mental health problems and works with people living in the community i.e. not in hospital.
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Consultant A doctor who has qualified in a specialised field e.g. community paediatrics, psychiatry etc and has undergone further training over several years. Counsellor Someone trained and qualified to help people by talking through matters that are causing them to be worried, anxious or upset. Dietician Is qualified to advise on how to eat a balanced diet particularly where certain foods may need to be avoided in relation to another medical condition or allergy. General Practitioner (GP) The usual name given to your doctor who you see at your local surgery or health centre. They are qualified to diagnose medical conditions, prescribe medication, recommend appropriate treatment and if necessary refer on to a specialist. Health Visitor Is a qualified nurse or midwife who has had additional training on staying healthy and preventing illness, usually for children under 5. They promote good health and prevent ill health in the community through early diagnosis/intervention. The role involves carrying out home visits, in particular to new parents. Music Therapist A person who has trained and qualified to help people with a range of needs overcome or manage better their personal difficulties either through listening to music or taking part in a musical/rhythm based activity.
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