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A support organisation for families caring for children with any disability or special need
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Information about autism and Asperger syndrome, support and services available in the UK
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Home: Community full menu: Care and support: Children and families

Contacting the Children & Young People Service for help

David Kaggwa - May 2011
gatewaytocare@kirklees.gov.uk

The first step to getting some help is to get in touch with us.

You can do this by contacting any Gateway to Care.

When you contact us, our staff will ask you about the problems you are having, and the help you think you might need. Sometimes they might be able to help you straight away by putting you in touch with another organisation ( for example, Gingerbread), or by offering you a service directly (for example, a parking badge for a disabled child).

If staff feel that you could be eligible for more help from the Children & Young People Service, they will put you in touch with a social work team. This is called a referral.

Referral and assessment

A member of staff from the social work team will contact you to talk to you about the problems you are having. This is called an assessment.

The types of questions the social worker asks will depend on the type of problems you are having.

For example:
  • If you are having problems with the disruptive behaviour of a child, the social worker will try to find out what triggers this behaviour, how it affects your family, and how you can try to manage the situation in future.
  • If you have a disabled child, the social worker will want to know how you are coping with caring for them, and whether we could help you.
  • If someone else tells us that they are concerned about the way your children are being treated at home, the law says that we must explore this.
By visiting you at home asking you questions the social worker will make sure that your child is safe and well.
If we decide to complete an assessment, you will receive a copy of the ‘What You Need to Know’ information pack. This provides more information about the services we provide and what undertaking an assessment involves, you also receive copies of any completed assessments.
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