| Service Description: | The Sensory Service are a team of specialist teachers and support staff who actively work with children and young people with physical, hearing and visual impairment from 0-25 years.
How can you access the service?
Children and young people are usually referred to the Sensory Service team by a relevant medical professional including paediatricians, health visitors, ophthalmologists and audiologists. Sensory Service will then contact parents and carers to ask for consent to identify and assess your child or young person’s needs.
Schools can also contact the service if they have a concern or would like support and advice.
Early intervention
Service Sensory aim to provide the earliest possible intervention to inform and advise on access to learning opportunities in the home environment, early year’s settings and schools.
Support
Sensory Service provide access to professionals with specialist knowledge and skills and; they understand of the impact of sensory impairment on the development and education of children and young people.
Sensory Service are committed to working in close collaboration with all caring agencies.
Parent support groups
They offer two parent support groups for families with children with visual, hearing, and/or complex needs.
Medway HI Service Support Eligibility Statement
Our Advisory Teachers and Support Worker for Hearing Impairment (HI) work with hearing impaired children and young people from birth/diagnosis until they leave full time education.
In the Early Years these services are provided in the home and preschool / childcare settings and for children of school age services are provided in mainstream school, special schools, and local FE Colleges.
Some children and young people may be making good progress and not require regular intervention, the Advisory Teachers for Hearing Impairment will provide information, advice and guidance to families and schools either through leaflets, online material, or a telephone call.
Children and young people with bilateral permanent unilateral, moderate, severe, or profound hearing impairment are likely to meet the criteria for intervention from an Advisory Teacher for Hearing Impairment and/or Support Worker for Hearing Impairment. The allocation of this intervention will use the NatSIP Eligibility Framework and the Kent Support Allocation Matrix.
Referral for this service will usually come from other Health professionals such as paediatric audiology services.
Early years providers, schools and further education colleges can get in touch for advice/support at any time for pupils with confirmed/suspected visual impairment.
Medway VI Service Support Eligibility Statement
Our Advisory Teachers and Specialist Support Worker for Visual Impairment (VI) with children and young people from age 0-25; from birth to when they leave education up to Further Education stage.
In the early years these services are provided in the home and pre-school / childcare settings and for school age children we provide services in state-funded mainstream school, FE colleges and special schools.
Some children and young people may not require regular interventions and the Sensory Service will provide information, advice and guidance to families and schools remotely via e.g., information leaflets, useful websites, and references, or via a phone call or video call.
Children and young people with a permanent mild, moderate, or severe bilateral (both eyes) vision impairment that are likely to meet the criteria for intervention from a Specialist Teacher and / or Support Worker for Vision Impairment. We use the NatSIP Eligibility Framework to help inform the allocation of intervention support.
Referral for this service will usually come from other Health professionals such as paediatric ophthalmology services.
Early years providers, schools and further education colleges can get in touch for advice/support at any time for pupils with confirmed/suspected visual impairment.
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