Multi Sensory Impairment (MSI) Support in Northumberland
Children and young people with MSI have impairments of both vision and hearing. A very small number of children with MSI are totally blind and deaf, but most have some useful vision and/or hearing. The two impairments, however are likely to increase the effects of each. Many children also face other challenges, such as medical conditions or physical disabilities. Multi-sensory impairment is a very rare disability, particularly in children. There are an estimated 4,200 children with MSI in the United Kingdom (about 3 in every 10,000 children).
MSI is diagnosed by health professionals, but may take a long period of time due to the complex nature of assessing deafness and visual impairment in young children. It may be that the hearing impairment is diagnosed first via the screening programme, and a diagnosis of visual impairment follows in time. However, it is likely that your help from the local authority will start in the preschool years.
Many MSI learners are independent and do well in school and adult life with varying levels of support, dependent on need.
Children and young people with MSI will have support available from a range of other services in addition to those listed below. These services are easy to access through the Early Help Assessment process
This guide was written to help you quickly find support in Northumberland. It does not list everything that is available but it does tell you how to get in touch with people who will help you find what you need.
More information about all the help you can expect can be found on the Northumberland Local Offer:
http://www.northumberland.gov.uk/Campaigns/SEND-LocalOffer.aspx
Where to start:
If your child is preschool age and has a multi sensory loss these people will help you:
Sensory Support Service / NHS Health Visitor / Freeman Hospital / Disabled Children’s Team / Royal Victoria Infirmary / Childcare provider or NurseryThis Service has a team of qualified teachers of the deaf, visually impaired and multi sensory impaired who can support you and your child with home and setting visits
Contact:
Sensory Support Service,
Riverside Centre
Armstrong way, Ashington
NE63 0YD
T:01670624854 / Your Health Visitor will be attached to your GP Practice and will offer you support and guidance, referring you to specialist services as required. / The Audiology Department will check your child’s hearing and advise and fit appropriate hearing technology. They will liaise with the SSS
Contact:
Audiology Department
Freeman Hospital
Freeman Road, Newcastle, U Tyne
NE7 7DN
T:02922231043 / This team can provide a package of support based on need. They may be able to help with advice, respite care and access to funds
Contact:
DCT
County Hall,
Morpeth
NE61 2EF
T:01670516131 / Ophthalmology department will assess your child’s vision and advise on eye conditions and management. They will liaise with the SSS / If your child attends childcare or a nursery there will be a member of staff who knows how to get in touch with the local authority to ask for advice or help. They can get in touch with one of our specialist staff in the SSS or Early Years Team.
For school age children the main starting point is at school, although you may also find ongoing/ one off help from the following:
Sensory Support Service / Freeman Hospital / Royal Victoria Infirmary / School and SENDCO / The Disabled Children’s TeamThe specialist staff from the SSS can continue to support your child throughout their school years. Levels of support vary according to need, and will include training for staff, and visits into local authority mainstream and special schools, wherever your child is learning. / Support for hearing needs will continue at the Freeman Hospital. / Support for vision needs will continue at the RVI. / All academies and local authority schools must have a SENDCO. They have had training to help children when they have additional needs at school.
The school must also publish an SEN Information Report on their website. It lists all the different kinds of help the school can offer. / The team can support you and your child throughout school years as required.
Where you ask for help depends upon the choices you have made about education, employment or training:
At school in 6th form / At college or in training / Freeman Hospital / Royal Victoria Infirmary / The Disabled Children’s TeamSSS are still the primary source of support in school. The support is funded by the local authority via the school’s budget, dependent on need.
Any equipment you have had on long term loan from the Service will be yours for the duration of your course. / The college will have a lead SENDCO who will help, and inform you about what they have on offer. There will also be information on the college website. Some colleges will ‘buy in’ the support of SSS via a Service Level Agreement to meet your needs. Equipment may have to be bought by the college/training provider. / Support for hearing needs will continue at the Freeman Hospital. / Support for vision needs will continue at the RVI. / The team can continue to support you and your child until they are 18 as required.
If you are still in learning or training and have an Education Health and Care Plan you may still receive help from the local authority – please contact the careers guidance team. If you are unemployed, in employment, at university or in school/college without an EHC plan these are your contacts:
At College or University / Help with Independent living / Freeman Hospital / At your place of workThere will be a lead person to help learners with SEND, and there may be specialist provision for students with hearing loss. Each College/University will provide information about what they can offer. / If you need help to become more independent you can seek advice from Social Care, within the adult services team. The transition to adult services will be carefully managed.
Contact 01670 536400 / The Freeman Hospital will still manage hearing needs, but your child will be transferred to Adult Services. This transition will be carefully managed. / Reasonable adjustments to buildings should be made under the Disability Discrimination Act. The adjustments and equipment may be funded by the ‘Access to work’ scheme.
Other sources of independent information
· National Deaf Childrens Society (NDCS) www.ndcs.org.uk T: 0808 800 8880
· Action on Hearing Loss www.actionhearingloss.org.uk T: 0808 808 0123
· Sense (national voluntary organisation working with and supporting people of all ages who are deafblind ) www.sense.org.uk T: 0300 330 9256
· LA independent advice and support service T: 01670 623555
Data report
Multi Sensory Impairment is one of the categories of Special Educational need and Disability identified in the new SEND Code of Practice 2014.
The Code is the statutory guide for education, care and health when supporting people aged 0-25 years.
Every local authority and local NHS bodies must have a jointly developed plan for meeting the needs of those with SEND.
A diagnosis of hearing impairment/visual impairment/multisensory impairment must be made by a trained medical professional.
Sensory Support Service Northumberland receives referrals for Northumberland children and young people largely from the Audiology Assessment Centre at Freeman Hospital in Newcastle. Referral pathways are clear, with prescribed response times agreed by Health/Education services. Referrals relating to visual impairment are made to the Sensory Support Service by Ophthalmology Department at the RVI. A child or young person requiring a referral from both areas is deemed to have a multi-sensory impairment.
Recent data for MSI Learners:
Year / 2012 / 2013 / 2014 / 2015Number of MSI learners in Northumberland / 4 / 6 / 5 / 6 ( inc 1 child in out of county provision)
In 2013 the government reformed the education funding system. The new policy is that all SEND learners who require less than £6000 per year additional support shall be considered ‘school support’. Those with higher levels of need who require more than £6000 per year of additional support are called ‘High Needs’. Decisions about degrees of need for MSI children and young people are made on an individual basis, reflecting their ability to learn within a classroom. There is no concrete rule that e.g severe/profoundly deaf students are ‘high need’, and those with lesser degrees of loss are not.
2014 / 2015MSI learners in mainstream education with high needs funding / 2 / 2
MSI learners in mainstream education with no high needs funding / 0 / 0
Northumberland has/supports the following education provision for MSI learners. The table names the provision with the number of MSI learners supported in 2014-2015 in brackets:
Education / Pre school to 4 / School-age to 16 / Post 16, to 18 years / Adult, 18-25 yearsMainstream with ‘regular’ SSS support / At home, or in childcare and nurseries countywide (1) / Schools, academies and private schools (via SLA) countywide (1) / School 6th Forms
Northumberland College (via SLA) (1) / Northumberland FE College (via SLA)
Mainstream with ‘monitored’ SSS support / Childcare and Nurseries countywide / Schools, academies and private schools (via SLA) countywide / School 6th Forms
Northumberland College (via SLA) / Northumberland FE College (via SLA)
County Special Schools with SSS support / Special Schools eg The Grove, Barndale, Priory, the Dales, Collingwood, / Special Schools eg The Grove, Barndale, Priory, the Dales (2) / Special Schools eg The Grove, Barndale, Priory, the Dales,
Out of County Specialist places within Mainstream / Broadwood School, Newcastle (1)
Benton Park School, Newcastle / Heaton Manor School, Newcastle
Sunderland
Out of County specialist provision / Northern Counties School, Newcastle
Boston Spa School, Yorkshire / Northern Counties School, Newcastle
Boston Spa School, Yorkshire / Doncaster College
Donaldson’s School, Edinburgh