Here you can find more detail about our teams and services, outlining what to expect plus how and when to refer children / young people. This information is organised according to our graduated response: coping – getting help – getting more help – getting risk support.

Public Health School of Nursing (Coping)

Northumberland Public Health School of Nursing (PHSN) service provides advice and support to children and young people up to the age of 19 who are accessing education and registered with a Northumberland GP.

Remit of work/service offer

The primary purpose of this service is to provide evidence-based interventions to help all school aged children and young people achieve their full potential in physical, mental, social, emotional and psychological wellbeing and thereby gain maximum benefit from their education. The service includes universal provision and targeted support within early identification, intervention, prevention, health promotion and health protection programmes. Interventions will enable children and young people to achieve their optimum health and reduce the impact of illness and disability on their wellbeing.

When to Refer

Where preliminary work has been undertaken but an issue continues to impact on the child’s general functioning across one aspect of child’s life then a referral will be considered for:

• low to moderate issues relating to self-esteem, positive self-image, sleep
• healthy lifestyles e.g. smoking cessation, sexual health including C-Card, dental advice, healthy weight advice/ support/ signposting
• low level behaviour issues e.g. anger, anxiety and ADHD/ASD
• relationship difficulties e.g. conflict with parents, siblings, partners, peers
• low level self-harm – any act of self-poisoning or self-injury carried out by a person, irrespective of their motivation
• continence safeguarding where a health need is identified.

How to refer

Referrals to the PHSN team can be made directly to the team or via the locality HUB team using the HUB referral form.

Click here to access the Locality Hub Referral form

Consent

A parent/carer must give written consent for the referral to be made to the PHSN service via the HUB. If a child or young person’s presentation would be best met by an alternative service then the team will provide advice, help or support to access a more appropriate service to meet their needs.

Referral process

All referrals are triaged within 10 working days of being allocated to the PHSN team. Following the triage, parents will be contacted either by telephone or letter where further information will be gathered and a plan of work will be determined. This may include an initial appointment, a home visit or 1-1 support directly with the young person. Please note this support will be time limited, however a referral to a further service such as Primary Mental Health or CYPS’s may be made if deemed necessary.

Contact details

North Locality – 01670 761908

Email - nhc-tr.NorthSchoolNurses@nhs.net

Central Locality – 01670 564048

Email - nhc-tr.CentralSchoolNurses@nhs.net

South East Locality – 01670 629670

Email - nhc-tr.BlythValleyNursingTeam@nhs.net

West Locality – 01661 832512

Email - nhc-tr.WestSchoolNurses@nhs.net

Early Help and Primary Mental Health Work Service (Coping / getting help)

As part of the THRIVE model of care, the team provides targeted support to those who need it. This relates to children and young people aged 0-18, who are experiencing moderate mental health difficulties and whose needs have failed to improve following a first line intervention from a service.

In the Trailblazer areas the team also has Educational Mental Health Practitioners. They offer support to children and young people at school who are presenting with mild / moderate difficulties.

Both roles accept referrals from any professional and self-referrals from parents / carers and young people with capacity (over the age of 15). Referrals can be made via the telephone consultation line, the Early Help referral process or directly to the service using the PMHW referral form. You can see the referral criteria and other useful information regarding the process here.

What can you expect during and after?

• All children and young people accepted into our service will be offered an initial assessment, which will help to formulate or make sense of the presenting difficulties.
• The family / young person will be asked to identify at the assessment stage the desired outcome(s) to help determine the required goal(s) of therapy.
• Consent will be sought in relation to professionals that can be contacted for additional information; this will help to determine those who should receive copies of clinical correspondence.
• A summary of the assessment will be sent routinely in a letter to the young person, the parent/ carer, the referrer, GP or anyone else identified as appropriate.

Possible outcomes from the assessment:

• young person / family to be offered self-help information to self-manage the issue
• signposting for additional support to another service if the needs do not fit the service’s criteria
• a 1:1 care plan to offer an evidenced-based intervention to address the presenting issue.

Progress will be monitored at each session, using the goal-based outcomes throughout the care episode, and reviewed again at the end of the treatment plan. At the point of discharge a discharge letter will be sent again to those outlined at the beginning of the therapy, unless this changes.

Emotional Wellbeing and Behaviour Support Team (Coping / getting help)

This service provides support for those who are displaying challenging behaviour as a result of their underlying social and emotional needs.

The team can:

• provide examples of de-escalation strategies
• offer advice on the creation of behaviour management plans, risk assessments and individual support plans
• offer advice on appropriate reward and sanction systems.

These strategies, plans and systems can be used to meet the needs of individual pupils and / or the wider school population. Requests for whole school and individual support are accepted from school staff only.

Watch this video with further information for school

Click here to access the Emotional Wellbeing and Behaviour Information Pack 20-21

Request for Individual Support

The service accepts requests for support from school staff only. To access support for individual pupils, please complete the following forms:

'Northumberland Inclusive Education Services 'Individual Request for Support'
'Learner In Context Pre-Visit Information'

Signed parental consent is required for all individual requests for support.
The form MUST be completed and returned from the parent/carer's personal email account.

Request for Whole School Support

School staff should use this form to request training, whole class support, small group work and school development work.

Northumberland Inclusive Education Services 'Whole School Request for Support'

For queries / information email: hint@northumberland.gov.uk

Website: https://www.northumberland.gov.uk/Children/Needs/Behaviour-Support-Service.aspx

ASD Specialist Teaching Team (Coping / getting help)

This service aims to develop and enhance the skills and practices of school staff in order to improve educational outcomes for children and young people with social communication / ASD needs in educational settings across Northumberland. The team provides written reports that outline key observations, information, strategies and approaches that should be incorporated into teaching programmes and classroom practice.

Watch this video with further information for school

Requests for whole school and individual support are accepted from school staff only.

Request for Individual Support

To access support for individual pupils, please complete the form below and the relevant Autism/ASD checklist(s) that follow:

Form

'Northumberland Inclusive Education Services 'Individual Request for Support'

Checklists
NIES ASD Emotional Awareness_Self Awareness checklist
NIES ASD Sensory Processing checklist
NIES ASD Social Imagination checklist
NIES ASD Social Relationships checklist

Signed parental consent is required for all individual requests for support.
The form MUST be completed and returned from the parent/carer's personal email account.

Request for Whole School Support

School staff should use this form to request training, whole class support, small group work and / or school development work.

Please click on the link below to access the document.

Northumberland Inclusive Education Services 'Whole School Request for Support'

For queries / information email: hint@northumberland.gov.uk

Website: https://www.northumberland.gov.uk/Children/Needs/Autism-Service.aspx

Psychological Services (Coping / getting help / getting more help)

Northumberland's Educational Psychologists work with educational settings, children and families. The team supports children and young people who are experiencing difficulties or delays in their development, such as their communication, interaction, cognition, learning, social and emotional needs and mental health. The team can support young people by:

• identifying additional / special educational needs, and suitable interventions to address these
• preventing additional / special educational needs and requirements developing
• supporting those with ongoing additional needs and requirements
• safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults.

In addition to statutory requirements, including advice for all Education, Health and Care Assessments, the team provides a core offer to benefit all children and young people in Northumberland.

The core offer includes:

• a named Educational Psychologist working within each partnership
• allocated time for partnership work, the use of which will be negotiated with the partnership and could include training, research and consultation
• attendance at the SENCo (Special Educational Needs Coordinator) network meetings
• liaison with other SEND professionals for consultation, in the Inclusive Education Support Services
• direct contact with named Educational Psychologist(s), by phone and email, for general enquiries.
• wider strategic work Educational Psychologists undertake at a county level, to support the wellbeing and learning of all children and young people.

In addition, schools / settings can purchase a Service Level Agreement (SLA) to access the following types of support from Psychological Services:

• consultation meetings with school staff
• individual assessment work with pupils, prioritised by the school
• attendance and contribution to meeting with parents and other professionals, as negotiated with the school
• timely written feedback to the school and family following the work undertaken, documenting actions taken by the Educational Psychologist and action(s) agreed by others
• bespoke whole school development work, such as individual school training
• support to address issues prioritised on the school development plan
• support with referrals to other providers and signposting.

The links below are for all schools and settings to request support from Psychological Services.

Request for individual support

Please click on the following link to access the ‘Request for Support’ form:

Request for Pupil Support and Parental Consent Form

PLEASE NOTE: All requests for support require signed parental consent. Schools must have a Service Level Agreement with Psychological Services for individual work with a child or young person to take place.

Request for Whole School support
Schools can also request whole school work / training, following a discussion with their link EP. There is a training brochure which gives some examples of the kind of training sessions that can be delivered.

Please click on the links below to access the forms and documents:

Whole School Request for Support Form - Word Version

Psychological Services Training Brochure

Request for additional days
Schools who wish to request additional time, or schools who are not part of an SLA, may do so by completing the following form:

Click here to access the form for purchasing additional hours

Website: https://www.northumberland.gov.uk/Children/Needs/Psychological-Services.aspx

Virtual School / Education Welfare Service (Coping / getting help / getting more help)

The Virtual School promotes and supports the education of looked after and previously looked after children through effective collaboration with schools, social care and other agencies/professionals. It supports pupil emotional wellbeing using various interventions and therapies including Drawing & Talking Therapy, Lego Therapy, Thrive, Eye Movement Desensitising and Reprocessing (EMDR) and the delivery of whole school training by the Virtual School EPs. Virtual School support is provided to all looked after children including those awaiting a mental health and capacity assessment, inpatient support and when planning for discharge and reintegration into education.

For more information, please follow the link below:

https://www.northumberland.gov.uk/Children/Looked-after/Virtual.aspx

The Education Welfare Service fulfils the statutory duties of the local authority for safeguarding children in relation to school attendance, elective home education and children missing education. The team offers advice and signposting to professionals, parents and carers.

To refer a pupil to Education Welfare please complete the form below and return it to

educationwelfare@northumberland.gov.uk:

Education Welfare Pupil referral form

The Education Other Than at School (EOTAS) Health Needs team provides small group and 1:1 education for those children unable to attend school full time because of a diagnosed health condition. Referrals must be made by the school with supporting evidence from the child's consultant.

To refer a child to Education Other than at School (EOTAS) Health Needs for tuition please complete the Virtual School Passport using the link below and send it with a supporting medical letter to EOTASHealth@northumberland.gov.uk:

EOTAS referral passport - Health Needs (Word version)

To refer to Education Support for Looked After Children (ESLAC) please call 01670 622779 or email us at ESLAC.info@northumberland.gov.uk

This service offers advice and signposting to professionals in relation to school attendance, elective home education and children missing education.

Children and Young People's Service (Getting more help)

The Children and Young People’s Service provides a single service to all children and young people aged 0-18 years living in Northumberland who present with mental health difficulties. This includes children and young people who may have learning difficulties and those living in a range of difficult and challenging circumstances.

The service is able to provide:

• assessment, diagnosis and intervention on a range of mental health issues
• intensive response and home-based treatment for those children and young people whose mental health is causing significant concern
• an intensive Eating Disorder Service to support children and young people on the eating disorder pathway who are at risk of an inpatient admission
• a comprehensive transition support package to those young people who are approaching their eighteenth birthday and may need continuing support as adults
• training, consultation, support and advice to front line staff working in targeted services for children.

How to get referred

Referrals will be accepted from any professional working with child, young person or their family and self-referrals can also be made. Referrals are accepted in written form by letter. Referrals can also be made on the telephone by calling 01670 502 700 or freephone 0800 652 2862

For urgent or emergency referrals requiring a response within 24 hours please call: 0800 652 2862

Universal Crisis Team (CYPP) (Getting specialist help)

The Crisis Resolution and Home Treatment Team is a team of experienced mental health staff, which includes nurses, social workers, psychiatrists and pharmacy staff. It offers assessment and home treatment for people over 16 experiencing a mental health crisis, as an alternative to hospital admission.

Telephone for GPs/Professionals making referrals 24/7: 0303 123 1146 or freephone 0800 652 2861

Telephone for Young People/Carers making referrals 24/7: 0303 123 1146 or freephone 0800 652 2861

For Deaf service users please text 07887 625 277

The team operates 24 hours a day 7 days a week. However, the crisis team does not provide an ’emergency’ service such as a 999 response.

For urgent or emergency referrals requiring a response within 24 hours please call: 0303 123 1146 or freephone 0800 652 2861 (24/7); for Deaf service users please text 07887 625 277.