The Disabled Children's Service (DCS)

This service is for disabled children and young people who meet our eligibility criteria. The criteria include living in the London Borough of Richmond, being under age 18 and having a disability or health condition which requires ongoing care and support. This is the eligibility criteria for an assessment from this team: eligibility criteria(pdf, 56KB).

Children not eligible for the Disabled Children’s Service may still be eligible to be on the Disability Register.

The aim of the service is to enable children, young people and their families to meet the five outcomes of the Every Child Matters agenda: be healthy, stay safe, enjoy and achieve, make a positive contribution and achieve economic wellbeing. We do this through the provision of support and services. Provision is identified based on an assessment of the needs of the child and their family. These assessments are completed in partnership with other agencies such as health services, education, other social care teams or the voluntary sector.

The disabled children’s service is made up of two teams:

• The Social Work Team for Disabled Children and
• The Short Break Care Team which includes the Befriending Service, Family Link Service and Crofters Activity Service

Other disabled children’s support:

• Other disabled children’s support
• Transition for disabled young people
• Counselling for children and young people with additional needs/disabilities and their families