Essex County Council
PO Box 11, County Hall
abc
Chelmsford
Essex CM1 1LX
Ms xxxxxxxxx
Our Ref:
ECC-019431-12
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx.xxx
Date:
12 April 2012
Dear Ms Smith
Your Freedom of Information Request:
I am pleased to enclose the following information in respect of your recent
Freedom of Information request. You requested:
I have heard on good authority that Essex County Council Social Services
teams are not allowed to help / support children with Aspergers, and that
they have to apply rigid criteria to each child in order to exclude them from
any help. Please could you provide details of the structure of Essex Social
Services. Who / which teams should in theory help children with autism /
Aspergers? Please would you supply ANY related documents / records /
reports / policies / procedures / protocols / minutes etc. held / stored, in
any form, that would reflect what appears to be a blanket gate keeping
policy???
Unfortunately you have been misinformed, as Essex County Council recognises
children on the autistic spectrum, including those with Asperger Syndrome as
disabled children and, therefore, as Children in Need under s17 of the Children
Act 1989. As such, children with this diagnosis are entitled to an assessment of
their needs and may, depending on the outcome of that assessment, be entitled
to the provision of service.
Two of the three documents, enclosed, form the County Council’s guidance to
staff on the threshold of need and intervention; Most children with disabilities are
provided with social work services via the Children With Disabilities social work
teams, but those without a severe learning disability, which would apply to most
children with Asperger Syndrome are likely to receive a service from one of the
other social work teams. The types of service that can be provided are set out in
one of the appendices and relate to the level of need. Some of these services are
provided directly, some commissioned and some provided by other agencies,
including other parts of the Schools Children and Families Directorate.
Contd/…
Page 2
The third is the Essex Short Breaks Statement; information within this includes
short breaks that are considered as the Local Offer. These short breaks are
those that children, young people with disabilities and their families can access
directly without the requirements for additional assessments or referral from
statutory agencies. The Provider List for Essex Short Breaks is the fourth
attachment.
You may reuse all or part of this information free of charge in any format or
medium. You must reuse it accurately and not in a misleading context.
Please contact me if you would like further advice or assistance about your
request or your right to access information held by Essex County Council.
If you are not satisfied with my response to your request, please let me know. If I
am unable to resolve the issue immediately, I will explain our complaints
procedure. If, after following our complaints procedure, you are still not satisfied,
you are entitled to ask the Information Commissioner to review our decision. You
can contact him at Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF,
telephone 01625 545700.
Yours sincerely
Lauri Almond
Information Governance Officer Schools, Children and Families
Essex County Council
Telephone: 08457 430430
Email: xxxxxxxxxxxxxx@xxxxx.xxx.xx