There's lots of different types of support you can get for your child. 

Professional support and therapy

Some professionals you might come into contact with are:

  • Speech and language therapists – treat speech, language and communication problems in people of all ages to help them communicate better.
  • Occupational therapists – identifying strengths and difficulties a child or young person may have in everyday life and helping them work out practical solutions.
  • Physiotherapists – paediatric physiotherapists offer a range of support for children from birth until they leave education .
  • Educational psychologists – helping children or young people who are experiencing problems within an educational setting with the aim of enhancing their learning.

Children’s Centres

A Children's Centre brings together a range of services for children under five and their families such as family support, health and education.

Children’s Centres also include information and support across the local community . The idea is to make services easy to use and to give children the best start in life.

Find your local Children’s Centre.

Children’s social care

Some children with a learning disability may be eligible for social care support. This could include day care facilities for children under the age of 5, short breaks and wider support for the child’s family. This support is a ‘general duty’ meaning that the council must provide a range of services for all children in its area who are deemed to be ‘children in need’ in order to “safeguard and promote” their interests.

Children under 18 who are eligible to receive social care are called ‘children in need’. All disabled children are eligible for an assessment from their council to determine whether they need social care support. Councils will have their own criteria for determining whether someone is eligible for support.

Some children who are suffering from, or at risk of significant harm, will also receive support to safeguard them and promote their welfare.

Useful resources

We've created the following factsheets to help you with the benefits application, Care Act assessment and follow-up process:

  • Delays in receiving benefits (PDF, 52 KB) - this factsheet explains the options that may be available to you whilst you're waiting for your first payment.
  • Mandatory reconsiderations (PDF, 48 KB)  - this factsheet explains what to do if you wish to challenge a benefit decision.
  • Reasonable adjustments (PDF, 425 KB) - this factsheet explains what changes should be made by the Job Centre and DWP for people with a learning disability who are looking to claim benefits.
  • What happens next (PDF, 367 KB) - this factsheet sets out what should happen after your Care Act assessment.
  • Reviews and new assessments (PDF, 219 KB) - this factsheet is for people who already receive care and support through a package of social care and what they can expect from the review and assessment process.
  • Direct payments (PDF, 72 KB) - this factsheet explains how people with a learning disability and their families can receive direct payments to arrange their social care support themselves.

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