Physical Disability Support for Children and Young People

Our STLS Physical Disability Needs Team help the educational setting with inclusion of children and young people with complex physical disabilities.

How we help

For children and young people receiving our support, the team may help with:

• supporting SENDCos and teachers with assessing how children and young people can access the environment and curriculum, for example through access visits or identifying strategies to access practical learning.
• supporting the education setting with writing targets and implementing inclusive strategies
• reviewing risk assessments, personalised emergency evacuation plans (PEEP), physical disability management plans (PDMP) and therapist moving handling plans
• identifying strategies that enable independence and empower children and young people

Who can receive support

We can give advice and guidance for children and young people who have a complex physical need impacting significantly on their gross or fine motor skills such as:

• birth trauma and prematurity
• chromosomal disorders significantly affecting physical development
• complex medical needs like cancer, severe epilepsy, chronic illness, or complex medical needs that affect physical function like cystic fibrosis
• musculoskeletal condition for example, juvenile idiopathic arthritis
• neurological impairments for example, cerebral palsy
• persistent symptoms affecting mobility and physical function although there is no diagnosis
• specific muscle impacting conditions for example, duchenne muscular dystrophy and spinal muscular atrophy
• severe trauma from a road accident, spinal cord injury, or brain injury
• upper and lower limb differences.

For more information on types of support available, please visit our KCC Website

Request a referral

Referrals can be requested from the nursery or school SENCO or through your child’s physiotherapist or portage worker:

• Referral request form (XLSX, 97.0 KB)

Please can schools and settings include the details of their District and/or the PD specialist teacher (if known) so we can get the request or email to the correct teacher in a speedier time frame.

For prompt advice and guidance or if you are not sure about completing a referral request; please book onto a PD Surgery. Two PD Specialist Teachers can support with a thirty- minute discussion and signposting. Please book by emailing pdteam@kent.gov.uk.

Please email PDteam@kent.gov.uk if your child or young person does not attend an education setting yet and you, the SENCO or health professional have concerns about accessing education safely.

Contact us

Please contact the relevant Specialist Teacher for your district if you have a question regarding a child or young person on their caseload. Please email pdteam@kent.gov.uk for generic advice and signposting for a child or young person with complex physical or complex medical needs. For children and young people with moderate needs; please see the mainstream core standards document for inclusion advice.