Sense is a national charity that supports and campaigns for children and adults who are deafblind. They provide tailored support, advice and information as well as specialist services to all deafblind people, their families, carers and professionals who work with them. In addition, they support people who have a single sensory impairment with additional needs.
Although the team are based in Wakefield their staff cover the whole of the Sunderland area. The team conducts visits to family homes, local children's groups, schools and other locations as appropriate.
In order to be clear and open about the support they can provide to families they have developed a core offer of support which is available to all children and young people:
They will get in touch within two working days from when you first contact Sense
You will meet a Sense specialist within eight weeks of first getting in touch with them
You will have your own identified worker
You will have the opportunity to attend at least one family event per year
They will keep in touch through an annual contact
You will have access to the information and advice service
They will offer you the chance to join Sense through their membership programme
An outcome of Sense supporting you may involve their working alongside your local authority to provide an individual service solution tailored to your needs.
This offer is provided through Sense's work as a charity.
Children's Specialist Service can also offer other support at times of particular need, including:
Help when your child is first diagnosed - including giving you practical ideas about how to develop your child's skills, and advice on suitable play activities
Assessments that look at your child as a whole - which focus on what your child can do
Extra support at times of crisis - such as when a family is under considerable strain
Support with significant periods of change for your child (transitions) - such as starting school and moving into adulthood
Resource libraries which lend sensory toys and equipment (nearest resource based in Wakefield).
The support offered in this way will be time limited, depending on the level of family need.
Their aim is to always start with what a child is able to do and then look at how that can be built on. When they support a family they begin by finding out what their key issues are and work in partnership with the family (and other professionals) to help resolve these.
Criteria for access
When they talk about deafblind children they mean those who have difficulties with sight and hearing, and sometimes learning or additional disabilities. They also mean children who have medical conditions that are likely to cause problems with sight and hearing as they grow older, eg. Usher Syndrome.
In addition, Sense can offer advice and support to families of children with a hearing or vision impairment combined with additional needs.
Sense Children's Specialist Services is a team of specialist advisory teachers, children's therapists and Children and Family Support Workers who have a wide experience of working with children who are deafblind/multi-sensory impaired. Their extensive knowledge of multi-sensory impairments means they can focus on what the child can do and what they need to help them develop further.
Costs to access services
Some services are provided charitably and are dependent on a families need. Sense works with a number of purchasers to provide a range of services responding to individual needs. They may be financed through a contract with a local authority or some form of individualised funding such as an individual/personal budget.
More information can be found on their website.