Care and support

About the Specialist Advisory Service

The Specialist Advisory Service Consists of specialists in:

• Autistic spectrum disorder
• Deafblindness
• Hearing impairment
• Physical and neurological impairment
• Speech and language difficulties
• Visual impairment

Who are we?

We are:

• teachers and support workers with additional training
• experienced in working with and supporting children, their families and educational settings from pre-school to post 16
• committed to working collaboratively with other professionals both locally and nationally

How do we become involved?

• Health professionals inform the Local Authority of Hertfordshire children who have been diagnosed with a disability or for whom there are concerns
• Schools contact the Local Authority when they have concerns about a child.
• Parents contact the Local Authority when they have concerns about their child.
Referrals to the Local Authority of children with:
• Autistic spectrum disorder
• Deafblindness
• Hearing impairment
• Physical and neurological impairment
• Speech and language difficulties
• Visual impairment
are sent to the Specialist Advisory Service Intake Team
• All referrals are considered against criteria which will determine the range and nature of advice and support offered by the Specialist Advisory Service Specialist Teams
• The Specialist Advisory Service will respond to all referrals within 7 working days

How does the service help pre-school children?

The Specialist Advisory Service works with pre-school children with:

• Autistic Spectrum Disorder
• Deafblindness
• Hearing Impairment
• Visual Impairment

Services to other pre-school children with special needs receive services from the Pre-school Advisory Teachers

We offer visits to your home:

• to work together with you to develop your child’s potential
• to answer many of the questions you may have
• to advise on helping your child use any specialist equipment
• to plan together a programme of activities for you and your child and suggest toys, games and books to help with this
• to record with you the development of your child’s skills and plan next steps
• to provide you with information about local and national developments
• to inform you about dates and venues of our parent support groups
• to inform you about and liaise with other people who can help your child, such as doctors, audiologists, speech and language therapists, and voluntary agencies

How does the service help school age children?

The Specialist Advisory Service is available at school age for children with:

• Autistic Spectrum Disorder
• Deafblindness
• Hearing Impairment
• Physical and neurological impairment
• Speech and language difficulties
• Visual Impairment

We offer visits to schools and, as appropriate:

• interpret your child’s specialist assessment results and discuss any educational implications there may be
• assess your child’s special needs within the school context and share that information with staff
• advise staff on the use, maintenance, benefits and limitations of any specialist equipment your child may have
• discuss with staff any concerns they may have about your child’s special needs
• talk to your child to identify any problems or difficulties s/he may have
• advise on setting targets, identifying and prioritising with staff any specialist IEP targets
• plan, deliver and monitor with staff specialist programmes and suggest resources to help with this
• record with staff the development of your child’s skills and plan next steps
• support staff appointed by the school to work with your child
• advise on classroom strategies to support your child’s inclusion in all areas of the curriculum
• deliver whole school or targeted INSET
• provide a range of information leaflets

What happens if I am unhappy or uncertain about the service?

• In the first instance you should talk to your child’s specialist teacher or school directly
• You can also speak to the Head of the Specialist Advisory Service who manages the teams
• Your views will be welcomed, any concerns carefully listened to and action taken when necessary to implement improvements

Where are we?

Centrally based providing a county-wide service

Specialist Advisory Service The Woodside Centre The Commons
Welwyn Garden City AL7 4EN

Tel/Minicom: 01707 320697 Fax: 01707 339151 email: CSF.SENAdv@hertscc.gov.uk