What is a Children's Disability and Additional Needs Register?

Every Local Authority has a Children's Disability and Additional Needs Register (sometimes known as a Disabled Children's Register). It is used to gather information about any child or young person in Worcestershire with a special educational need and/or disability. We will use the information to help improve services for these children and young people because it will help us to understand more about what support is needed and where. The register is free to join and completely voluntary.

Why should I sign up to the register?

• we can give your child a certificate saying that they are on our register - this could be used as proof as your child's disability (especially if their disability is not obvious) - this may also help you to get discounts at local and national attractions
• adding your child's name to the register will help us and our partners to understand more about the needs of your child. - this will help us to plan future services for all children with special educational needs and disabilities in Worcestershire
• if you give us your email address you can receive any news and updates around services for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities.

Watch the videos below where parent carer Iona Walton talks about the benefits of joining the register and our animation gives you an overview of the Children with Disabilities and Additional Needs Register.

Animated Video Transcript

Who can be on the register?

• any child or young person in Worcestershire with a special educational need and/or disability can be on the register
• you do not have to provide any proof of need or disability and do not need to have a diagnosis and there are no assessments
• it is completely voluntary, and you can remove your details at any time
• young people remain on the register until they are 18 years old - they will then receive an email asking if they would like to be removed; if not, then they stay on the register until the age of 25 when their details will automatically be removed
• only Parent carers and young people can add themselves/their children on the register
• professionals can only add children to the register if they get consent from the family

Sign up to the register

Children's Disability and Additional Needs Register sign up

Remove your details from the register

Remove your details from the register

How your information will be used

Worcestershire County Council and partners will use the information you give us to help design services to meet the needs of children and families. We will have tracking meetings twice a year with health, social care and education colleagues and Families in Partnership (the Parent carer forum) to map out needs and ensure our services are meeting these needs. It is our responsibility to make sure that your information is kept safe. Where necessary and legally allowed, we will share anonymised information with trusted external organisations and commissioned providers in order to deliver services and support to children and young people with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Individual information about your child and family will not be shared with any external organisations or providers and you will not be contacted by anyone else other than Worcestershire County Council.

For further information about how we will user your information, please read our Privacy Policy

If a child has a Special Educational Need (SEN) their needs will fall into one or more of the following four areas:

Communicating and interacting

For example, a child or young person may:

• have speech, language and communication difficulties which make it difficult for them to make sense of language
• have speech, language and communication difficulties which make it difficult for them to understand how to communicate effectively and appropriately with others

Cognition and learning

For example, a child or young person may:

• learn at a slower pace than others their age
• have difficulty in understanding parts of the curriculum
• have difficulties with organisation and memory skills
• have a specific difficulty affecting one particular part of their learning performance such as in literacy or numeracy

Social, emotional and mental health difficulties

For example, a child or young person may:

• have difficulty managing their relationships with other people
• are withdrawn
• behave in ways that may hinder their and other children's learning
• behave in ways that have an impact on their health and wellbeing

Sensory and/or physical needs

For example, a child or young person may:

• have a vision impairment and/or hearing impairments
• have a physical need that means they must have additional ongoing support and equipment

The SEND Code of Practice says that staff in education settings / schools should make regular assessments of progress for all children / pupils in schools and settings. This will help to identify those children who are making less than expected progress. The education setting / school should then decide if your child needs SEN support and should talk to you about this. If a young person is 16 or older the school or post 16 providers should involve the young person directly.

Sometimes you may be the first to be aware that your child has special educational needs.

If you think your child may have a special educational need or disability you should talk to:

• your health visitor
• your GP
• your child's early years provider, for example a nursery or childminder
• your child's teacher or the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Coordinator (SENDCo)