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Children in Care Nursing
About the service:
The Specialist Nursing Team for Children in Care is a dedicated team of specialist community public health nurses committed to supporting children and young people who are cared for by the local authority.
Led by the Named Nurse for Looked After Children, the team is part of the 0-19 Public Health Nursing Service, working to safeguard and promote the health and wellbeing of Worcestershire’s cared-for children.
In England and Wales, the term 'child in care’ or ‘cared for child’ (‘looked after child’ may also be used) is defined under the Children Act 1989. A child is considered ‘looked after’ by a local authority if they are in its care or have been provided with accommodation for more than 24 hours.
Our team collaborates closely with a wide network of professionals, including social workers, the Anchor Team, GPs, Paediatricians, CAMHS staff, residential care staff, school, support workers, and other members of the multidisciplinary team.
We support children and young people aged 0 to 18 years by completing their statutory annual health assessment; this is a comprehensive, holistic review designed to support and promote a child’s or young person’s physical, emotional, and mental wellbeing. Our mission is to support these young people so they may thrive and reach their full potential.
Through these assessments, we identify any unmet health needs and work with the child or young person and their carers to address them—whether by offering support and advice, connecting them with relevant services, or making referrals to other professionals.After the assessment, each child or young person receives a personalised and developmentally appropriate health plan outlining how their needs will be met. This plan is reviewed at each statutory review and subsequent health assessments, or sooner if appropriate, to ensure progress is made and to achieve positive outcomes.
Contact details
- Email: whcnhs.childrenincare@nhs.net
- Service hours: 8:00am-5:00pm Monday to Friday
- Location: Elbury Moor Medical Centre, Worcester, Worcestershire WR4 9TX
- Named Nurse: Bev Downing
- Team Lead for Service: Alice Leaper (currently Liz Johnson – Acting Team Lead)