Health

Health services are available to everyone. You do not need an assessment or referral to use them.

Many children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) will have their needs met by an everyday health service. There are a number of health services to support your child or young person with either universal health needs or specialist or targeted services.

Most healthcare services (GPs, dentists, opticians) can help your child or young person through everyday appointments.

Targeted health service support is available to those with more complex needs. This support is often on a short-term basis and is provided through an assessment or referral via your GP, dentist, child's school, health visitor, school nurse or social worker.

GPs and other professionals can refer to the specialist children's services via online portal, telephone and post.

In Surrey, the Local Authority are informed by a health professional of any child, under compulsory school age, who they think may have Special Educational Needs or Disabilities (SEND). They do so by completing a SEND Support Notification.

You can help shape local health and social care service by sharing feedback with Health Watch Surrey.

Children and Family Health Surrey

You can access information and advice through Children and Family Health Surrey.

This is the Surrey-wide NHS community health service for children and young people from birth up to 19 years of age and their parents and carers. They offer advice and information about medical issues and concerns.

This service includes health visiting, school nursing and school-age immunisation services. As well as specialist paediatric, children's community nursing and therapy services to support children and young people who have additional needs requiring ongoing care.

Children and young people's mental health

If you are concerned about the emotional well-being of a child or young person in your care, there are a number of things you can do:

• Talk to them, try to find out what is upsetting them. Listen and encourage them to talk about how they are feeling. Young Minds How to Talk to Your Child about Mental Health web page may be helpful to refer to.
• Talk to a professional involved with your child, this could be their school or college, your GP, social worker or health visitor (if you have one). Mindworks Surrey is the emotional wellbeing and mental health service for children and young people in Surrey, discuss with this professional whether they might benefit from support from Mindworks.
• Discuss what support your child or young person feels they need. They might want to speak to someone outside of the family. Healthy Surrey's Children and young people's mental health and wellbeing webpages, have detailed information on the support available.
• If your child is over the age of 18, the mental well being section of the Health Surrey website might be appropriate.
• If they are in crisis, speak to the 24/7 mental health crisis line free on 08009154644. Remember in an emergency, please dial 999 or 112 from a mobile.