Training materials for teachers of learners with severe, profound and complex learning difficulties

Primary care services and GPs are the first points of contact for most medical services. GPs provide a wide spectrum of care within the local community comprising physical, psychological and social elements.

GPs work in teams with other professionals, such as health visitors, practice nurses, district nurses, community psychiatric nurses, community learning disability nurses and social workers to help patients manage their own health and that of their family. Partnership and collaborative working is key to ensuring effective outcomes.

Some GPs develop special interests in areas such as obstetrics and paediatrics, thereby enabling them to meet needs within primary care and provide support for families. Some children with learning difficulties and disabilities experience health needs that require treatment from primary care services such as chest infections associated with gastric aspiration and epilepsy.

Health visitors are key members of the primary care team and have extensive education and experience of working with children and families. They have a key role in leading and delivering care and support.

Health visitors practice across a child's lifespan and have an important role from pregnancy through to about five years of age. Their role includes providing education, advice and support about child and family health, child development, minor illnesses and health promotion. They provide family support in areas such as feeding, child development, toileting and sleep.

All professionals, irrespective of their discipline and area of practice, have a responsibility to protect children from harm. Effective collaborative working across professional boundaries is core to this. Health visitors have an important role to play in this regard and work jointly with other professionals as part of their child protection role. The health visitor’s role involves providing ongoing contact with families while safeguarding arrangements are in place to ensure families have access to advice and support.

Critically review your policies and procedures in relation to safeguarding children and multiprofessional working. Reflect on a child protection case that you were involved in.

How did the policies and procedures work effectively to safeguard?

Are there areas where further development and review are required?

School nurses play an important role, as part of a wider child health team, in the care of children with complex learning difficulties and in supporting a range of other professionals. Some nurses are based at a school on a full-time basis while others provide visiting and sessional input.

Read pages 8-18 of the Department of Health and Department for Education & Skills report