Who can make a referral to the Sensory Support Service, what criteria we use when considering a referral, what happens next.
Who can refer
Most referrals come directly from hospital but we have an open referral system.
You can refer to the service if you're a:
- health visitor
- therapist
- social worker
- parent
- teacher
- early years' practitioner
Criteria for referral
There needs to be evidence of the presence of a vision or hearing impairment, or both.
If medical information is not provided with referral, we will request this before we consider the referral.
How to make a referral
You can make a referral:
- by phone
- by letter
- by email
We have a document referral form for vision (61 KB) which you can download.
What happens next
Referrals from Newborn Hearing Screening Programme will be followed up as per national targets and contact with family made within 48 hours.
For other referrals:
- we consider the medical information provided
- contact is made
- if appropriate we will arrange a visit and assessment
For all referrals we use the National Sensory Impairment Partnership (NATSIP) eligibility framework and our own matrix of support which is used to decide on the level of support needed at that stage.