Keyworker Function

We are a team of Health, Social Care and Education professionals called Transforming Care Navigators who have experience of working with children and young people with Learning Disabilities and Autism. We are passionate about listening to children, young people and their families, promoting their voice and helping them remain healthy and safe at home and in their community to avoid unnecessary admissions to mental health hospitals. 

Transforming Care Navigators support children and young people aged 0-25 years who are autistic and/or have a diagnosed learning disability. They will be at risk of mental health hospital admission or are in an inpatient setting. These children and young people will be rated amber or red on the Integrated Care Board’s dynamic support register. 

The Transforming Care Navigators:

• Support children & young people and their families to navigate the system, ensuring there is a plan in place that meets their needs.
• Hold to account providers when care, education or treatment is not being delivered as required.
• Escalate things that get in the way or are missing in services to senior managers and commissioners.
• Ensure recommendations from Care, Education and Treatment Reviews (CETRs) are being actioned by the team around the child or young person and their families.

If you think a child, young person or adult you work with meets the criteria for the Keyworker Function, you can contact us at:

Email: keyworkerfunctionteam@suffolk.gov.uk.

Tel: 0345 2667675.

The resources below may be useful to professionals who are working with children and young people with learning disabilities and autism. 

This webpage from the National Development Team for Inclusion : "It's Not Rocket Science" explains how small changes to accommodate autism can help to transform a young person's experience in hospital. 

This webpage from the National Development Team for Inclusion: Autism Programme provides information about how the Autistic Programme aims to provide a more comfortable inpatient experience for autistic people in hospital. 

A review by Dame Christine Lenehan can be found on this webpage from the Council for Disabled Children: These are our children. This review explores what can be done by professionals and agencies to improve the experience of children and young people with autism and learning disabilities. 

We welcome your feedback on the service that you have received so that we can consider what improvements we can make to our service. You can provide feedback by clicking on the button below.