Looked After Children Health Team (West Sussex

We are a team of specialist nurses who are committed to improving the health outcomes for children and young people who are looked after. We are a county-wide team, striving to deliver a supportive, informative and highly effective service to address and meet the health needs of children and young people who are under the care of West Sussex local authority.

We achieve this by:

• Undertaking and overseeing nurse led health assessments. These are bi-annual for children under 5 years old and annually for children aged 5-18 years.
• Providing all children and young people who are looked after with the contact details of their specialist nurse.
• Delivering effective health promotion advice and interventions to vulnerable young people.
• Adopting a holistic, trauma-informed approach to each young person’s needs.
• Supporting and advising carers, Social Workers and other professionals to improve the health outcomes of looked after children and young people.
• Providing young people with a summary of their health history as they transition to adulthood.
• Attending meetings pertinent to the wellbeing of children and young people (strategy discussions, Child We Care For reviews, Safeguarding meetings, etc).
• Proactively engaging with residential care home staff and young people in supported living accommodation.
• Attending at Therapeutic Access Panel (TAP).
• Maintaining oversight of all West Sussex children and young people placed outside of West Sussex to ensure continuity of healthcare.
• Completing health assessments, upon request, for children and young people placed in West Sussex by other Local Authorities.