Special Needs Adviser

Dr R. Gradwell

Dr Rosemary Gradwell

To contact the Region Special Needs Adviser you can either email: specialneedsadviser@girlguiding-midlands.org.uk or contact the Region Office.

What does a Special Needs Adviser do?

Your County Special Needs Adviser role is to promote inclusion and equal opportunities for all members of GirlguidingUK whatever their needs and to ensure that if a member has a special need they have the opportunity to achieve their full potential within GirlguidingUK through a fully inclusive programme.

 

 

Health Care Plans


Health care plans are a useful way of gathering and recording the necessary information if a young person has a significant medical condition or complex disability. An individual health care plan can help in understanding the wider picture of a child's needs and helps to identify the measures needed to support her.
For a young person with complex needs or where particular first aid or medical procedures may be required (eg where a girl has an Epipen in case of a severe allergic reaction), the information requested on the Starting Rainbows,/Brownies/Guides/Senior Section, G/H or G/O forms, is often not sufficient.
Additional information can be provided on extra sheets of paper but a health care plan can help to structure this information in a consistent and useful format. In this way the Leader can be sure she has sufficient information to ensure the girl's care and wellbeing.
Sometimes a health care plan identifies the need for additional help or further training needs for adults working with the girl.
Using a health care plan
If, having agreed with parents that you are going to use a health care plan, the best way of doing so is to sit down with the parents (and young person if appropriate) and use it as a guide to lead a discussion about the child's needs. A health care plan should not simply be a form sent off to the parent for them to fill in and return for filing in records.
A health care plan also needs to be reviewed regularly, although the frequency will depend on the nature of the girl's needs. You should review the plan at least once a year, and before a residential event, and at any time there are any changes to the girl's medication or first aid procedures needed. It is the parents responsibility to inform you about medication and first aid, and this needs to be made clear to them when you discuss their daughter's needs.
Health care plans do not by any means need to be completed for every child who has a disability, nor are they compulsory even if a young person does have significant needs.

Used properly health care plans can:

  • clarify for everyone involved (Leaders, parents, young person) what help and support can be provided
  • provide reassurance to parents that you have listened and understand their child's needs
    help you feel more confident that you have the necessary information to look after the young
    person safely
  • provide a plan of action if there is a problem
  • help you to adapt and plan activities and make arrangements, with the girl's needs in mind


They do not replace the normal G/H or G/O form, but can be used alongside them to supplement the information given. Health care plans can also be useful for adults with additional needs.
Where can I get a health care plan?
Health care plans are commonly used in schools for children with conditions such as diabetes, epilepsy and severe allergies. Some of the girls coming into Guiding will already have one, and it may be that a photocopy of this is sufficient for use within the unit.
At other times, and particularly when you are taking the girl away on a residential event, you may need additional information.
Example health care plans for the most common medical conditions likely to be encountered (diabetes, severe allergic reactions, epilepsy, severe asthma), a general health care plan and a personal care plan are available via Special Needs Advisers, or can be downloaded from here (HCP) (PCP) or the Girlguiding UK website. They are not mandatory and do not replace the normal G/H or G/O forms but can be used alongside them to supplement the information given.
The general health care plan can be adapted to suit a range of situations, for example a young person with a physical disability, complex health needs or a medical condition not covered in the specific health plans. For asthma, you are only likely to need a health care plan where the condition is severe and where complex medical management is needed.
There is also a personal care plan for those who may need help with some or all day to day activities, known as activities of daily living.
The aim is to enable the gathering of appropriate and sufficient information to ensure the girls needs are identified and met. A copy of this article, in PDF format, is available here .

copyright © Girlguiding Midlands - 2009