COMPLEX HEALTH NEEDS

There is no agreed definition of ‘complex healthcare’ needs among policy makers or professionals.  The term “complex health needs” can include children who are disabled, children with special educational needs and children with life-limiting or life threatening conditions.

Research by the Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE) and others has highlighted the fact that children with complex health and social care needs have the same "ordinary" wishes and needs as other children. What matters most to them is being able to live at home, go to school, spend time with friends and participate in leisure and community activities with family and peers. This is also important to their families.

There is a wide range of resources available to support professionals in including children with complex health needs.  Documents below provide exemplars and practical advice – moving from a health model to a social model of inclusion.

Documents

Including Me – working with children with complex health needs

Disabled Children with Complex Healt Needs

Necessary stuff Social Care of children with complex health needs

Complex Health Needs Exemplar

Long_term_ventilation in the community

Websites

Council for Disabled Children

Social Care Institute for Excellence

Page reviewed 14 April 2009