School Nurses are responsible for leading and coordinating public health programmes to improve the health and well-being for all children, young people between the ages of 5 and 19 years and their families.
All staff are fully informed about the SEND agenda and nurses with specialist interests are also located in the teams.
The service receives referrals from many sources or you can contact your child’s named school nurse directly or ask your child’s teacher to contact her on your behalf.
The school nursing service is offered on four levels:
Community (your neighbourhood)
The school nursing team works with many other community services, they will make sure you know about them and how they can help you and your child
Universal (this is offered to every child)
The school nursing team provides a service for all children including those with additional health needs to improve their health and well-being and support them to access school successfully.
This includes health screening, assessment, immunisation, delivery of key public health messages and signposting and referral to other services.
Universal Plus (your child needs further support)
The school nursing team will act quickly when your child needs expert help and support and provides them with care targeted specifically around their needs.
This also includes providing training in schools, writing individual health care plans, contacting your child’s GP or hospital doctor.
Universal Partnership Plus (your child needs extra support in partnership with other services)
The school nursing service will work with other services in a coordinated way to plan care for your child so they can keep healthy, attend school and achieve well.
If the need is identified, School Nurses working in mainstream and special schools will contribute to the new holistic, co-ordinated, person/family -centred Education, Health and Care plan for your child.
How do we seek your views and the views of your child?
We are committed to asking children and young people about the service we offer.
We ask them to give us feedback after class room health education sessions, ask you to tell us about the service we offer you and your family and ask for suggestions about how we can improve our care.
The school nursing service leads training sessions in schools and other settings and asks education staff for feedback.
If the need is identified you will be offered training to support your child, you will be fully involved in the decision making and planning about the needs of your child.
We value what you say
We routinely ask for feedback from you to see how we are doing.
This may be a request for verbal feedback, or we will ask you to complete an anonymous feedback form.
Families are also requested to complete Talk to Us Forms at various stages of involvement:
Accessibility
The school nursing teams will always make sure that the service they offer to you and your child is accessible. The school nurse can visit you at a time and at a venue that meets you and your child’s needs.
Who can I contact for further information?
If you want more information about the school nursing service and how it supports children with additional needs then please contact the School Nurse team leaders in the area your child attends school or the school nursing clinical manager.
Their details can be found on the school nursing service page.
The service has its own facebook page: www.facebook.com/bridgewaterschoolnursing.
SEND local offers
SEND local offer for Wigan Borough
Information sharing
In order to offer integrated, high quality services for children, all of our Childrens Services work closely with preschools, nurseries and schools.
We share information about the outcomes of assessments and the strategies recommended in order that preschools, nurseries and schools implement the same strategies on a daily basis.
We also inform preschools, nurseries and schools when a parent does not attend an appointment.
This will greatly help your child, but it you do not wish information to be shared you may withdraw your consent at any time.