Key Worker Collaborative (Local Offer)

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Teenage girl talking to worker

Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Key Worker Collaborative  

The Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Key Worker collaborative is a project designed to prioritise children and young people who are living with a learning disability and/or autism and who have other complex behaviour or mental health needs that could increase their risk of hospitalisation.  

The service is funded through NHS England and is separate to other services a child or young person may receive.  Key Workers collaborate with other agencies and organisations to ensure the best possible outcomes for children and young people. 

The objective of the collaborative is to support families during inpatient admission, to help avoid longer than needed stays, to reduce the risk of re-admission and to support return to the community. 

Key Workers will make sure that these children, young people and families get the right support at the right time.  

A Key Worker will work with children and young people and their families and carers to make sure families are fully involved in their plans, feel listened to and informed and they have the support they need at the right time, in a co-ordinated way.  

Key working should help families experience a reduction in stress and uncertainty and an increase in stability. 

What support can a Key Worker give?

Types of support that can offered includes: 

  • Helping identify what skills the young person would like to learn and develop 

  • Identifying the support they may need in accessing the community Helping them learn about self-advocacy skills 

  • Continue to think about preparation for adulthood in line with the SEND agenda   

  • Problem solving/thinking about risks with them 

  • Ongoing positive planning, thinking about risk enablement.   

  • Offering support in meetings and ensuring their views are heard 

  • Helping develop self-confidence and resilience 

Who is involved in the Key Worker Collaborative?

Key Workers and Enablers are the people who provide support to the children, young people and their families. There are currently five Key Workers and three Enablers across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough. They are employed by the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Clinical Commissioning Group.  There are also two local organisations involved: 

  • Circles Network in Peterborough 

  • Eddies (Edmund Trust) in Cambridgeshire 

Mental Health admission

A mental health admission is when a young person needs to spend time in a specialist hospital setting, when risks to themselves or other people are too high to remain in their own community. This is usually because they are experiencing an episode of crisis. 

Sometimes this is needed to reduce the risk and understand the causes, but research shows people with a learning disability and/or autism, can find these environments difficult and challenging to be in.  

Key Workers can help support planning for discharge from hospital as soon as possible.  They help think about what support and plans need to be in place around the child or young person to enable them to stay safe and reconnect with their community.  They can support other professionals with their assessments and plans and be involved in transitional planning.  

This can include developing transitional plans that the young person understands.  

Rix Wiki

A Rix Wiki is a simple, accessible and secure way to store and share personal information about you and your needs. Key Workers or Enablers will have a conversation with the young person or family about Rix Wiki then they will support the young person or family member to set one up.   

The owner of a Rix Wiki can upload multimedia including pictures, videos, medical information, songs, dreams and goals.  They can choose who they share information with.  

It also supports those who find verbal communication difficult.  It is a way to make sure their voice is heard and help them regain control.  

More information on Rix Wikis can be found at www.rixwiki.org 

How to access the Key Worker service

If you think that your child or young person might be at risk of admission, or is already in a mental health setting, your social worker or mental health care co-ordinator can refer to the Key Worker service. 

If you are concerned that your child or young person might be a risk of inpatient admission, you can chat to the children’s commissioner or the Key Worker Network Lead. 

Phone 03 300 571 023 Ext 8004 

Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Keyworker Service - Newsletter

The keyworker collaborative produce a regular newsletter.  You can view the latest edition below:

View the Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Keyworker Service newsletter issue 3 June 2023

Related Pages

  1. Learning Disabilities and Autism Programme (Local Offer)

Downloads

  1. Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Keyworker service newsletter - Issue: 03 June 2023
  2. Keyworking Addendum - Reflections from keyworking service pilot site s: key lessons and challenges

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