Children's crisis service

The Children's Crisis Service is a county-wide service for children aged 4 to 18 with behaviours of concern or behaviours that challenge carers because of a Learning Disability (LD) and/ or Autism (ASC), who are at risk of placement breakdown.

How the service works

The Children's Crisis Service has a Team Manager, Senior Social Worker, Lead Behaviour Support Worker and four Behaviour Support Workers working across the county.

They work alongside Community Children's and Adolescents Mental Health Services (CAMHS), LD CAMHS and Children's Services Cases above Level 4 on the Continuum of Support where there is a high risk of placement breakdown to support the fundamental aim to maintain the child in their home, or local community provision through a Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) approach.

There are two levels of intervention:

  1. Low level risk of placement breakdown: two to eight-week intervention, involving planned weekly visits to identify possible behavioural functions, psychoeducation for parent and child, PBS coaching, liaison with professional network, strategies to manage crisis situations and safety planning.
  2. High risk of placement breakdown/ Opal Avenue access: six to 12-week intervention, involving planned visits as required to provide face to face support, daily visits if needed (not Sundays or Bank holidays), psychoeducation, brief functional behaviour assessment, positive behaviour support plans, safety planning, liaison with network and access to Opal Avenue bed for maximum of 17 nights.

Who the service is for:

To access this service, the child must have met the criteria below:

  • a formal diagnosis of ASC and/or a Learning Disability,
  • behaviours of concern/ that challenge carers.
  • be at risk of placement breakdown,
  • have an allocated Social Worker
  • subject to a Child in Need (CIN)/ Child Protection (CP) plan/ a child within Local Authority Care at risk of placement breakdown.

What the service does:

  • The Children's Crisis Service recognise that all behaviours serve a function, we will work towards identifying the need the function meets for each individual we work with to teach functionally equivalent behaviours/ create capable environments or identify any physical/social factors contributing to behaviours of concern.
  • we provide an Assessment and Support Service which will work on an outreach basis with children out of hours (2pm to 9.30pm) in their homes and in the community when and where appropriate and safe to do so.
  • Initial visits to homes will be with two members of staff, follow up visits may be with one member of staff following risk assessment. Initial assessments are to determine the priorities for change regarding the behaviours of concern arising from ASC and/ or LD.
  • The service will offer support through direct intervention with child/young person and their family/carers using a 'positive behaviour approach' to bring about these desired changes and improve their quality of life and therefore reducing behaviour of concern.
  • We have access to two assessment beds for a maximum of 17 nights at Opal Avenue (within Ruth House residential home) This supports our assessments of behavioural functions with a change of carers and environment. Also prevent presentation at hospitals/ delayed discharges/ use of section 136 powers under Mental Health Act.

What can Children's Crisis Service offer parents/ carers?

Crisis line

The Children's Crisis Service runs a crisis line six days a week:

  • Monday, Wednesday, Friday from 10am to 9.30pm
  • Tuesday and Thursday from 2pm to 9.30pm
  • Saturday from 9am to 4.30pm

They provide telephone support during live crisis to prevent the need to call/ present to emergency services. This prevents immediate risk of harm and/ or placement breakdown.

Parent online support group

Parents/ carers can be referred to a free, six-week online parents/ carers group. Sessions take place weekly for six weeks. Parents/ carers are not obligated to attend every session and may attend on a drop-in basis. Topics covered include:

  • psychoeducation
  • Autistic Spectrum condition/ Demand Avoidance
  • Positive Behaviour Support
  • Identifying function of behaviours/ crisis strategies.

Contact the Children's Crisis Service

  • Telephone: 01483 517187
  • Email: CCS@surreycc.gov.uk
  • Address: Fairmount House, Bull Hill, Leatherhead, KT22 7AH

You are welcome to call us for a consultation prior to any referral being made on 01483 517187.

Did you find this information helpful?

Rating Did you find the information helpful?