Child Health Services
The South Eastern HSC Trust Child Health Teams continue to make a significant contribution to give
every child the best start in life.
Child Health Services
Child Health Services
Community Children's Nursing
In the last year the Community Paediatric Workforce has been under significant pressure and has
worked hard to begin to redesign their service delivery to meet the needs of the child population.
This year the Team faced the challenges of industrial action to keep all the children well cared for.
Newly appointed in Community Children's is Brenda Murphy as Clinical Lead for Complex Health
and Band 7 Community Children's Nurse, Veronica Moreland.
The established Neurodevelopmental Team provides assessment and intervention prior to
diagnostic assessment, with the aim of meeting the needs of children, adolescents and families at
the point of referral. This means that children and families are receiving intervention earlier than
they would have in the past. The Regional Emotional Health and Wellbeing Framework has just
been completed which will increase the capacity within the Neuro Developmental Service.
The Single Point of Entry Team continue to manage a high volume of referrals and ensure that
patients reach the appropriate Service in a more timely and appropriate way.
Regional Integrated Support in Education Team (RISE NI) is multi-disciplinary and has continued
to improve their Service. A redesign in the Service allows families access to individual intervention
at a much younger age. RISE has welcomed the new appointment of Jane Sowden as RISE
coordinator.
Learning Disability Nursing are planning service development with a series of work streams to
develop the role of the Nurse in Learning Disability Services.
The Sunshine Group
The group is organised and coordinated by the Community Children's Nursing
Service and supported by a social worker from Surestart.
The purpose of the Sunshine Group is to support the parents of children with complex health care
needs. Quite often parents become isolated and are unable to attend the groups that are readily
available to many other parents. In addition, parents of children with complex needs often feel that
attending groups where children move on to achieve their milestones, while their child does not,
can be stressful and upsetting.
The Sunshine Group aims to introduce parents/carers to a supportive environment where they
can develop their own support networks, be empowered, have fun and laugh along the way.
Social contact is a lifeline to any parent but for those who spend a large amount of time attending
appointments, attending to their children's additional care needs and juggling normal daily family
life, it is vital.
Guest speakers often attend and address issues which are relevant to and of interest to, the
parents. Children and parents, have enjoyed sessions which have included play therapy, music
therapy, baby and child massage and yoga for parents.
36