Shropshire Council

BeeU Learning Disability Team

The BeeU Learning Disability Team accepts referrals for children and young people (under the age of 18) with a learning disability, who are experiencing significant behavioural difficulties and/or problems with their mental health. The service covers Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin.

Who are the BeeU Learning Disability Team?

The team consists of;

  • Clinical psychology
  • Learning disability nursing
  • Behavioural specialists
  • Child and adolescent psychiatry

All Clinical Psychologists, Learning Disability Nurses and Psychiatrists in the service have specialist training in working with people with a Learning Disability.

The Behavioural Specialists in the team are trained in the assessment of behavioural difficulties and in the designing and implementing of behaviour programmes.

The service works closely with colleagues in Child Health services (e.g. Paediatricians, School Nurses), the Disabled Children’s Teams (Social Care) and Education.

The service uses the THRIVE model of;

  • Getting advice
  • Getting help
  • Getting more help
  • Risk support

How do I access the service?

You need a referral from a health, care or education professional. All referrals are reviewed by the Access team. Where the child or young person is identified as having a Learning Disability, the referral will be passed to the BeeU Learning Disability team for triage.

If the referral is accepted, you will be contacted to arrange an assessment. Waiting time for an assessment appointment will depend on your needs.

You do not need an Education and Health Care Plan to access the service but, where the child does not attend either the Bridge Special School in Telford or Severndale Special School in Shrewsbury, you will need to provide evidence of a Learning Disability from previous assessments such as a cognitive assessment (such as the WISC, WIPSII, British Ability Scale etc.), a recent Child Development Centre (CDC) multidisciplinary assessment, a recent Educational Psychology assessment or a recent Education Health Care Plan (EHCP).

The service works alongside the local council to inform education and health care assessments and plans but does not make recommendations for the issuing of plans.

Who is eligible to use the service?

The service uses the definition of a Learning Disability found in the government document, ‘Valuing People’ which is;

  • A significantly reduced ability to understand new or complex information in learning new skills (impaired intelligence), with:
  • A reduced ability to cope independently (impaired social functioning),
  • Which started before adulthood, with a lasting effect on development

In order for a referral to be accepted by the team, there would also need to be:

  1. Evidence of mental health and/or severe behavioural difficulties providing that such behaviours:
  • are of sufficient frequency, severity or chronicity to require specialist assessment and intervention,
  • impact significantly on the quality of life of the young person/others or present a significant risk to the health and /or safety of the young person and / or others,
  1. Evidence that, where appropriate, behavioural and/or parenting interventions have already been accessed through services such as Early Help, Health Visiting, School Nursing or through courses such as ‘Early Bird’.

What if I am not eligible?

You can access the self referral and open access parts of Bee U. This includes drop-in sessions run by The Children’s Society (called Beam) and on-line help provided by Kooth. 

How does this service support improved mental and emotional health outcome?

A care plan is developed with the child or young person and their family. This can include a range of psychological interventions including: assessments; behavioural interventions; Positive Behaviour Support; family work looking at relationships; individual psychological therapy; grief work; psychoeducational work with parents: and psychiatric input.

Where a person has a mild learning disability, they may be able to access the self referral and open access parts of Bee U. This includes drop-in sessions run by The Children’s Society (called Beam) and on-line help provided by Kooth. 

How does the service support improved physical health outcomes?

Where a young person is prescribed medication by the BeeU Learning Disability Psychiatrist, the team routinely offers monitoring of weight, height and blood pressure. Regular blood tests and ECGs would also be required but these would be requested through the GP.

How does the service support improved education outcomes?

Where a child or young person is open to the BeeU service, and they are experiencing difficulties in school or college, the team will work alongside staff to help them understand the young person and their presenting problems. This may include management of behaviours that challenge or work around emotional regulation, problem-solving or anxiety management.

The service does not routinely carry out Learning Disability assessments and recommends psychometric assessments to be undertaken by educational psychologists within school.

Who will be involved in decision making?

Unless there are exceptional circumstances, the team would usually communicate with parents and/or carers in the first instance, either by letter or telephone.

Where the team is working primarily with parents, they will be central to the decision-making around any intervention, however children and young people will also be involved in those conversations wherever possible and appropriate.

Where individual work is undertaken with a young person, their input will be central to decision-making. However clinicians will also meet with parents and/or carers to ensure that they are informed about the progress of any work with their child and also as a means of ensuring that they receive appropriate support.

The service does offer a group for parents and carers once or twice a year. This is aimed primarily at parents and carers of younger children and is offered as an alternative or in addition to individual work with the family.

How to give feedback

Details of how to complain, express concern or give a compliment can be found at the Midlands Partnership NHS Foundation Trust website

Contact details

The BeeU Learning Disability Team
Coral House
11 Longbow Close
Shrewsbury
SY1 3GZ
Telephone: 0300 124 0093 (Option 3)