The Wirral Autism and Learning disabilities Keyworkers (WALK) team was established in September 2022 for children/young people with autism and/or learning disabilities, who are on the Dynamic Support Database (DSD) and present with mental health challenges that lead or could lead to them being at risk of admission to a Tier 4 setting/hospital.
Our function operates by ensuring the right support is in place at the right time and identifying additional areas of need or support. A key worker will work with the family, child/young person, Health, Social Care and Education etc. to help facilitate contact between agencies and multi-agency meetings to make sure the child/young person is getting the right support from the right people. The function aims to work in a preventative manner to reduce or avoid hospital admission.
This service is for ages 0 to 25 years old, who have a diagnosis of Autism and/or Learning Disability.
On Wirral, Dynamic Support is managed by the Local Authority in the Wirral Autism Learning Disabilities Keyworker (WALK) team. This involves the oversight and administration of a Dynamic Support Database (DSD) for children and young people who have been diagnosed with a Learning Disability or Autism or both. This database has information about the child/young person/young adult and what areas of their care may require enhanced community support. The information helps services to work more closely together to manage a person’s mental health support effectively and ensure good outcomes in the community.
The information held on the DSD will depend on the person and the care and support needed. Typically, it includes information about:
Once identified as red or amber and added to the DSD, care will be routinely reviewed in collaboration with the support network to make sure that all the best practice for children and young people with a Learning Disability and/or Autism is in place.
We understand that the needs of children and young people can change quickly, so this database is intended to aid the early identification of increased risk and help us to support them in the community proactively.
Those children and young people added to the DSD have access to a designated WALK Keyworker. Should a child, young person or adult with Autism and/or a Learning Disability be at risk of admission to a Mental Health Setting, the key workers will work closely with the family and alongside other agencies involved to try and prevent this happening or will remain involved to try to make the hospital stay as short as possible and to facilitate a smooth discharge with the right support available in the community. Individuals must be registered on the Dynamic Support Database held with the WALK team and must have the continuing involvement of a main professional such as a CYP MHS case worker / Social worker / MDT needing support to coordinate our response.
Individuals must also have one of the following:
Monday to Friday
9am to 5pm
Free
A child / young person / young adult needs to have been rag-rated for the Dynamic Support Database, if they rated at amber/red and consent, then they are eligible for a keyworker. Once this has been completed then they would be added to the Dynamic Support Database.
To complete the DSD self-referral form, please Visit the Referral Request for Addition to Wirral Dynamic Support Database online form
General email: walk@wirral.gov.uk
For more information about Wirral Autism & Learning Disabilities (WALK) search Wirral Autism & Learning Disabilities (WALK) in this directory.
Visit the Wirral Autism and Learning Disabilities website
