Age range we support:
We support CYP from birth to 25. Our service is commissioned to provide services up to the age of 18 years for children with or without EHCP’s. Beyond the age of 18 it is a requirement to have an EHCP.
Local Authorities we cover:
The service is based in Bristol but is provided across Bristol, South Gloucester, BaNES and North Somerset. Our office is in Bristol – currently at Elmfield House in Westbury-on-Trym, and we travel to settings to support children and young people.
Who are we?
The Sensory Support Service has a range of specialist staff including Qualified Teachers of Vision Impairment (QTVIs), Teachers of the Deaf (ToD) and Teachers of Multi-Sensory Impairment (MSI), Educational Audiologist, Specialist Teaching Assistants and Sign Language Communication Advisors.
What do we do?
Service specialists will provide support at home for babies and young children and in educational settings including early years’ settings, mainstream and special schools and further education colleges, whether CYP have an Education and Health Care Plan (EHCP) or not, but an EHCP is required to provide support for young people over 18 or if they attend independent schools (at any age). If CYP attend an independent school and does not have an EHCP, the school would have to ask us for support and to fund us to provide the support needed.
Specialist support provided includes assessment (statutory and non-statutory), advice and support, training, teaching of specialist skills from braille, language and communication skills, self-advocacy, technology, support with transitions in education, etc. We also run Stay and Play Early Years’ group for babies and young children who are deaf or have vision impairment. Acorns and Explorers are run at Elmfield House but some other sessions are supported by other organisations that work in collaboration with us and the setting of these varies over time, e.g. Family Centre for Deaf Children and Guide Dogs for the Blind Association. Together with our partners, we try to offer early year’s sessions in every local authority, but this may not always be possible or at the same time, for example, Guide Dogs for the Blind Association provide sessions for a few months in an area and then in another area depending on number of children. Do contact us to find out more.
We work in line with the Curriculum Framework for Children and Young People with Vision Impairment (find out more here) and the Specialist Deaf Curriculum Framework (find out more here). Both these frameworks recognise the needs of children/young people with vision/hearing loss not only to access the national curriculum but also the specialist skills that they need to develop to be able to learn and be independent.
Referrals:
Anyone can refer to the service as long as there is medical information stating a vision and/or hearing loss. To find out how to refer click here. The service uses the National Sensory Impairment Partnership (NatSIP) eligibility framework (find out more here) and our own matrix (find out more here) to allocate levels of support.
Other Information:
Glue Ear
A small number of young children with glue ear may be referred to the service for initial advice and guidance. If you are concerned about your child’s glue ear, we run some courses (see our website) which you can attend and please visit the Ewing Foundation website - https://ewing-foundation.org.uk/
Brain related vision difficulties
We recognise that children and young people may have vision difficulties that do not meet our criteria of involvement but may benefit from useful strategies. We run courses on this subject 3 times per year for anyone interested in developing their understanding and practice in supporting these children (including parents). Find out more on our website.
Habilitation
Qualified Teachers of Vision Impairment (QTVIs) also work very closely with Habilitation Specialists from Guide Dogs Association for the Blind who provide support to maximise children and young people’s mobility, navigation and independent living skills – find out more on our website. The website is from Bristol but it’s support is provided across Bristol, South Glos, Bath and North East Somerset and North Somerset.
Steering Group
The service steering group meet 3 times a year and comprises of representatives from the four local authorities, partner organisations and parent/carers. If you would like further information about becoming a parent/carer rep, please email: sensorysupportservice@bristol.gov.uk
Find out more and contact us:
Find more information on our website. This link takes you to a Bristol Website but is it relevant to children, families and educational settings in South Gloucester, North Somerset and BaNES as well. If you live in these areas, please check it out.
Contact the sensory support service
Helpline (whole year round): sensorysupportservice@bristol.gov.uk
Call: 0117 903 8441 lines opened term time Monday to Thursday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Friday 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The service sends a regular newsletter with information about the service and signposting to events etc. Contact our helpline if you would like to receive this.
Last updated: 13 August 2025