1 December 2008 Good Evening

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Improving services for children with a visual impairment ROVIC, Devon

The development of a specialist social care rehabilitation post, to support children with a visual impairment. Demonstrates multi-agency work.

The role was developed in response to an increasing number of visually impaired children being identified across the County and the lack of visual impairment expertise being available in the social services children’s teams.

Devon Social Services Sensory Team bid for 12 months funding from Skills for Care as part of the ‘Changing Work Force’ programme to pilot 3 specialist visual impairment workers (Rovics) Based in children’s teams, their role would be to key work/ care manage services for visually impaired children.

Previously adult care teams had taken on the work of working with children with a visual impairment, the wider focus of that work meant that workers were not able to meet the needs of children and their families adequately.

The skills and competencies needed for the new role were developed at stakeholder groups, which included multi professionals and parents.

The pilot provided a challenging and useful opportunity to develop the role of the ROVIC and to see if the role made a difference to services.

The evaluation document demonstrates that stakeholders regard the new role very positively. The pilot was deemed to be a success and the funding for the new posts was main streamed.

In the Paediatric Ophthalmology clinic a vital link has developed between the hospital services and the child’s life at home or school.

One parent described the Rovic as ‘the missing piece of the jigsaw’.

Evaluating training needs and establishing training pathways using the person specification, job description and competencies, have improved the quality of assessments and care planning and service delivery.

Rovics feel passionately that they have made a significant difference to the social care of visually impaired children, which has been underpinned by the training pathways.