Developed in conjunction with teachers, rehabilitation officers, Welsh Government and Local Education Authority officials, RNIB Cymru's Visual Impairment Pathway sets out a best practice model of service provision for children and young people.
Structured around a 4-tiered model of provision, from those children with low-level support needs to those with acute and complex needs, the Pathway clearly sets out the responsibilities of all relevant professionals (the education authority, teachers, health services, rehabilitation officers etc) at each tier, as well as the training that those professionals would need to undertake to be able to support a child with that level of need. Designed to be flexible, case study examples illustrate how and why children might move from one tier to another as well as highlighting the sort of support that might be required at each tier.
Nicola Crews, Head of Education and Children's Services at RNIB Cymru, said: "Whilst there are many examples of good practice, what we identified was a need for a standard pathway for service provision. Following our pathway would ensure all blind and partially sighted children and young people have access to the full range of services that can support them to achieve their potential. We're delighted that Carmarthenshire local authority has decided to pilot the pathway and we are now working with the Welsh Government to try to get the model rolled out as quickly as possible across the rest of Wales".