Dorset Council has enhanced its help for children and young people through a new Keyworker Service.

Commissioned by NHS Dorset, the keyworker service is supporting children and young people with a learning disability and/or autism who are at risk of being admitted to mental health hospital settings.

The team, based within the Birth to Adulthood Service, works with children and young people aged 0–25 who are on the Dynamic Support Register (DSR), live in Dorset, are registered with a Dorset GP, and are either in crisis, at risk of hospital admission, or currently in a mental health inpatient setting.

Keyworkers act as a consistent point of contact for children, young people and their families, helping to coordinate support across health, education and social care.

Complementing the professionals already supporting children and young people, they ensure families’ voices are heard, develop personalised support plans, support attendance at Care, Education and Treatment Reviews (CETRs), and work to help prevent hospital admissions or support timely discharge back into the community.

Access to the Keyworker Service is through the Dynamic Support Register, a local system that helps services identify and support people with a learning disability and/or autism who may be at risk of crisis, so they receive the right help early. People are included on the register for as long as additional monitoring or support is needed, with regular reviews to remove them when risks reduce.

Referrals can be made by health or social care professionals, or through local services working with the individual.

Councillor Clare Sutton said: ”The Keyworker Service plays a vital role in making sure children and young people with a learning disability and/or autism receive coordinated, personalised support when they need it most.

“By working closely with families and professionals, keyworkers help ensure that young people are supported in their communities and that their voices remain central to decisions about their care.”

A spokesperson for the Dorset Parent Carer Council added: “Families tell us how important it is to have a single, trusted person who understands their child and can help them navigate complex systems.

“The Keyworker Service is a positive step that helps ensure parents and carers feel listened to, are supported and better able to secure the right help at the right time.”

For more information about the Keyworker Service, please email dsregister@nhsdorset.nhs.uk