Disabled Children's Register
Important Information →
If you are wishing to be added to the Children's Disability Register, you need to make sure you create an account on the Children's Portal prior to registering. This is accessible via the sign up link in the How to register section.
The Children Act 1989 required all local authorities to establish a register of disabled children aged 0 to 18 years in their areas. This is known as the Disabled Children's Register and is kept up to date by the SEND team in Wigan.
We want everyone with a disabled child or teenager, aged 0 to 18 years old in Wigan to register. This will enable us to look at numbers of children and young people and help us plan our services and local health services within the borough.
Who can register
You should consider registering your child if they have a disability and they are a Wigan resident. Children do not need to have a formal diagnosis to be added to the register, and it is completely voluntary. Under the Equality Act 2010, a person has a disability if they have a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on their ability to carry out normal day to day activities.
Categories include:
- Physical conditions which are permanent or have a long-term illness or require lengthy treatment
- Learning disabilities
- Behavioural difficulties
- Sensory loss
- Children on complex medication or treatment programmes like dialysis
- A communication disorder (including autism)
- A consciousness disorder (e.g. epilepsy)
Some examples of health conditions or a disability could include but are not limited to:
- ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder)
- Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
- Cerebral palsy
- Complex health needs
- Global developmental delay
- Learning difficulty like dyslexia or dyspraxia.
- Mobility Issues
- Palliative care needs
- Sight and/ or hearing impairments
Why should I register
Signing up to the register is voluntary. However, we will be able to share information, news and updates on what is happening in Wigan. This information can be used to support planning services and offers in Wigan. It also means that we can get your voice in the work being undertaken and ask for feedback on Wigan’s Local Offer to support how we can make it better.
How will we use your information?
The information we get from the SEND register will be used to understand the needs of children and young people with SEND living in Wigan and help us when we are thinking about making any changes to services.
What information is kept
Child's core details including:
- Name
- Date of birth
- Address
- Ethnicity
- First language
- Disability
- Unique pupil number or unique learner number.
Parent and/or Carer’s core details details including:
- Name
- Address
- Contact number
- Email address.
View our Children’s Services Privacy Notice.
How to register
We would encourage you to sign up as we believe it is in your and your child’s best interest. We can keep you informed on what’s available in Wigan, make you aware of any changes that may affect you or your child and contact you when we are doing consultations surrounding SEND matters. This will be via the Children's portal and you will need to register an account. If your child is 18 years and over, we recommend the account is set up in their name and details.
If you need any help or would like any support with registering, please contact the SEND Team detailing your enquiry about the disability register.
Parent and/or Carers of Children with additional needs, aged 0 to 25 years in the Wigan Borough, with or without a diagnosis, can also join Wigan Parent Carer Forum (external link) to keep updated on relevant information, events and opportunities.
How to update your details or deregister
We know that circumstances change, so you may need to update your details or deregister your child. You can complete an online form to deregister your child or update your details.
When your child reaches 25 years old we will automatically remove them from the register.