CEN Definition and Criteria
The National Managed Clinical Network for Children with Exceptional healthcare needs (CEN) has been initiated in March 2009 to improve the care for children with complex and exceptional healthcare needs in Scotland. For audit and research purposes the CEN NMCN will initially focus on a small group of children and young people with exceptional healthcare needs. The information obtained on the issues in the care of exceptional healthcare needs children and the recommendations and training based on this will not only affect the future care of exceptional healthcare needs children but also the wider group of complex needs children.
The assessment criteria used to identify the exceptional healthcare needs children are based on the support needs system (SNS), however the assessment criteria can also be used on children who are not in the SNS system.
CEN assessment criteria
The six impairment categories used for assessing the children and young people are:
- learning and mental functions
- communication
- motor skills
- self care
- hearing
- vision
A child or young person (up to the age of 19) is defined as having exceptional healthcare needs if they:
- have severe impairment recorded in at least 4 categories together with enteral/ parenteral feeding
OR
- have severe impairment recorded in at least 2 categories and require ventilation/CPAP
AND
- the impairments are sustained and ongoing or expected to last for more than 6 months.
See Functional Assessment Guidelines (May 2014) for further details.