A child who has been in the care of their local authority for more than 24 hours is known as a looked after child. Looked after children are also often referred to as children in care. The majority of looked after children are cared for by foster carers or family members other than their parents. A small number of these children are in residential homes.

Children who enter the care system often have more health needs than other children, which means that they often require additional health support.

14 beds providing a behaviourally managed environment in which people with cognitive, emotional or behavioural outcome of an acquired brain injury can have access to rehabilitation.

How to get Referred:
Via Consultant

16 beds (with fully equipped interim flat) providing highly specialised and integrated multi disciplinary rehabilitation for adults following an acquired brain injury or other neurological disease/illness (patients must be medically stable).

How to get Referred
Via single point of access, Donna Lowther.

The Mental Health and Deafness Service, based at Walkergate Park in Newcastle upon Tyne,  is for deaf and deafblind people aged 18 years or older who mainly use British Sign Language to communicate and who have mental health problems. We work with the Community Treatment Team (CTT) in your local area.

How  can I get referred?

You can be referred by a Specialist Mental Health Service.

What we do

The Northern Region Gender Dysphoria Service is a service for people who experience persistent confusion and/or discomfort as a result of a discrepancy between their assigned sex and their gender identity. This includes people who want to change physical aspects of their gender as well as those who do not.

The Perinatal Community Mental Health Team provides a multidisciplinary service for women with mental health problems relating to pregnancy, childbirth and early motherhood living in Newcastle, Gateshead, North Tyneside, Northumberland, Sunderland and South Tyneside.

We care for women with a range of moderate to severe common mental health problems such as depression, anxiety, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), and severe mental health disorders such as bi-polar, psychosis and schizophrenia.

The Regional Affective Disorders Service (RADS) is one of a limited number of specialist/tertiary level affective disorder services in the UK providing both out-patient and in-patient care for patients with difficult to treat mood disorders.

The Regional Affective Disorders Service is based in Newcastle upon Tyne which provides care for patients living in the North East of England, over the age of 18, with complex and/or treatment refractory affective disorders and other treatment refractory conditions complicated by an affective component.

The Regional Affective Disorders Service (RADS) is one of a limited number of specialist/tertiary level affective disorder services in the UK providing both out-patient and in-patient care for patients with difficult to treat mood disorders.

The Regional Affective Disorders Service is based in Newcastle upon Tyne which provides care for patients living in the North East of England, over the age of 18, with complex and/or treatment refractory affective disorders and other treatment refractory conditions complicated by an affective component.

The Regional Communication Aid Service is based at Walkergate Park and is a specialist Electronic Assistive Technology Service.  Our service aims to improve the independence of people of all ages who experience severe communication difficulties through the provision of specialised services for Alternative and Augmentative Communication (AAC) Aids.  We support local teams in working with individuals to understand their AAC needs; and in providing specialised communication aids.

The Richardson Eating Disorder Intensive Day Service is a specialist service based at Benfield House, Walkergate Park Hospital in Newcastle, which provides comprehensive assessment and treatment for eating disorders. All patients referred into the day service need to have had a comprehensive assessment from The Richardson Eating Disorder Service or the Northern Centre for Eating Disorders.

Who is the Intensive Day Service for?

The service is for men and women aged 18 and over living in the northern and southern part of the North East of England.

The Richardson Eating Disorder Service (REDS) is a specialist tertiary service, located in Newcastle upon Tyne, providing comprehensive assessment and treatment for adults with moderate and severe eating disorders in North East England.  REDS provides treatment for males and females and has outpatient, intensive day hospital and inpatient services.

The Social, Therapeutic and Recreational Rehabilitation Team (STARRT), based at Walkergate Park  in Newcastle, provides social and recreational rehabilitation to inpatients in Walkergate Park.  STARRT work to promote independence and increase quality of life through taking part in social and leisure activities.  The team consists of a Nurse Team Lead and  qualified nursing staff, as well as activities facilitators and volunteers.

Our vital service is available at no cost to families. Rainbow Trust is a charity, relying almost entirely on voluntary donations and the generosity of the public to deliver support.

Rainbow Trust Children’s Charity supports families who have a child aged 0-18 years with a life-threatening or terminal illness.

We are a warm, caring and kind place because:

• We offer small group work and activities
• Parents/carers can discuss individual needs prior to visiting

Specialist Rehabilitation Services

The Children’s Trust is the UK’s leading charity for children with brain injury and neurodisability. We deliver rehabilitation, education and community services through skilled teams who work with children and young people, and their families.

Our Network covers two key areas of Children’s Hospital care including Paediatric Critical Care and Surgery in Children.

Our Team comprises of 8 members of staff, 2 clinical leads for PCC and 1 for SIC, plus a core team including Network Manager, Lead Nurse, Educator, Data Analyst and Administrator.

The Tree House Early Years Centre provides a range of Educational, Social, Therapeutic and Health activities / services for children aged 0-5 with SEND, and their families.

The centre was officially opened by councillor Lesley Storey in September 2023. The following video showcases the opening of the Centre and highlights some of facilities and activities available for children and their families.