A new national eye care support pathway for children and young people with vision impairment

A new eye care support pathway for children and young people with a vision impairment in England was launched yesterday, designed to ensure children, young people and families get the support they need.

This guidance was developed in collaboration with health, education and social care professionals, children and families, and experts from different charities across the sector. It’s designed to sit alongside the Eye Care Support Pathway for adults and the Curriculum Framework for Children and Young People with a Vision Impairment.

For families, this pathway provides a clear outline of what support they can can expect on their journey from initially noticing a possible eye condition, through to living well with vision impairment.

For health, education and social care professionals and commissioners, the pathway provides an overview of what good practice care and support looks like, supporting the provision of integrated care.

RSBC is proud to have been one of the charities that helped to bring this important work to life. Carla Rose-Hardman, RSBC Services Director, commented: "As a charity which supports children, young people and families to live well with vision impairment, we've been delighted to be involved in the development of this pathway. It will play a key role in ensuring that the quality of support provided improves, and that the experiences of children and young people are more consistent in the long-term."

RSBC Trustees, Narayan Iyer and Lola Solebo were proud to attend the launch of the new pathway. Narayan said:  “What stood out for me is the inconsistency of service levels provided across the country. It seems to be a postcode lottery, which is simply not fair. Variability of availability and accessibility of resources for parents and children is also a problem.”

Download the full pathway for further information on what to expect during a child's journey with vision impairment:

The eye care support pathway for children and young people with a vision impairment