What is the Special Needs Index?
The Special Needs Index (SNIX) is an electronic database of information about children aged from birth to nineteen years who have physical, learning or sensory impairments. The Children Act 1989 requires local authorities to maintain one.
All information about disabled children is supplied voluntarily by parents/carers and no child is included on the database without parental consent.
What is the purpose of SNIX?
The Special Needs Index has three main purposes:
- To provide parents/carers with regular information about services and resources.
- Snix Newsletters - Families receive three copies of SNIX News a year.
- To provide a telephone information service to help the statutory and voluntary organisations plan better for disabled children.
How is the information gathered for the SNIX database?
Parents/carers are asked to complete a SNIX registration form, giving the child's name, address, age, and details about their education, health and disability etc.
To ensure the information is kept up-to-date, you will be asked to update this information periodically.
Should you do not wish to have your child included on the index, your entitlement to services will not be reduced or affected in any way.
Who will have access to the information?
Information from the index (including names and addresses or any other details which might identify specific children), will only be available to:
- The staff who maintain the index.
- The staff who send information to you.
- Direct service providers within the agencies.
Information that is provided to help plan for a better service (statistics, graphs, tables etc) will not identify individual children. Such information will be available to planners and service providers in both the statutory agencies and voluntary organisations.
The index protects confidentiality and is monitored by a development group comprising of representatives of all the agencies involved.
How can I find out more about SNIX?
By telephoning The SNIX Information Line - 01604 236887