Overview
COVID-19: Children’s Equipment Advice sheet
Your child may have difficulties for example with the way they hold a pencil to write and handwriting; the way they use cutlery or mastering learning how to dress.
This service offers child-focused assessment and practical advice and therapy to children and young people who experience difficulties with their daily occupations due to a physical and/or learning disability.
We understand the skills your child needs for self care, school work and play and will work with you and your child to identify ways for your child to be able to participate in the daily activities they need to do.
Some example areas we may assess include:
Self-care (e.g. using the toilet, dressing, personal hygiene, cutlery skills at mealtimes)
Play and leisure (e.g. using toys, riding a bike, hobbies)
School participation (e.g. handwriting skills in recording work; use of scissors in craft activities;, organisation in school environment)
The current average waiting time for the Children’s Occupational Therapy service is 9 weeks.
Calls may be recorded for training and quality purposes. To find out more, visit Personal information – Bromley Healthcare.
Using the service
For first time referrals into the service, a completed referral form is required. This can be completed by any professional involved with the child or young person. For example, school, GP or other health professional.
Bromley Children’s OT referral form
Once a request has been received by the team a therapist will consider whether your child meets the service criteria (see ‘who is the service for’). Our administration team will then write to you to tell you of the decision and next steps.
The service works to an episodes of care model, where needs are identified; advice and therapy given and the referral closed.
Where a child or young person has been seen in the service in the past two years, (and their episode of care has been closed), parents and carers can make a direct referral into the service if needed by telephone, email or letter/referral.
Some children with on-going physical needs will remain open on our caseload and this is likely where children have a complex physical disability and require specialist equipment at their education setting.
Telephone: 0300 330 5777
Email: bromh.cccpod5@nhs.net
Calls may be recorded for training and quality purposes. To find out more, visit Personal information – Bromley Healthcare.
Who is the service for?
The service is for children aged 0 – 19 with difficulties with activities of daily living at home or education setting due to a physical or learning disability.
To use the service, you need to have Bromley GP; be usually resident in Bromley or attend a specialist school in the Bromley borough. The child or young people must have identified difficulties with activities of daily living.
Referrals for handwriting are only accepted from schools or home education. If another professional feels that a referral is required for handwriting, please ask parents for school or home education to make the referral.
Criteria for specialist equipment for the home:
If your child requires specialist equipment for the home to support daily activities, we provide that if:
– your child requires this following a hospital discharge,
– if your child is in receipt of continuing care funding.
All other specialist home equipment to support daily activities is provided by the London Borough of Bromley. Telephone: 020 8 461 7777
With regards to specialist equipment for school to support daily activities – we will provide recommendations as needed.
Calls may be recorded for training and quality purposes. To find out more, visit Personal information – Bromley Healthcare.
Appointments
Your first appointment
Depending on the need, appointments can be offered at the Phoenix Children’s Centre; child’s school or home.
If your appointment is at the Phoenix Children’s Centre, please make yourself known to the receptionist, and the occupational therapist will come to meet you in the reception area.
We aim to make all sessions engaging for children. The appointment will typically last from 45 to 90 minutes, starting with a discussion with you and your child about their daily occupations and participation.
Areas to assess will be agreed with yourself. Assessment and therapy can involve the activities that your child has difficulty with; the use of standardised assessments where appropriate, and discussion with yourself, child and school.
At the end of your appointment the occupational therapist will feedback to you and your child, and advise on the next steps. A report will be prepared which summarises the session and any recommendations. This report will be sent to you, and whoever referred your child to the service. If your child attends a nursery, pre-school or school we will ask you if a copy of the report can be sent to them and to other professionals who may be involved with your child.
At the end of the session, you will be asked to give us your views about your experience with us, which can be anonymous. Your feedback helps us to keep developing our service.
Recommendations for the future may include:
•Advice for use at home and for school which can include therapy programmes and advice to schools on any specialist equipment required.
•Individual or group treatment sessions. This may be carried out by an occupational therapist or a therapies assistant.
•Therapy advice given to both home and school and the episode of care closed and parents welcome to refer to the Occupational Therapy Advice Clinic if needed.
Changing or cancelling an appointment
If you need to change or cancel an appointment with the service, please give as much notice as you can. You can contact us at the Phoenix Centre number shown on this page.
Calls may be recorded for training and quality purposes. To find out more, visit Personal information – Bromley Healthcare.
Resources for parents
Occupational therapy aims to promote people’s health and wellbeing through their everyday activities. The Royal College of Occupational Therapists describes it as a way of enabling people to “achieve as much as they can for themselves and get the most out of life. Find out more…
Helpful videos
Pre-writing skills:
Knife and fork skills:
Open ‘knife and fork skills’ written advice document here.
Zip skills:
Open ‘zip skills’ written advice document here.
Button skills:
Open ‘button skills’ written advice document here.
How to put socks on:
Advice sheets
Making handwriting easier to read: placing the letters on the line
Handwriting advice for left-handers
Advice for schools: requests for standardised assessments of handwriting (over age 9)
Teaching tips for scissors skills
Activity sheets
Body awareness and coordination
Resources
Organising and alerting strategies
Some useful websites
b-HIVE
A collective of therapy advice, support and services for children, teenagers and young adults in Bromley.
contact.org.uk
For families with disabled children
scope.org.uk
Information and support for those with Cerebral Palsy
canchild.ca/en/diagnoses/developmental-coordination-disorder
Information and advice where coordination difficulties affects everyday life
rcot.co.uk
Royal College of Occupational Therapists. Provides useful videos and information about the services that Occupational Therapists can provide. There is a section for children and young people.
bromley.gov.uk/LocalOffer
Information about local services, support and activities available to families, children and young people aged 0-25 years with special educational needs or disabilities.
nhsggc.org.uk/kids/
Advice for supporting young people with independence skills.
kentcht.nhs.uk/childrens-therapies-the-pod/occupational-therapy
Advice on a range of everyday skills.
downs-syndrome.org.uk/for-families-and-carers/growing-up
Information on a range of issues for children with Downs Syndrome.
dyspraxiafoundation.org.uk/dyspraxia-children
Information for children with dyspraxia or developmental coordination disorder (DCD)
movementmattersuk.org/dcd-dyspraxia-adhd-spld/developmental-disorders-documentation/help-for-parents
Information for children with dyspraxia or developmental coordination disorder (DCD)
cptoys.org
Ideas to hand skills through play for children with cerebral palsy
Calls are recorded for training and quality purposes. To find out more, visit Personal information – Bromley Healthcare.
For professionals
The service is for children and young people aged 0 to 19 who are registered with a Bromley GP or usually resident in Bromley, or attend a specialist school in the Bromley borough, who have difficulties with activities of daily living due to a physical or learning disability. More information and resources can be found on b-HIVE, a collective of therapy advice, support and services for children, teenagers and young adults in Bromley.
For first time referrals into the Bromley Children’s Occupational Therapy service, a completed referral form is required. This can be completed by any professional involved with the child or young person, e.g. school, GP or other health professional.
Bromley Children’s OT referral form
Once a request has been received by the team, a therapist will consider whether your child meets the service criteria (see ‘who is the service for’). Our administration team will then write to you to tell you of the decision and next steps.
Referrals for handwriting are only accepted from schools or home education. If another professional feels that a referral is required for handwriting, please ask parents for school or home education to make the referral.
Clinical Lead for Children’s Occupational Therapy: Annita Wahab
Calls may be recorded for training and quality purposes. To find out more, visit Personal information – Bromley Healthcare.