Occupational therapy (children's)
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We are a team of qualified occupational therapists and therapy assistants who have specialist knowledge and experience in child development. We specialise in assessment and treatment of physical development in children and young people. We aim to improve the quality of life for children and young people in Coventry by helping them to develop their functional ability and mobility to achieve their full potential.
- Base: Wayside House, Coventry
- Directorate: Children's
- Service Manager Lead: Tina Barnett
- Age: 0-18 years (19 in special schools)
- Referral Criteria: We accept referrals for children and young people age 0-19 years old with a Coventry GP. Referrals must be made by a professional. Please see our website for more details on inclusion and exclusion criteria, and for a copy of our referral form.
- Address: Wayside House Wilsons Lane, Longford, Coventry, CV6 6NY
- Hours: 08:30am to 5:00pm
- Telephone number: 02476 961 455
- Service hours: 8:00am to 4:30pm
- About us
- Early years (0 to 5 years)
- School age (4 to 19 years)
- Hand and Upper Limb Service
- Equipment
- Contact us
- Referrals
About us
We assess and treat children and young people with physical difficulties, as well as providing support to their families and carers. We cover a variety of specialist areas, including:
- Early Years Intervention
- Special Schools
- Long term neurological conditions
- Neuromuscular conditions
- Hand and Upper limb difficulties
- Neurodevelopmental conditions
- Specialised parent online groups
Our Occupational Therapists assess and treat children and young people in their own homes, nursery or school (mainstream and special) and clinics, including City of Coventry Health Centre. The input that is required from our service will determine the best environment to see the child/young person.
Following the initial assessment, if ongoing occupational therapy is required, goals are agreed and an appropriate treatment plan will be devised in collaboration with the child/ young person and their family/carer. Treatment is often incorporated into simple, everyday activities. Advice and training are provided so the family can help and encourage the child/ young person to practice their therapy programmes. Direct treatment may also be offered to work towards a specific goal, either on a 1:1 or group basis.
Both qualified Occupational Therapists and Therapy Assistants work within the service. All qualified Occupational Therapists are registered with the Health and Care Professions Council.
We are dedicated to supporting the education of students. As part of this commitment, students may be involved in the care of children and young people. You will be informed of any such involvement.
Early years (0 to 5 years)
Who we see
Our Early Years Service is for children between the ages of 0 to 5 years.
Your child does not need to have a diagnosis to be referred to this service.
Where do we see children?
We offer online parent and carer support sessions. You may be signposted to one of these sessions depending on your child's needs. Further information on these sessions can be found on this page.
Children and young people's occupational therapy assessments may take place face to face at the City of Coventry Health Centre. However, depending on your child's needs, they may also be seen at nursery or at home.
What happens when your child sees an occupational therapist (OT)?
From birth to 5 years, children develop the foundations of the skills they will build on throughout their lives.
Working with a child's individual needs and developmental stage, occupational therapy can support children with:
- gross and fine motor development
- sensory difficulties
- play skills
- increasing independence
- dressing skills
- feeding
The assessment will focus on developmentally appropriate independent living skills and skills children need in a nursery environment. This may Include:
- pre-writing and fine motor skills, including hand grip and strength
- dressing skills, such as undressing and putting items of clothing on
- sensory advice to support child's participation in functional tasks
- advice for managing activities of daily living tasks, such as independent eating and bathing
- equipment provision
The occupational therapy team may work across nursery, home and clinic settings to complete one to one interventions and visits to assess whether the environment meets the needs of the child.
Pre-school readiness
Pre-school readiness means having the skills to begin school and make a smooth transition into the school environment.
These skills include:
- being toilet trained and able to go to the toilet by themselves
- washing and drying their own hands
- putting on and taking off their coat and shoes.
- drinking from a cup
- feeding themselves independently
- having up-to-date childhood immunisations
- having good attention and listening skills
- holding a pencil and able to mark make
- having appropriate social skills for building friendships
Occupational therapy can support children to develop the skills they need to become more independent.
If a professional who knows your child, such as a nursery teacher, is particularly worried about your child's physical development being delayed for their age, please ask them to make a referral to our service. The referral should detail their concerns.
Following this, depending on the information provided, you may be invited to a parent/carer support session, or to a clinic appointment if it is considered necessary for your child's needs.
Other services may also be able to support your child. For example, your health visitor can provide support with:
- potty/toilet training
- sleep
- behaviour
- feeding
The school nursing team can also provide support with these skills.
School age (4 to 19 years)
Who do we see?
Our School Age Service is for children aged of 4 to 19 years.
A child or young person does not need to attend school to be seen by a therapist.
A child does not need to have a diagnosis to be referred.
Where do we see children and young people?
We offer online parent and carer support sessions. You may be signposted to one of these sessions depending on your child's needs.
Children and young people's occupational therapy assessments may take place face to face at the City of Coventry Health Centre. However, depending on your child's needs, they may also be seen at school or at home.
What happens during an appointment?
The assessment will focus on developmentally appropriate independent living skills and skills need in a school environment.
This may include:
- pre-writing and handwriting skills, including pencil grip and postural control
- dressing skills such as buttons, zips and laces.
- sensory advice related to engagement in functional tasks.
- advice for managing activities of daily living tasks such as independent eating and bathing
- equipment provision
The occupational therapy team may work across mainstream and specialist school settings to complete 1 to 1 interventions and visits to assess whether the environment meets the needs of the child or young person.
Activities of daily living
Activities of daily living are tasks that children and young people do on a daily basis. These can include:
- personal care
- dressing
- eating and drinking
- hobbies
- participating in the school environment
We provide advice sheets and resources to support children and young people with these activities of daily living.
Hand and Upper Limb Service
Who do we see?
Our hand and upper limb service is for children between the ages of 0 to 19 years. We provide:
- assessments and reviews of upper limb conditions
- splints for hands, elbows and fingers
- therapy for children and young people with hand and upper limb conditions
In this specialised service an occupational therapist will assess a child or young person's upper limb function to decide what treatment is appropriate.
This could include:
- hand exercises
- stretches
- splinting
Splinting aims to:
- improve or maintain the functional ability of the hand or upper limb
- prevent the development of contractures (muscle shortening)
- preserve range of movement
If there is a need for a splint, an appropriate splint will be made or fitted. The child or young person will have ongoing reviews so splits can be monitored and adjusted as needed.
Where do we see children and young people?
The service is mainly delivered face to face at the City of Coventry Health Centre. Depending on the identified need, children and young people may also be seen at school or at home.
What happens during an assessment?
Appointments will take place at the clinic on a Monday, Tuesday or Thursday.
A member of the team will complete an initial assessment. This will involve collecting relevant information and updating medical history when necessary.
The initial assessment takes about 1 hour. During the assessment, the occupational therapist might measure of the joints in the upper limb using specialist rulers called goniometers. This helps to assess whether the movement is within the expected range. Further monitoring might be arranged if needed.
Services and treatments
The service provides:
- splinting
- exercise program
- strength program
- specialist assessments
- botox (discussion with consultants)
- modified constraint induced therapy
- bimanual therapy
- post and pre botox treatment
- goal directed treatment blocks
If your child is issued with a splint, it will be reviewed throughout the year. Please bring the splints to each appointment.
Splints may be assessed for:
- joint instability
- post surgery
- post /pre-botox
- contracture management
- hygiene
- positioning
- improving function
Does my child get a splint on the day of the assessment?
If the occupational therapist identifies a clinical need for a splint, it will be issued on the day.
If your child needs a referrals to other service, such as orthotics or functional electrical stimulation, your therapist will discuss these.
How are splints made?
Splints are made from a thermoplastic material, neoprene, Lycra or other materials. Different material are used for different needs. A pattern of your child's hand is taken and transferred onto the material.
Thermoplastic splints:
The material is heated in a splint pan which contains heated water before being cut to size and moulded onto the hand. The therapist will make sure the splint fits as comfortably as possible. The splint is secured with soft straps and edging if needed.
You will receive a splint care leaflet and individual instructions on how and when to wear the splint.
Neoprene and lycra splints:
Some neoprene and lycra splints are pre-made and can be fitted on the day. We may need to order or make a split specifically for your child. We may also consider referring your child to a specialist centre for specialist lycra splinting.
Equipment
Your child may be referred to our service for assessment and provision of specialist equipment.
This can include:
- postural seating
- bathing equipment
- manual handling to support daily living activities
Our service does not provide major adaptations inside or outside your home.
We also cannot support with housing. Therefore, you may need to make a referral to Social Care Occupational Therapy (Coventry City Council). Referrals can be made to this team online.
Equipment process
If your child is identified as requiring equipment, a qualified member of the Occupational Therapy Team will arrange a visit (at home, nursery, school or in clinic) to assess your child's needs. Representatives from equipment companies or other relevant professionals involved in your child's care (for example., physiotherapists, speech and language therapists, children's nurses) may also attended this assessment.
After the assessment, therapists will complete a report detailing their clinical reasoning. This report is then submitted to a panel for consideration. We will keep you updated throughout the process as much as possible.
Where possible, we recycle equipment. Therefore, your child may receive recycled equipment. All recycled equipment is deep cleaned by the equipment stores before it is issued.
Please note we are unable to provide toileting or manual handling equipment to schools and nurseries. Education services are expected to fund some equipment and reasonable adjustments needed to enable your child to access their education.
Equipment reviews
When a child or young person receives equipment from our service, they will receive an equipment issue form with contact details and advice about the equipment.
If the equipment is broken or there are concerns regarding maintenance, contact the Integrated Community Equipment Services on 024 76 785353 to arrange a repair or maintenance.
If you are concerned about using the equipment or if your child has outgrown it, please contact the Occupational Therapy Service on 024 76 961455 to arrange a review.
For smaller pieces of equipment, a review may be completed by an Occupational Therapy Assistant.
For children and young people within the School Age Service, equipment is reviewed every year or sooner if clinically indicated.
For smaller pieces of equipment a review may be completed by one of our Occupational Therapy Assistants.
Our service aims to provide the least restrictive equipment for children and young people in line with The Royal College of Occupational Therapy guidance.
Contact us
Our service is open Monday to Friday. Our telephone lines are staffed from 8:30am to 4:30pm.
If no one is available to answer your call, or you call outside of these hours, you can leave a voicemail. Please include your child's name and a contact number in the message. A member of the team will call you back as soon as possible.
Telephone : 024 76 961455
Correspondence address:
Children and Young People's Occupational Therapy
Wayside House
Wilsons Lane,
Coventry,
CV6 6NY
Referrals
Who can refer?
Referrals can be made by health, education and social care professionals for children and young people who have a Coventry GP.
How to refer
A referral form can be downloaded below.
We ask that parents and carers to contribute to the referral information and give consent for the referral to be sent to our service.
Please provide as much information as possible. This will help us to prioritise the referral appropriately.
What happens after my referral?
Referrals are screened each week by a senior member of the occupational therapy team against our referral criteria. We will let you know whether your referral has been accepted or if we require further information.
Current waiting times
Our current waiting time is below 18 weeks.
Professionals can access the referral form below: