The Children’s Occupational Therapy Team
BCP Council’s Children’s Occupational Therapy Team is made up of are six qualified therapists in the team including the Team Manager. All the occupational therapists are registered with the Health and Care professions Council (HCPC).
The team work with children and young people aged up to 18 who have severe physical disabilities and/or complex health needs.
Their role is to primarily assess and provide recommendations to enable children and young people to safely access their home environment and to optimise their ability to participate and function in everyday home life.
The team also work with BCP Council’s housing team to prioritise the most important adaptations, including a fast track system when needed. They may also support families to move to more suitable and accessible housing.
They assess and provide specialist seating, moving and handling and bathing equipment and advise and support minor or major adaptations to the home environment often through the Disabled Facilities Grant process.
Children’s Occupational Therapists are highly skilled in risk assessments and review equipment and moving and handling in line with clinical guidance. They meet with occupational therapists across settings in the BCP and Dorset areas to make sure their knowledge base is kept up to date.
Whilst the pathway for the service is clear, it runs in parallel with the health therapy service at the Child Development Centre (CDC) who deal mostly with children with fine motor and functional difficulties with appointments mainly taking place at the Child Development Centre clinic.
The Children’s Occupational Therapy Team aim to make a real difference to the lives of the children and families they meet and help Children to achieve greater functional independence and participation in everyday tasks and home life.