Pre-school Children
Your local Startwell Team (health visitors, portage services and early years workers) can provide you with advice about how to support your child’s development. Tips and information on milestones and helpful videos can be found here Families - Greater Manchester Combined Authority
Local “Stay and Play” groups are available, which you can drop into with your child. These are a great place to meet other parents/carers and get support for your child’s development. Visit your local Family Hub or library to find out more about the support in your local area.
Your child will have a visit from the Health Visitor team between 9 and 12 months and also at 2 years of age. This will be an opportunity to discuss any concerns you may have. At this visit the health visitor will do some checks and your child’s development will be discussed with you. If any further support needed to help your child will be discussed with you.
This may include:
- Discussions of online support ideas.
- Visits at your home to support you with physical development.
- An invitation to a group session
- Seeing occupational therapist for more assessment or support.
If you are concerned or worried about your child, speak with your Health visitor / nursery and they will advise you if a referral to the NHS Occupational Therapy service would be appropriate.
Referrals from parents can be taken over the phone, but then further information may be sought before the referral is processed.
School Age Children
School staff have access to an occupational therapist that visits their school and who can provide appropriate strategies and support across the school to overcome a range of needs by signposting staff to training / resources and how to make reasonable adjustments to support the child. The service also provides training both face to face and online to support school / setting staff.
If you are concerned or worried about your child, speak with your child’s school teacher and they will advise you if a referral to the NHS Occupational Therapy service would be appropriate.
Referrals from parents can be taken over the phone, but then further information may be sought before the referral is processed.
Specialist Support requiring a referral to Occupational Therapy
If specialist level support is required from an occupational therapist the service will aim to provide this in the most functional setting for the child, e.g. nursery, home or school.
Assessments of need may be made through:
- discussion with parent / carer / setting staff.
- Observation of skills in the functional situation
- Informal assessments
- Formal assessments
The assessment of need will always be considered in terms of functional skills as per the recommendations of the Royal College of Occupational Therapists. A child may have ongoing difficulties yet be functioning to their full potential in daily activities. In this case an occupational therapy assessment would not be required.
The functional daily activities (occupations) that an occupational therapist may assess include:
- Play
- Physically accessing their environment.
- Activities of daily living
- eating,
- dressing
- personal care
Referrals for specialist support:
If you are a Stockport Foundation Trust health professional using the EMIS patient system: Please use the referral form on the system and Task the ‘0-16yrsOTPhysioSaltCDU’ exorg task box
If you are a professional working with a child, and do not use the EMIS system as a member of Stockport Foundation Trust, please email CTSAdmin@stockport.nhs.uk to request the current referral form.
For any queries or more information about training opportunities offered by the service to empower parents / carers through training please email as per the training email above.
For More Information:
If you have more general questions about supporting your child’s physical skills and or participation, in the first instance where possible, please talk to your child’s health visitor, early years setting or school.
If you have specific questions about specialist support for your school age child please contact your child’s named therapist via the school.
Alternatively contact us on the details above.
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