Children's Social Services Occupational Therapy Home
Assessment Team
What a Children's Social Services (CSS) Occupational Therapist
does
- Offers a functional assessment to children, looking at all
aspects of living.
- Ensure a safe and inclusive home environment for the disabled
child, taking into account the needs of the parent/carer and
siblings.
- Increase the child's ability to gain control over the practical
aspects of their daily life gaining as much independence as
possible.
- Assessment recommendations may include:
Standard or specialist equipment
Minor or major adaptations to the child's
environment
- Provides Information and advice to disabled children and their
carers about other sources of help.
- Joint working with a range of professionals working with
disabled children within health, education and the voluntary
sector.
- Involvement of children and their families in feedback and
consultation to improve services.
- Consultancy work such as advice on access to school and
nurseries.
Our Service Standards
- The CSS Occupational Therapists try to see disabled children
within 28 days of receiving a referral.
- Standard equipment should be provided within seven working days
of a decision being agreed.
- Specialist children's equipment could take longer, subject to
availability and delivery times.
- A quality check is carried out by an OT or OT Assistant within
two weeks of provision of equipment/adaptations.
- Every service user will be provided with a copy of their
assessment if they wish
- Equipment will be reviewed on a regular basis.
Liaison/Joint Working/Partnerships
District/Borough/City councils:
- Accessing disabled facilities grants for major adaptations to
privately owned properties. These grants are no longer
'means tested' for children's adaptations. See the
DCLG
Communities website for further information on these
grants.
- Local authority properties for both minor and major
adaptations.
- Supporting the need for re-housing.
Health based Occupational Therapists:
- Joint assessments.
- Working in partnership in the provision of
services.
Social worker for children:
- Joint assessment of need under the Department of Health
Assessment framework.
- Shared involvement.
- Fostering agencies.
Education:
- Working in partnership for equipment provision.
- Advice on school environments and adaptations.
Physiotherapists/Community Nurses/Paediatricians:
- Joint assessments.
- Information sharing.
- Specialist advice/equipment provision.
Service users - Children/families/carers:
- Consultation on service provision.
- Feedback to improve service provision
- Deaf Services, Kent Association for the Blind, Home
Improvement
- Agencies, Children's Social Services Occupational Therapists
work closely with other colleagues and agencies.
Important aspects:
- Shared knowledge/information
- Specialist advice
- Clarity of roles
- Balancing resources with assessed need
- Understanding service boundaries
- Working towards the same goal
- Understanding services' duties and limitations
- Identifying need.
Examples of our involvement
Seating
There are many factors to take into account when assessing a
child or young person for a seat.
The OT needs to consider:
- The opinions of the child or young person and carer, being
aware of the cosmetics design, comfort of a seat and perceived
usefulness.
- The lifestyle of the child/young person and family, how is the
seat going to be used, ease of transfers and for what functions and
activities. Is the seat going to enable the child/young person to
be more integrated into the family life/play and be adjustable for
growth? Give greater access to activities?
- The child/young person's environment, space within the
property, ease of moving the chair from one room to another, look
at door widths and thresholds, etc.
- The other equipment in use for postural management, does the
chair complement this equipment?
- The cognitive abilities of the child/young person, the physical
stage of development, sitting ability, so that they are placed in
the most appropriate position.
Bathtime
"Bathtime is a fun time for most children and an opportunity to
experience and develop sensory play. As Occupational Therapists we
assess how to make it possible for young people to get in and out
of the bath safely and independently. We provide advice and
equipment to help a young person sit or lie in the bath and to
assess the bath safely."
For some young people it is too difficult to manage the bath and
they are able to use the shower instead. For a young person who
wants to spend more time out with their friends and less time
getting ready, this may be the preferred option. The Occupational
Therapist would visit, listen to you, and help you to overcome some
of the difficulties you might be experiencing with personal
care.
"Showering can make it quicker and easier for you to get ready,
so you can spend more time and energy doing the things you
enjoy!" |