Your child may need equipment, an adaptation or professional advice to assist them with day-to-day living and to maximise their independence in their own homes.
Support from Paediatric Occupational Therapy
We support children and young people aged between 0-18 who live in Havering and require support from us.
We will look at your child’s:
- self-care – washing, eating and dressing needs
- productivity – being able to attend nursery, school or college
- leisure – being able to participate in hobbies or therapeutic interventions
Our assessment approach
We consider our service to be friendly and realistic to each child’s individual circumstances and we’ll look at a child’s needs as a whole.
Our assessment usually takes around 45 minutes depending on your child’s diagnosis and needs. Your child must be present for the assessment so we can see how they are functioning both physically and psychologically in order to ensure that we prescribe the most appropriate support for them.
We will mainly see your child at home but we will also visit schools, colleges or nurseries where appropriate.
Who can we support?
We can support children and young people with:
- sensory processing disorders
- dyspraxia / developmental coordination disorders
- cerebral palsy
- Autism spectrum disorders
- trauma
- developmental delay
- down syndrome
- genetic disorders
- learning disorders
- spina bifida
- spinal injury
Who can refer?
- parents / carers / legal guardians
- GP’s
- educational staff (Teachers and SENCO’s)
- nurses
- paediatricians
- physiotherapists
- other healthcare professionals
How we can help your child
After we’ve assessed or reviewed your child, we may support you with:
- equipment – such as bath and shower chairs, activity chairs and postural management for eating and feeding
- housing – sometimes the home you’re living in might not be suitable for your child and we can provide a housing report that can help you make an application to move house
- major adaptations via the Disabled Facilities Grant – your home may require a major adaptation to aid your child in their daily life e.g. a wet room so they are able to access safe washing facilities and we can support you to access a grant to fund the change
- minor adaptations – we may provide rails to help your child’s access and mobility around the home or external ramps for wheelchair users
- chair adjustment – we can adjust your child’s chair in the home so that it provides maximum support to them and to ensure the chair dimensions are suitable for your child's needs
- seating – we can help you trial and find the best seat for your child’s posture which you can get from a store through a prescription
- advice – we can provide advice on how your child can best manage around the home or tell you about other services that can support you and your child
- reviews – once we’ve supported you we’ll review how your child’s getting on with the equipment or adaptation they have to ensure it’s suitable – you can request a review at any time if you feel your child’s needs have changed
Support from the Acorn Centre
Who can we support?
We can support your child if they are aged between 0 and 19 living in Havering and have:
- physical needs
- sensory needs
- communication needs
- emotional or learning difficulties
- neuro disabilities
How we can help your child
We work in the community and can provide:
- visual and hearing support
- neuro disability clinic support
- neurodevelopmental assessment support of preterm babies
- assessment and management of complex needs including visual, hearing and movement disorders such as cerebral palsy and other neuro disabilities
- urgent medical assessments for children who may have been abused
- initial health assessments of children taken into the care of the local authority
- advice on health concerns relating to safeguarding, adoption and fostering
- seating for school, nursery or college
How to refer
To refer someone to this service please email nem-tr.ReferralsAcornCentre@nhs.net or call 01708 576777.
Disabled Facilities Grant
You could get a grant if you’re disabled and need to make changes to your home, for example to:
- widen doors and install ramps
- improve access to rooms and facilities – e.g. stairlifts or a downstairs bathroom
- provide a heating system suitable for your needs
- adapt heating or lighting controls to make them easier to use
Who is eligible?
You or someone living in your property must be disabled. Either you or the person you’re applying for must:
- own the property or be a tenant
- intend to live in the property during the grant period (which is currently 5 years)
You can also apply for a grant if you’re a landlord and have a disabled tenant.
The council needs to be happy that the work is:
- necessary and appropriate to meet the disabled person’s needs
- reasonable and can be done – depending on the age and condition of the property
How to apply
Contact the Paediatric Occupational Therapy service by calling 01708 432000 or emailing paediatricOT@havering.gov.uk.
Equipment from Motability
The Motability Scheme provides an affordable way for people with disabilities to lease a car, scooter or powered wheelchair in exchange for their mobility allowance. The Scheme is operated by Motability Operations Ltd, under contract to Motability, a registered Charity.