Occupational Therapy Core Offer

The Children’s Occupational Therapy Service helps children and young people participate in normal everyday activities such as play, participation in school or nursery as well as managing personal care (dressing, bathing, getting on and off the toilet and getting in and out of the bath).

We also support children and young people by giving advice on adapting environments both at home and at school in order to make these safe and accessible. We want to help children and young people lead full and happy lives, to realise their potential and to take part as valued members of their community. We want to support a family to help their child.

The occupational therapists and support staff work as part of a multi-disciplinary/multi agency team to provide an integrated family centred approach to therapy provision.

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Operational detail

Children with complex needs – 0 to 18 years - mainstream education

Cambridgeshire County Council special schools

Operational detail

Location

We see children and families in their home, in a clinic setting and in school/nursery.

We have bases in Cambridge, Huntingdon and Fenland. Read more about where we work.

Referral process

We are a specialist service.

When our clinician is triaging, they will use the information in the referral to decide the best way to support the child or young person’s needs. They decide between 3 options:

support via telephone consultation
training staff at school
occupational therapy assessment

When clinically relevant, it is expected that universal (aimed at all children and young people in school/other provision) and targeted (specific to this child or young person) intervention and advice has been, and continues to be, in place before a specialist level of intervention is requested.

Should families require further help, our referral form and guide for referrers can be found on the Occupational Therapy Service page.

Advice line

The advice line is available for anyone who is not known to our service and who has a Cambridgeshire GP, and/or who lives in an area where housing needs are covered by Cambridgeshire County Council.

Cambridgeshire Community Services (CCS) website

General advice on increasing function and participation in everyday activities.

Website resources for mainstream school provision

Primary school children in school uniform standing around a table playing with different musical instruments. A young girl in the foreground is staring directly into the camera.

Sensory differences training for schools

Online overview of sensory differences with strategies.

Young boy sitting on steps tying shoelace

Co-ordination and motor skills training

Online overview of motor co-ordination with strategies

Children In Classroom Sitting And Singing Songs With Actions

Ready to learn pack

Online ready-to-learn pack

4 Young Children Sitting On Space Hoppers In A Classroom Vibrant

Ready to learn circuits training for schools

Online training for the understanding and setting up of a ready-to-learn circuit.

10 year old boy sitting in classroom at desk, looking up

Ready to learn online training

Online training to help your child to be ready-to-learn.

Children In A Class Looking At A Book Held By A Teacher

Ready to learn face to face workshop

Face to face workshop to help your child to be ready-to-learn.

Telephone consultation and training offer

- Schools will be offered face-to-face training by an occupational therapist.
- Parents and carers will be offered a telephone call or video conferencing for advice and support.
- Assessment to give advice and recommendations. Discharge following assessment.
An occupational therapist gives advice at designated sessions as part of every SCILS and Cygnet course.
- SCILS (Social Communication, Interaction and Learning Skills) - Places will be offered to parents and carers of a preschool child who has significant and complex social communication difficulties or a diagnosis of autism and is following the early support pathway.
- Cygnet (Barnardos programme) - Referral to CYGNET is offered to parents and carers of primary school age children who have been assessed as having autism spectrum condition or as having significant social communication difficulties as their main difficulty. Read more about cygnet.

Sensory

The Royal College Of Occupational Therapy states that a person’s sensory issues must be considered in the context of their occupational engagement and performance in the relevant environment. Goals/ outcomes must be clearly related to the occupational engagement, performance and participation of a person and intervention must be regularly reviewed for effectiveness.

Sensory strategies that can be used within the framework of occupational therapy models of practice aim to:

manage (not change) the sensory needs of the person
management through adapting the environment, modifying the task or developing strategies to self-manage their sensory needs

There is no specified level of qualification in sensory processing/integration specified or expected of occupational therapists by the Health and Care Professions Council, the regulator of occupational therapists in the UK.

Children’s Occupational Therapists have the skills to identify an individual’s sensory strengths and differences and their impact on daily activities as part of their assessment of a person’s occupational performance.

Is a tool used by some occupational therapists to address a person’s sensory needs. SIT aims to change a person’s sensory processing through direct, intensive therapeutic input and is delivered by occupational therapists who have undertaken certified postgraduate training. The research evidence is inconclusive regarding the impact of SIT on daily life activities.

There continues to be much debate and controversy regarding Ayres sensory integration Therapy. Evidence for SIT remains largely anecdotal in nature and there remains little conclusive scientific evidence to support the use of SIT in the general population.

Therefore, in line with the strongest evidence base, we do not provide Ayres sensory integration.

Motor co-ordination

We offer support to children, young people and their families through strategies, advice and goal setting tools available via our website. If further help is required, a referral to our service can be made. Read more about co-ordination and motor skills online learning.

Children with complex needs – 0 to 18 years - mainstream education

The Occupational Therapy Service has clinically identified that the child or young person referred to our service is likely to need individual assessment/individual intervention/mid-to-longer term support from the service due to the nature of the child or young person’s disability or needs.

- Observation: the child will be seen in clinic, at home or in their educational setting as clinically indicated.
- Assessment to investigate why your child or young person is experiencing difficulties/challenges with participation and function. This may be solely with the occupational therapist or jointly with another member of the multi-disciplinary team (for example, a physiotherapist).
- A report with outcomes from the assessment will be completed.
- This will include identified goals which will require support directly and/or indirectly from the occupational therapy service. Provision may include training for educational staff to deliver recommended strategies/programme and liaison with parents.
- Goals will be reviewed periodically.
- Discharge from care is recommended following completion of goals.
- Other recommendations for support may be made for delivery from other agencies (such as nursery, school, health or other).
- A therapy assistant may assist in the session/review or undertake it under the therapist’s guidance.
- Intervention at home and education setting may include: complex seating (as part of 24-hour postural care), using the toilet (not toilet training), and moving around the educational environment.
- Hand function/dexterity – difficulties affecting function/participation.
- Hand splinting/lycra garment.
- If the child or young person is under the care of a CCS Paediatrician, the child will be seen at least yearly in the Paediatrician/Physio/OT Review Clinic.
- Education and health care plans (EHCP): The occupational therapist will deliver the occupational therapy provision as identified in the EHCP in line with our occupational therapy service core offer.
- The treating therapist, with consent from parent or carer, may initiate an EHCP application.
- The treating occupational therapist will write a report to inform the EHCP process/annual review.
- The occupational therapist will provide assessment at pre-school, school, or home. This may involve equipment such as a hoist and a sling. A Safer Guidance for Moving and Handling document will be completed and reviewed at least annually.
- Documents can be shared by the family to the educational setting and respite care to inform identified needs and how best to support.
- An assessment of need will be completed by an occupational therapist/occupational therapy assistant with potential solutions.
- If the needs can only be met by adapting the property, and accessing the disabled facilities grant, parents and carers can choose to either;
- - Self-manage the adaptation. Family will need to apply directly to the District Council/County Council to access the disabled facilities grant.
  - Use the Home Improvement Agency to project manage. If the family choose this option, the family need to make a referral to the Home Improvement Agency. The OT will advise how to do this.
- Once it has been decided how to manage the adaptation, the episode of care is closed to occupational therapy and the duty of care to ensure that the identified needs are met by the adaptations to the home sits with either:
1. 1. the family
  2. the Home Improvement Agency or the council

Cambridgeshire County Council special schools

Life Skills: Universal and targeted
- Includes grading an activity, dressing, using the toilet, play, eating and drinking, feeding, using pen/pencil, hand strengthening, participation in the community.
Physical Skills: Universal
- Includes overview of neurodisability, postural management, specialist equipment (why we use specialist seating and standing frames), wheelchairs, sleep systems and orthotics.
Sensory: Universal and targeted
- Includes what the senses are, senses and emotion, differences, adjusting and modifying task and environment; sensory circuit and using a sensory checklist.
- The child will be seen in the special school or home by an occupational therapist or therapy assistant. This may be jointly with another member of the multi-disciplinary team as clinically indicated. Occasionally, we will see the young person in a clinic.
- Assessment of needs and clinically indicated intervention at home and education setting may include: postural care management (as part of 24 hour postural care); using the toilet (not toilet training).
- Hand function – difficulties affecting function/participation.
- Hand splinting/lycra garment.
- If the child or young person is under the care of a CCS Paediatrician, the child will be seen a minimum of yearly in the Paediatrician/Physio/OT Review Clinic.
- Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP): The occupational therapist will deliver the occupational therapy provision as identified in the EHCP in line with our occupational therapy service core offer.
- The treating therapist, with consent from parent or carer, may initiate an EHCP application.
- The treating occupational therapist will write a report to inform the EHCP process/annual review.

Families and professionals can continue to access up to date advice, support and services by calling 0300 029 50 50. Open Monday to Friday 8:30am to 4:30pm.

Postal address: Occupational Therapy Admin, The Peacock Centre, Brookfields Hospital Campus, Mill Road, Cambridge, CB1 3DF.

Last reviewed: 4 August, 2025

Cambridgeshire and Peterborough

Cambridgeshire

Peterborough

Occupational Therapy Core Offer

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