Occupational Therapy FAQs

Occupational Therapy is a science-based, health and social care profession that’s regulated by the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC). It helps children and young people do the everyday tasks that are important to them, like playing, schoolwork, and taking care of themselves.

Caudwell Children’s Occupational Therapy services can support children and young people from birth until their 18^th birthday.

Occupational Therapists support children and young people with various needs. Our focus is how children and young people do their daily activities – this means your child does not need a diagnosis to access Occupational Therapy.

1. Building Skills:
   • Small Movements: We help children with skills like writing, using scissors, or buttoning clothes.
   • Big Movements: We also support big body activities like doing sports, riding a bike, swimming or climbing at the playground.
2. Daily Activities:
   • Occupational Therapy helps children learn or relearn important tasks, like brushing their teeth, tying shoelaces, or eating with a knife and fork.
3. Adaptation and Equipment:
   • Sometimes, we recommend special tools or changes to the environment to make daily tasks easier.
4. Therapeutic Play:
   • Play is also an important activity in children’s lives that can contribute towards learning lots of skills. We will focus on a child’s goals including play and our therapy often includes fun, play-based activities.
5. Parent Coaching:
   • Sometimes, the most effective way to support your child is by working directly with you. Through Occupational Performance Coaching, we can empower you with strategies and tools to support your child’s needs.

t. 

• Helping to set and work on goals with your child.
• Helping your child to practice skills at home.
• Communicating with us openly and honestly about how your child is doing.
• Helping us to involve other people if needed (e.g. teachers etc.)

1. Your referral application will be screened by the Occupational Therapy team to ensure your child meets our service criteria. You will receive an email/letter to confirm this.
2. We will then send you some forms for you to complete to make a charity funded or self-funded payment.
3. We will also send out paperwork packs to you and your child’s school to gain further information about your child’s Occupational Therapy needs. If you require support when filling in the paperwork, please call 0345 300 1348 or email OT.Service@caudwellchildren.com
4. Once we have received all completed forms and payment, Parents/caregivers will be contacted by the bookings team to arrange a virtual parent interview.
5. Following the virtual parent interview, an initial consultation will be booked by the Occupational Therapist to learn more about your child and their needs.
6. Once we have learnt more about your child, their needs and your family situation, we would decide what type of treatment may help best. This will all be discussed with you as well as the next steps.

1. Charity-funded: You may be eligible for support if you are in receipt of means-tested benefits or your household income, excluding benefits, does not exceed £60,000. If you meet our charity funding criteria, Caudwell Children will support you by contributing 80% of the total cost of our Occupational Therapy service. The remaining 20% that you would need to pay is: £300.00.

2. Self-funded: The total cost of our Occupational Therapy Service is: £1,586.00.

The service will either be provided face to face at the Caudwell International Children’s Centre in Stoke on Trent, or via video call. Where the service is provided will depend on the treatment pathway that meets your child’s needs. The initial consultation part of our service will allow us to learn more about your child, their needs and your family situation. This will help us to decide what type of treatment may help best and where it would be best provided.

We cannot provide therapeutic support until your child starts their formal Occupational Therapy sessions. If you have any question about the Occupational Therapy Service while you wait for therapy to start, you can email OT.Service@caudwellchildren.com

We believe children are interesting recipes like PIES. This means we look at the whole picture of each child’s needs. We look at each child’s Physical, Intellectual/cognitive, Emotional/mental health, Sensory/Social and Spiritual needs; helping us understand how children do their daily activities and where they may need support. This ensures that the support we provide is highly tailored to each child with the family situation in mind.

We will offer up to six Occupational Therapy treatment sessions, that can be completed within a timeframe that suits the child and their family’s needs. There will be the option to purchase additional therapy session if your child needs this. We aim to provide a holistic and tailored service, so each child’s journey will be different based on their needs and family situation.

If your child is nervous about therapy, please don’t hesitate to contact us on our email: OT.Service@caudwellchildren.com or phone 0345 300 1348. We will do our best to support you and your child to prepare for the therapy. Please note that our Occupational Therapy team will provide a neuro-affirmative and trauma informed service, placing the needs of each child and young person at the core.