What is the Occupational Therapy (OT) service, who can access it, and how.
The Disabled Children's Occupational Therapy service provides assessments and services to disabled children and young adults across Bristol, from birth up to the age of 18.
You can refer children and young people who have difficulty with things like:
- getting into or around the home
- sitting independently
- moving on or off the bed, toilet, bath or a chair
- staying safe at home or in the garden
What support we offer
Advice, recommendations, and referrals to other agencies
We can:
- offer advice and support to make daily tasks easier
- offer advice and equipment or adaptions around moving and handling
- make recommendations for home adaptations
- make referrals to other agencies, for example health professionals, wheelchair service, Social Work
- visit the child's school to find out what adaptions should be made to meet their needs
Specialist equipment
We also provide specialist equipment that:
- helps maintain function
- promotes independence
- prevents deterioration, for example specialist seating
- keeps the child safe, especially around transfers, bathing and using the toilet
Who can use the service
You can make referrals for children and young adults:
- from birth to 18 years of age
- who are disabled
- who live in Bristol
- who have needs resulting from their disability that cant be met by services available to all children
Make a referral if you are a professional
Professionals should use this form to make a referral (See below for parents and carers):
If you've already completed an assessment, use this form to ask us for equipment or a minor adaptation for the child:
Ask for equipment or a minor adaptation
These forms are only for professionals, for example physiotherapists.
Make a referral if you are a parent of carer
If youre the parent of a child who needs our service, you can refer your child through our Local Offer site.
What happens next
We'll send the childs parent or carer a consent form in the post within a week.
We'll arrange to visit the child within eight weeks.
If you haven't heard from us within eight weeks, or if the needs of the child have changed, call 0117 9038250 and ask for the Duty Occupational Therapist.