Children and Young People's Occupational Therapy (CYPOT)

Paediatric occupational therapists assess and treat children who have difficulties that affect their ability to do every day physical activities.

Working in partnership with you: supporting Children and Young people to participate in what they need and want to do.

What is Occupational Therapy?

Occupational Therapy is a profession that supports people to take part in activities of daily living or occupations which improve their health, independence and wellbeing.  

How does an Occupational Therapist work with Children and Young People?

Occupational Therapists work together with children, families, school settings, and other health professionals, to enable children and young people to achieve their potential. This may involve providing support to children and young people for: 

• developing the skills needed for self-care tasks (e.g. tooth-brushing, toileting, washing, dressing, eating). 
• participating in learning tasks (e.g. writing, using scissors, choosing and organising tools/belongings).
• positioning and posture to support everyday activities (e.g. having the correct chair or equipment, adjusting the environment).
• accessing play/leisure resources (e.g. supporting a child with coordination difficulties to learn how to ride a bike or join in PE at school). 
• upper limb management for children and young people with neurological conditions that affect the use of their arm and/or hand. 

The Children and Young People's Occupational Therapy (CYPOT) Service has therapists who are able to work with Children and Young people in a range of environments. This may involve sessions in a clinic, school/nursery, home, or community environment. We offer Universal, Targeted and Specialist Occupational Therapy input, depending on each individual’s level of need.

Universal – good for all

Our universal offer provides support that is good for everyone.  This information is provided by way of programmes that can be downloaded from our website:

Occupational Therapy for children - Inner London :: Central London Community Healthcare NHS Trust (clch.nhs.uk)

The programmes include support with:

• Dressing
• Feeding
• Handwriting & hand skills
• Toileting
• Gross Motor skills
• Fine motor skills

We are adding to our offer all the time, so please ensure you watch this space for updates.

Targeted – necessary for some

The CYPOT service also run group-based parent education sessions, jointly with our psychology colleagues, to support those children with more specific difficulties that cannot be met through the universal offer. These groups are aimed at supporting parents to learn the tools and strategies that will give them the confidence and skills required to help their child achieve their potential.  The Targeted offer is aimed at parents who previously sought advice and completed recommendations and suggestions through our Universal Offer and from our Health Visitor/School Nursing colleagues.

• Toilet Time – supporting with toileting issues for children aged 3.5 years plus
• Raising Happy Eaters – empowering parents to support their children to eat a wider range of foods

Specialist – essential for a few

Individual Assessments and ongoing treatment and support children and young people with complex health needs, which depend on the individual needs of the patient, including but not limited to:

• Initial Assessment
• Provision of personalised programmes
• Blocks of treatment
• Blocks and breaks which involves a block of treatment allowing time after the block for consolidation and integration into the daily life of the child or young person.  Parents/carers and school/nursery staff are then given the opportunity to integrate the information and programmes into the child/young person's day.  This is followed by a review and, if clinically indicated further blocks and breaks, if required.
• Regular reviews
• Ongoing treatment - for those with complex needs including postural care, seating, upper limb and complex needs.

Eligibility

Our service is available to children and young people aged 0-18 with a GP within Kensington & Chelsea, Westminster, or Hammersmith & Fulham. 

Children or young people with an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) will have their Education Occupational Therapy provision met through the Special Educational Needs Occupational Therapy service. 

How do you access this service? What is the referral process? 

CYPOT accepts referrals from health and educational professionals and parents. 

Health and educational professionals need to ensure that the person being referred has complex health needs and at least 2 functional difficulties, all of which are identified on the referral form (e.g. changing for PE at school, using cutlery to eat at lunchtime, or using hands effectively to access and use toys/school tools). 

Download the referral form for professionals (e.g. GP, SENCO, other health professional) here.

Parents may use the parent questionnaire form to make a referral directly to CYPOT. Parents are encouraged to provide as much information as possible, and to speak to their child’s school/nursery SENCO (if relevant) about the referral.

Download the referral form for parents by clicking here 

Where to send the referral form:

Completed referral forms can be emailed to: [email protected]

Other Details

Age Ranges: 0 - 18 years

Referral required 

CYPOT accepts referrals from Health and Educational professionals

Who to contact (complex care)

Bernadette Ford - Team Lead     

Children’s Complex Care Administration Hub: 020 7266 8777
E-mail:  [email protected]

Website: Children & Young People's Occupational Therapy website