Milton Keynes Children and Young People’s Occupational Therapy Team support children and young people (CYP) who have significant difficulties with everyday functional skills due to a physical, motor or sensory-based need that impacts on their independence and ability to participate in everyday activities. We aim to support children to achieve their potential in everyday life.
We enable CYP with the following:
- Self-care: getting dressed, preparing simple meals, using cutlery participating in hygiene routines
- Productivity: handwriting, using equipment in the classroom, using computers and technology, participating in PE sessions
- Leisure and play: playing sports, shopping with friends, doing hobbies, playing age-appropriate games.
Occupational therapists (OTs) can suggest alternative ways of doing activities by providing advice on learning new approaches or recommending different types of assistive equipment.
OTs assess for postural management equipment including specialist postural seating, self-care aids and night time postural support for children with complex physical needs.
We provide a service for Milton Keynes Council in relation to assessing for equipment and adaptations within the home to support access, function and safe moving and handling (for example, hoists and slings, minor and major adaptations).
This service is for children and young people who are aged 0 – 18 years or young people up to the age of 19 if they are attending a special school. We can only see people who are registered with a Milton Keynes GP.
In alignment with national OT services and recommendation for the Royal College of Occupational Therapy (RCOT) the service provides three levels of support (Universal, Targeted and Specialist).
Three tier model:
Universal Support is offered via our website, which provides the most common advice and strategies from early years to secondary school ages.
- It is open for all to access – from parents, professionals to nursery and school staff.
- For Pre-school children, additional advice from your Health Visitor and local Family Centres can be given. They can offer support on toileting, feeding and early play.
Targeted support can be provided by adults working with children and young people in their educational setting e.g. nursery, school or college, following advice from the therapy team or having received training on a specific programme or approach.
- There are specific groups for children to attend which are run by occupational therapists (OTs) and support staff.
- Basic equipment provided to the home and school to support daily functional tasks (seating, toileting).
- Minor adaptations can be assessed for in the home to support the child or young person in their daily tasks.
Specialist support is provided by a member of the therapy team, either a therapist or an assistant practitioner.
- The therapy team work closely with those adults and professionals around the child or young person, keeping the child or young person in the centre of everything we do.
- We use the Cognitive Orientation to Occupational Performance (CO-OP) Approach and Coaching Approaches to enable the CYP & parent/carers to develop goals and plans (Goal. Plan, Do, Check).
- These plans are the strategies to achieve the CYPs goals
- Learning the Goal, Pan, Do Check strategy the CYP and/or parent/carer can use this for further goals in their own time
- More specialist equipment can be provided from our recycled equipment store to home and schools.
- Major adaptations can be assessed for in the home to support the child or young person in their daily tasks
Global Developmental Difficulties
Where difficulties or delay in achieving functional skills is associated to global developmental delay, a Universal package of advice with graded developmental activities can be accessed online. A referral is not required.
For more details on development packages across the BLMK Integrated Care System please click here.
Children & Young People (CYP) can be referred if they:
- Are registered with a GP in Milton Keynes
- Are aged between 0-18 years
- Attend an educational setting in Milton Keynes
Who is not eligible?
We are unable to see the CYP when:
- Their GP is outside of Milton Keynes
- They live outside of Milton Keynes
- Their needs relate to a housing issue (Please contact your housing department or association) https://www.milton-keynes.gov.uk/housing
- Their needs relate to behavioural difficulties
- Difficulties with fine motor skills and everyday activities are related to a globally delayed developmental profile and skills are appropriate to current developmental readiness.
- Referral is for Sensory assessment
- They are aged 18 or over and are not in a special education setting
- The referral is for handwriting only.
- We are not able to provide support for children and young people attending Milton Keynes settings with EHCPs from other Local Authorities. Settings and families are advised to contact the local authority for the area where the child or young person lives to discuss support in these instances.
How to refer to the service?
Option 1
If the difficulty is relating to an everyday functional difficulty, e.g. dressing, shoe laces, self-care. Your first option is our Universal offer here on the website. You will find lots of advice and strategies to work on at home and school for all age ranges.
After following this advice for approximately 10 weeks and there is still an area that is an issue you can complete our on-line referral form by clicking here.
You will be asked to state which advice you followed, what worked and where you feel further advice if required.
This referral can be made by parents, health or social care professionals, or education staff.
Option 2
If the CYP difficulty involves:
- The need or replacement of equipment – seating, toileting, self-care
- Minor works or major adaptations – the service will assess and make recommendations only
- Housing – please contact your housing association or Milton Keynes Council (https://www.milton-keynes.gov.uk/housing). The Children's Occupational Therapy service is not commissioned to provide this service for Milton Keynes.
For Option 2 the service accept referrals from:
- Health, social care professionals
Please click here for the form for Option 2 only.
If you are making a referral for an assessment of a buggy or wheelchair, please read this information:
- Referral screened and if eligible CYP accepted to service. If child does not meet eligibility – signposted to relevant services or OT website
- Parent contacted to gather further information
- There may be a follow up at a NHS building or the CYP’s home to set goals
- Offer of about one to four treatment sessions to achieve goals. This maybe face to face, video appointment or a combination. Parents/carers will be asked to support goals by carrying at activities at home
- The service use the CO-OP approach with CYP and coaching with parents/carers to achieve goals set.
- End of Episode of Care and discharge from service
- If service is required again:
- Look at the website quick links for advice and strategies
- Contact OT to discuss if re-referral is required
Monday to Friday 8am-4pm.
Bus: 1, 4, 5/5A, 18, 19, 24, 25, 28/29, 32
Rail: Milton Keynes Central
Parking: Pay and display (please leave plenty of time if parking at the multi-storey on site car park)
If you need help in a crisis, please do the following
- Contact the CNWL service looking after you during their office hours
- If the crisis is during when your service is closed, there are alternative options provided by the NHS found on this page.
- If you are not already being looked after by CNWL or elsewhere within the NHS, see your GP during normal working hours as they can then refer you to a local service.
Find your closest GP on NHS Choices.