BCHC Plus
Occupational Therapy
BCHC Plus Occupational Therapy (OT) service supplements the NHS Core Occupational Therapy service funded by local health commissioners.
BCHC Plus Occupational Therapy
BCHC Plus offers a portfolio of additional clinical support and training which schools and other settings can purchase to meet the specific needs of their children and young people.
The BCHC Plus Occupational Therapy (OT) service supplements the NHS Core Occupational Therapy service funded by local health commissioners. We deliver service level agreements within both mainstream and specialist provisions across Birmingham. We also offer a range of training packages to support practitioners who work with children and young people with occupational therapy needs.
Within both mainstream and specialist education provisions, children and young people face barriers to participating in school-based occupations as a result of the dynamic interactions between personal and environmental factors. Occupational Therapists can provide a clear understanding of the influence of these factors and, in doing so, provide intervention that reduces barriers and maximises occupational participation and performance.
We are currently working alongside a range of different education providers throughout Birmingham, these include pupil referral units, mainstream education, specialist and alternative provisions.
Meeting the needs of your school
BCHC Plus Occupational Therapy services are provided by qualified and experienced Occupational Therapists, employed by BCHC and registered with the Health and Care Professions Council. Occupational Therapists are trained to understand the whole person, including physical health, mental health, cognitive difficulties, neurodivergence, emotional and behavioural needs and their impact upon occupation. This expertise allows our Occupational Therapists to assess for, and recommend environmental adaptations, equipment, aids and strategies. Our Occupational Therapists can also produce individual treatment plans and deliver evidence-based interventions to enhance occupational functioning of children and young people within all education settings.
All settings that purchase a BCHC Plus Occupational Therapy service will receive scheduled, dedicated time and support from a named Occupational Therapist within their agreed provision within the contract. The work carried out will be agreed collaboratively by the setting and the therapist, ensuring a tailored service that meets the desired outcomes, priorities and needs of each individual setting and can include interventions at universal, targeted, and specialist levels.
BCHC Plus Occupational Therapy service can provide:
Universal level
Bespoke training packages, with the aim of strengthening the skill base of staff, increasing knowledge and understanding of occupational performance difficulties, and providing practical advice and strategies that can be used within the classroom to support children experiencing these.
Examples of our training sessions include:
- School based occupations (e.g handwriting)
- Motor co-ordination difficulties
- Sensory processing differences
- Visual perceptual difficulties
Our training portfolio is continually growing and can be tailored to meet your settings needs or requests.
Targeted level
- Screening and identification of children and young people that would benefit from occupational therapy intervention
- Environmental assessments within the setting to inform recommendations regarding adaptations to maximise occupational participation and performance of pupils
- Recommendations of classroom strategies and equipment to support the pupils' needs and engagement in learning.
- Development and implementation of therapy programmes for an identified group of children, modelling to teaching staff and assistants
- Delivery of parental workshops to provide strategies and support to the parents or carers
Specialist level
One-to-one assessments of identified children experiencing functional difficulties within in the classroom related to:
- Co-ordination (fine/gross motor skills and the impact on functional participation in activities of daily living)
- Core stability
- Motor planning skills
- Visual perceptual skills
- Sensory processing differences
- Self-regulation
- Self-care (dressing, feeding and toileting)
Individual goals and evidence-based treatment plans can be developed and reviewed, along with the provision of detailed individual reports and contributions towards annual review meetings as per the individual needs of the education setting.
Why choose BCHC Plus Occupational Therapy service?
Our Occupational Therapists are all employees of Birmingham Community Healthcare (BCHC) Paediatric Occupational Therapy Team, which means that:
- All Occupational Therapist are registered with the Health and Care Professions Council
- Clinical governance is in keeping with local and national policies and legislation
- All Occupational Therapists receive regular clinical supervision
- All Occupational Therapists are compliant with NHS Trust mandatory training
- All Occupational Therapists have access to both internal and external training opportunities to ensure they possess up to date and relevant skills and expertise to support their individual caseloads
- Our Occupational Therapists have access to local shared records which enables effective information sharing across teams and disciplines within BCHC
- Our Occupational Therapists meet regularly with the Core Occupational Therapy service to share learning and expertise, they are also able to access support and advice from a range of professional disciplines across BCHC as required
- All Occupational Therapists hold clearance through the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS)
- All Occupational Therapists have access to safeguarding supervision and training, as well as health & well-being support
To speak to a member of the team about BCHC Plus Occupational Therapy, or to discuss how this service may be able to meet the needs of your school, pupils, families and staff, please contact us on:
- Telephone: 0121 466 6266
- Email: bchc.bchcplus@nhs.net
For more information about Occupational Therapy, access to advice, and support regarding referrals to the core team, please visit Paediatric Occupational Therapy.