Occupational therapy (ICAN)

Operating as part of the integrated children’s additional needs (ICAN) service, our mission is to support children and young people with additional needs to participate in everyday activities and situations at home, school and in the community.

We aim to help children and young people do the things that are important to them, like leisure activities with friends and family, taking care of themselves and joining in with school day.

Who we work with

We work with children and young people aged 0 to 19 with additional needs. This could be children with a complex physical or learning needs. We also see children who may not have a diagnosis but have difficulties which are impacting on their day to day activities.

Unfortunately, we do not see children and young people with neuromuscular conditions, juvenile arthritis or acute brain injuries. We do not see children where behavioural issues or sensory differences are the main barrier to participation. We do not offer sensory integration; we can support when the sensory differences are impacting functioning or participation in activities of daily living

What we offer

Universal support

This is support that is available for everyone, you do not need to be referred to the service to access these resources. Please refer to the resources, videos and links to websites below that can help you to identity and implement strategies to support your child.

Mild-to-moderate motor problems

This is support is for children who are struggling with mild-to-moderate motor problems. We would recommend that you use the resources below to try some initial interventions. If your child is still struggling, you can refer to our service.  It’s also important to consider if your child is ready and motivated  to develop new skills before referral.

Targeted individualised  support

This is for children who require specialist support at home or at school to support with activities of daily living, to promote function, participation and safety.

What to expect from our appointments

• We have a combination of offers dependent on your child’s need. These may include webinars and online resources, telephone consultations or face to face appointments.
• We will talk through your usual daily routines and all the things you do. Together we will identify specific goals to work on, relating to your children’s functioning and participation in daily activites.
• We might watch your child doing things in real life, at home, in school or clinic, to assess their current strengths and barriers to achieving their goal.
• We might offer further assessment for specialist equipment to support your goal areas. This could include assessments for seating, toileting, bathing and sleep.

Your child’s episode of care will be closed when:

• You and your child have achieved your goals or your plan for working on your goals is in place
• You no longer want to have occupational therapy input
• You have not attended appointments or contacted the service
• You can contact us again in the future if you need more support.

Referrals

Referrals are accepted from any healthcare referral, school or self referral.

It is necessary for the referral to include 2 activities of daily living that your child finds difficult.

• It is useful for you to include as much information as you can in the referral.
• Please include any support that has already been implemented and how the concern is affecting the child’s functioning or participation in age-appropriate activities of daily living.
• It’s important to consider if the goal for the child is appropriate for their learning level and that the child is ready and motivated to work towards the goal
• Please refer to this leaflet to support with your referral.

To refer, use this link to the ICAN general referral form