Children’s Occupational Therapy

Participating in daily activities

This information is for parents and practitioners who are worried about a child’s ability to take part in everyday activities.

Occupational Therapy Services

In Somerset, OT support comes from:

• Somerset NHS Foundation Trust – Children and Young People’s Therapy Service
• Somerset Council – Children and young people’s specialist service

Occupational Therapy as part of the Children and Young People’s Therapy Service (CYPTS)

Parents or practitioners might notice a child finding it hard to:

• play
• join in at nursery or school
• do everyday self‑care tasks

The CYPTS Occupational Therapy team gives advice, assessments and therapy to help with these skills.

You can use the Fact Files for Early Years and School-age children. These include practical advice sheet for common concerns. You can also find:

• referral forms
• explanations of how to refer a child or young person.

If you need further advice, phone our advice line on 0303 033 3002. Open 9am to 12pm, Monday to Thursday (not available on Bank Holidays).

Accessing occupational therapy flow chart

Part of the NHS Children and Young People’s Therapy Service

PDF, 112 KB

Occupational Therapy as part of Children and Young People’s specialist service

This service helps when a child may need:

• changes to their home
• specialist equipment
• support to move safely
• help with posture
• adaptations to make daily life easier

After a referral, the OT team will do an assessment. They will then offer advice, equipment, or home adaptations to support the child’s daily needs.

The core offer includes:

• changing the home environment so it fits the child’s abilities
• minor and major home adaptations
• specialist equipment
• safe moving and handling training
• support with posture and seating

You can find more information in the leaflet and on the Occupational Therapy Service page.

For more advice, phone Somerset Council Customer Contact at 0300 123 2224.

Disabled Facilities Grant

You could get a grant from Somerset Council if you are disabled and need to make changes to your home. Find out more on our Disabled Facilities Grants page.

Sensory Processing

The Somerset Sensory Processing pathway has been co-produced with parent carers to raise awareness of sensory processing. It provides information on how to support children and young people who experience difficulties with sensory processing.

Using visuals

Ruth from Somerset Parent Carer Forum leads an interactive session on how to create visuals to help your child or young person during our Local Offer Live week.

You can access Somerset’s Inclusive Communication signs and symbols for free.

There is more information about when to use visual prompts in the Fact Files for Early Years or for School-age.