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Children’s Therapies is made up of occupational therapists, physiotherapists, and speech and language therapists.
We work with other healthcare professionals and may offer single or multi-professional intervention to children or young people aged from birth to 16 (aged 19 if in a Sandwell School).
The service is part of the wider children’s community services and see youngsters in the place or places which is best for them.
This may be in:
- mainstream schools and nurseries
- clinics and health centres
- special schools
- Coneygre Community Centre in Tipton
- the family home
- children’s centres
- a nursery or playgroup setting.
Children’s therapists work with the Local Authority to deliver services at universal, targeted and specialist level which are explained below:
- Universal – provides information and advice for all children and young people
- Targeted – interventions are different
- Specialist – 1:1 assessments and treatments
The service will work with children and young people who have difficulties with the functional skills that may be because of a developmental or acquired disability and/or end of life condition.
What to expect at your first appointment with a therapist
They will ask you some questions about your child’s development. The therapist may use toys and pictures to encourage your child to interact. They will discuss their findings with you and agree on the next steps.
Parents will have an opportunity to ask questions and talk about any worries. The appointment could last between 60 and 90 minutes.
After the appointment your child might be:
- Discharged if there are no further concerns
- Discharged with advice and recommendations made to universal services
- Reviewed in clinic, nursery, school or home
- Recommended for specialist equipment to enable access to the curriculum
- Placed on a list for therapy
Occupational Therapists provide specific assessment and treatment for children and young people with physical disabilities to support their development and skills so they can go about their daily lives. They may have co-ordination problems, which affects the activities they want to take part in.
The therapist can talk to parents about different treatments available, which may include:
- Developing skills
- Using specific therapy techniques/interventions from a range of approaches
- To encourage development of normal movement patterns
- To prevent a deterioration in the child’s posture or loss of range of movement
- To help children to organise themselves within activities, attend to tasks and develop their co-ordination
- Adapting the task (or activity) to enable children to participate as fully as possible
- Adapting the environment through the use of specialist equipment
Useful Resources:
Royal College of Occupational Therapists – Home (rcot.co.uk)
The Paediatric Physiotherapy team work with children and young people who have difficulties or a disability which affects their movement and makes their daily activities difficult.
The team provides specialist assessment and a range of treatments to help children with physical difficulties to reach their full potential, by maximising function and independence and thereby improving quality of life.
Following an assessment any treatment advised will be fully discussed with the child and their family and therapy goals will be agreed jointly.
Families are expected to be fully involved with delivering physiotherapy for their child where on-going physiotherapy input is needed. Partnership with parents and education staff is essential.
Physiotherapists work with children who may have difficulties with:
- Mobility
- Muscle weakness
- Balance
- Development
Useful Resources
The Speech and Language Therapy service consists of a large team of speech and language therapists, and assistants working across Sandwell. All of our speech and language therapists are registered with the Health and Care Professions Council.
Our service provides a child-centered and family orientated approach and we are committed to providing evidence-based, high-quality support and interventions.
Speech and Language Therapists work with children who may have difficulties with:
- Speech sounds
- Language
- Stammering
- Feeding difficulties
- Voice
- Social communication and interaction
Depending on your child’s needs, a Speech and Language Therapist will try a range of different activities and work in different settings. This could include any one or a combination of the following:
- Assessing and treating speech, language and communication problems
- Offering advice and support about speech, language and communication
- Observing your child in different settings
- Liaising with school/nursery staff, professionals and parents
- Training other professionals and parents in identifying and managing speech, language and communication difficulties
- Signposting to other services, groups, support networks according to a child’s needs.
Our speech and language therapists and assistants aim to support parents/carers to:
- Be more confident in supporting your child’s speech, language and communication or swallowing needs.
- Increase your knowledge about how to support your child’s speech, language and communication or swallowing needs.
- Develop new skills to use to support your child’s speech, language and communication or swallowing needs.
Useful Resources
Speech and language therapy | RCSLT
The Communication Trust (speechandlanguage.org.uk)
Contact Us
How to refer
Parents can self-refer by calling the FASTA line (Faster Access to Sandwell Therapy Assessment) on 0121 612 2010.
The child or young person must have one of the following:
- Sandwell residential address
- Sandwell GP
- Sandwell school
FASTA opening times are:
Monday to Wednesday: 8.30am-12.30pm and 1.30-4pm
Thursday 9am-12.30pm and 1.30-3.30pm
During school holidays:
Monday to Wednesday: 8.30am-12.30pm
Thursday: 9am-12pm
The Children’s Therapies team, work from three clinics across Sandwell:
The Lyng, 2nd Floor
Children’s Therapies Services
West Bromwich
B70 7AW
Glebefields Health Centre
St Marks Road
Tipton
DY4 0SY
Victoria Health Centre
5 Suffrage Street
Smethwick
B66 3PZ
For more information about disabled access for this service