Purpose of the Service
The Children’s Occupational Therapy (OT) Team at North Tyneside Council works with children and young people who have disabilities or long‑term conditions to help them:
- Live safely at home
- Take part in everyday activities
- Be as independent as possible within their home environment
The service focuses on:
- Everyday activities (e.g. washing, dressing, using toilet, moving around the home)
- The home environment
- Equipment, home adaptations, and specialist safety advice
- Creating enabling environments that reduce risk and support participation
What Children’s OT Can Support With
An Occupational Therapist (OT) will look at how your child manages everyday activities, discuss your child’s needs with you, and observe any difficulties at home. They will then identify what barriers are making tasks hard or unsafe, consider whether equipment or home changes could help, and recommend the least restrictive, most effective solutions to support your child’s safety, independence, comfort, and participation in daily life.
If changes are required, the Occupational Therapist (OT) may recommend:
- Making practical changes to your home so it works better for your child and family.
- Helping your child move around safely and more easily in and out of the home.
- Talking through housing options if moving home could better support your child’s needs.
- Providing equipment to support personal care tasks, such as bathing and using the toilet.
- Showing safe and comfortable ways to move or support your child during daily activities with the right equipment.
- Exploring ways to make the home safer and reduce risks, by identifying specialist safety measure or strategies to reduce risks within the home.
- Helping you connect with other services and support that can offer ideas for everyday routines and ways of doing things that make life easier.
All recommendations are made in line with:
- Disabled Facilities Grants legislation (DFG)
- Government guidance
- Professional OT standards (Royal College of Occupational Therapists)
- North Tyneside Council’s statutory duties
- Health and Care Professionals Councils Standards
How OT Referrals Are Triaged
All referrals are triaged using a Universal – Targeted – Specialist framework.
This ensures support is:
- Proportionate to need
- Fair and consistent
- Focused on children who most require OT‑led intervention
Key Principles of OT Triage
- The service prioritises safety, independence and participation
- OT intervention focuses on the home environment
- Specialist OT input is used where it will make the greatest difference
- Not all referrals require specialist OT assessment
- Decisions are made in line with legal and professional responsibilities
Important Information for Families
- Being referred does not automatically mean specialist OT support is required
- Advice or targeted support may be the most effective option
- Children’s needs can change, and referrals can be reconsidered if circumstances change
Children may be reprioritised depending on their needs over time.
What OT Referrals Should Include
To support timely and accurate triage, referrals should include:
- Child’s diagnosed condition or long‑term needs
- Clear description of difficulties with everyday activities at home
- Any identified safety concerns or risks
- Current equipment or adaptations already in place
- What has already been tried
- Why OT involvement is being requested now
Making great occupational therapy referrals | RCOT
You can make a new referral for Children’s Occupational Therapy by contacting:
North Tyneside Council Gateway Team
Tel: 0191 6432777
Email: childrenandadultscontactcentre@northtyneside.gov.uk
Useful documents
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