BCP Council Children's Occupational Therapists work with children and their families to enable them to thrive and fully participate in daily living activities within their home environment.

We work with children and young people up to the age of 18, who have substantial and permanent physical disabilities, severe autism and/or learning difficulties.

We visit you at home to complete an initial assessment and agree an action plan which considers your child's needs and the needs of your family.

If your child has support from Shared Care, we also ensure the carers' home environment is suitable to meet your child's needs. 

The team

• provide specialist equipment for use in the home such as postural seating and bathing equipment
• assess for minor adaptations to your home such as stair rails and ramped access
• assess for major adaptations following the Disabled Facilities Grant legislation (DFG) to enable children to access their home, specifically bathing and toileting facilities and an appropriate place to sleep
• complete housing recommendations in circumstances where other options for adaptations have been tried and have been unsuccessful in meeting your child's assessed needs
• provide assessments where a child or young person's challenging behaviour at home puts themselves and/or their family members at significant risk of injury or harm.

We work closely with many other services including Housing Teams, Grants Teams, Social Workers, Shared Care and Family Support Practitioners. We also liaise with our Health and Education colleagues.

Occupational Therapists are registered with and work in accordance with the Health and Care Professions Council standards. For further information regarding Occupational Therapy please see the Royal College of Occupational Therapists website.

If your child is over 18 and requires an assessment please contact the Adult Occupational Therapy Teams within Adult Social Care.

Referral Process 

We accept referrals from parents, carers and health professionals. Please read the eligibility criteria and  complete the referral form (see under publications) and return to Ruth Morgan, Children's Occupational Therapy Team Manager at:

Children's Occupational Therapy, Children and Families Service, 79 Lansdowne Road, Bournemouth, BH1 1RP.

If you wish to find out more about the service please contact Ruth Morgan, Children's Occupational Therapy Team Manager on 01202 127773.