Some children with physical difficulties require specialist equipment in order to support them to access their everyday activiites. Many of the children we see for this have been referred to us by the Specialist Assessment Service

We work closely with colleagues in the Specialist Inclusion Support Service physical impairment team to support young people with physical disabilities in mainstream schools, recommending adaptations and adjustments to ensure young people are able to safely access their school environments.

As part of our role, we might also recommend specialist seating for school and/or home to make it easier for the young person to participate in their everyday activities, such as to write and draw, play, interact with friends and eat or drink. Note that we do not have funding to provide specialist seating, but will provide a letter to schools/social services explaining the cost and benefits of the chair for the individual. Once equipment has been provided, the occupational therapist will ensure this is set up for the young person and will provide training/support to ensure it is used safely.

Following the provision of specialist seating, a seating pack/information will be sent to school and home which contains information and important phone numbers such as the Physical Needs Occupational Therapist and the seating representative for a  child’s chair, as well as information on how the chair functions and minor adjustments you can make yourself as well as when to seek help.

Our service is not able to provide equipment and/or adaptations for home use other than that described above. This is instead offered by the Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council’s Occupational Therapy service.

Our service is also not able to provide wheelchairs. This is instead offered by the Community Equipment and Wheelchair service, who can be contacted on 0121 329 0900 or jointequipmentservice@solihull.gov.uk