Children's Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy Service – Halton

General introduction

Our aim is to provide a high‑quality physiotherapy and occupational therapy service for children and young people aged 0–16 (or up to 19 if they are already receiving support from the service).

All our therapists are specialists in child development and in assessing a child or young person’s abilities.

Occupational therapists provide advice and support to families around functional skills and everyday activities.

Our aim is to help children and young people build self‑management skills and independence in their daily activities at home, in education and in their community.

Where we work

Depending on what is most appropriate for your child, we offer consultations face to face, via telephone or via video consultations.

We carry out assessments and interventions at:

the Halton Child Development Centre in Widnes
children's centres in Runcorn and Widnes
nurseries
mainstream and special schools
child's home

Most of our locations are wheelchair accessible, but please get in touch if you have specific access needs for appointments.

How to access this service

Referrals are considered from children who are registered with a GP in Halton, Frodsham / Helsby or from children attending special schools in Halton.

Please note we are a health funded service – equipment for, or adaptations to children's’ own homes are provided by social care. Please contact Halton Borough Council in this instance on 0151 907 8305.

Professional referrals

If you’re a health professional, you can access our referral form and supporting information on the Children’s Specialist Services in Halton webpage.

What to expect

An opt in letter will be sent once a child’s referral is accepted – the family must contact us within 10 days to make an appointment.

We aim to offer an appointment within 18 weeks of accepting a referral.

The initial appointment will take around 45 to 60 minutes. If possible, it is best for your child to wear loose fitting clothing, shorts and usual shoes / trainers so that your therapist can complete a full assessment. You may be asked to bring items that your child struggles with, for example, a coat with a zip or a shirt with buttons.

We will gather information and complete activities that support understanding the child’s difficulties. A report summarising our findings will be shared with relevant professionals.

If difficulties are identified the therapist will agree goals with the child and family, make plans towards these goals, and provide advice and activities.

Therapy activity sessions, assessments for specialist equipment, and EHCP contributions may be offered.

Your child may be invited back for review of their progress and to update their plan.

There is no cost to use the physiotherapy or occupational therapy service.

With parental consent, we share information about the outcomes of assessments and the strategies recommended in order to ensure that preschools, nurseries and schools implement the same strategies on a daily basis.

If you do not wish for this information to be shared then you can withdraw this at any time by speaking to your therapist.

If you are unable to attend your appointment or need to change your appointment, we ask that you contact the service with as much notice as possible to rearrange your appointment. This will allow us to offer the appointment time to another child.

If you miss an appointment without informing the service beforehand your child will be discharged from the service.