Support for children and young people with special
educational needs in Haringey – our ‘local offer’
Children’s Physiotherapy
What our service does
We offer physiotherapy to children and young people with disabilities. We provide highly specialist
physiotherapy assessments, treatment and advice.
Physiotherapy is a therapeutic intervention which helps with the physical effects of the child’s
disability. Physiotherapists use movement, exercises, manual techniques (manipulation) equipment
and advice to treat and manage physical problems.
Every child is unique and the amount and type of physiotherapy they need will vary as they grow and
develop or if their condition changes. For these reasons we offer a flexible service which allows us
to tailor our support to children as their circumstances change.
We work as part of a multi-disciplinary and multi-agency team in order to ensure the child and their
family receive co-ordinated care based on the Team Around The Child approach.
Where the service is located and the areas it covers
We work in a variety of settings depending on the child’s needs. Physiotherapists run sessions and
clinics from the Child Development Centre in St. Ann’s Hospital but also outreach to nurseries,
children’s centres, schools and children’s own homes. Some of our therapists are based in the
boroughs special schools.
Who our service provides for
Our service provides for children who live or go to school in the London Borough of Haringey.
We see children with neuro-disabilities such as cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophies or gross motor
delay.
We see children who live in Haringey from birth up to 19 years of age.
How a child or young person can start using the service
We accept referrals from any medical professional and GPs.
We have a waiting list of between 4-18 weeks depending on the urgency of the child’s problem.
How decisions are made about eligibility for our service
Our service provides therapy to children with neuro-disabilities. Our therapists are trained to work
in this speciality and a senior therapist will triage (decide the urgency of) referrals we receive.
We will send a letter to parents informing them if we are accepting their referral or if we cannot do
so we will outline the reasons.
How we communicate with service users and how they are involved in decision
making/planning
Our therapy goals are planned with the child and their caregivers. We explain the assessment and
treatment to the child and family.
We recognise that many of our service users need alternative forms of communication as they may
not speak English or may use assistive devices to communicate. We have access to an interpreting
service covering many of the languages spoken in the local community. We also work with specialist
speech and language therapists to facilitate communication and understanding where children have
communication disorders or are non-verbal.
We welcome feedback from our service users through surveys and listening to feedback and
comments. We then use this information when planning changes and improvements to the service.
How accessible our service is
Our child development centre is situated on the ground floor and is wheelchair accessible with
wheelchair accessible toilets and treatment rooms. It has been judged to be a user and child friendly
environment by external agencies such as the Care Quality Commission.
Who a service user should contact if they want to raise a concern or complain
about something
A family who wishes to raise a concern or complain about something can contact
the lead for children’s physiotherapy, Steph Hynes,
c/o The Child Development Centre,
St. Ann’s Hospital,
St. Ann’s Road,
London N15 3TH.
Telephone:
0208 442 6746 (Centre reception) or 07776 472 197
Email:
stephanie.hynes@nhs.net
Who a parent carer/young person can contact for further information
Each child will have a named physiotherapist who will be able to help families with information
about their individual needs.