Community Children and Young People’s Physiotherapy Service provides specialist assessment and a range of therapeutic interventions to help your child reach their full potential by promoting normal movement, maximising function and independence, thereby improving quality of life and well-being.
We strive to work with children and their families/carers in a variety of settings to provide education and advice on therapeutic activities, to either maintain or to develop functional skills.
We work across Warwickshire and are based in Warwick, Rugby and Nuneaton. All physiotherapists are regulated by The Health and Care Professions Council.
Please see links below to access further information on our service.
Depending on your home address or your GP surgery location you will be directed accordingly to either of the 3 teams:
If you feel your child needs help from our service and you have a Warwickshire GP; a referral can be made via your GP, Paediatrician, Health Visitor, other health and care professional or school (if linked to motor co-ordination difficulties).
If you are a health professional looking to refer please see referral criteria and referral form below.
Referrals will be triaged and accepted if they meet our referral criteria. Our current service provides a graduated approach.
Universal offer-this approach is available to all.
Targeted approach- if a need is identified that may benefit from further assessment and advice to be embedded into daily activities.
Direct therapy- If a significant need is identified requiring direct Physiotherapy intervention.
If an assessment is offered this will be tailored to identify your child's difficulties and plan treatment accordingly. Support offered is based on the outcome of the assessment, the impact of the difficulty on the child's life and the likelihood of being able to achieve change at this time. Your child may be assessed either face to face usually in clinic or virtually over the phone/video call.
Our Physiotherapists will work together with children/young people and their families, to enable them to make choices about their physiotherapy goals.
Home exercise programme/activity advice is the most important element of physiotherapy treatment for your child. It is crucial this is followed regularly as prescribed by your Physiotherapist. Follow up appointments may be offered depending on the intervention and your goals. In some cases, advice may be given to school and your child may be referred to other healthcare professionals.
Normal Variants:
When children first start walking, it's normal for them to walk with their feet apart and their arms stretched out to help them balance. It's also common for young children to appear bow-legged or knock-kneed, or walk with their toes turned in or out.
Flat feet: if your child appears to have flat feet, don't worry. If an arch forms when your child stands on tiptoe, no treatment will normally be needed.
Flat feet usually correct themselves by the age of 6.
Intoeing: also known as pigeon toes. This is where a child's feet turn in. The condition usually corrects itself by the age of 8 and treatment isn't usually needed.
This programme is designed for children aged 2-4 years who are attending a pre-school setting or nursery. It is for all children of all abilities to help develop their fundamental movement skills. The aim is that they can learn the basic skills of movement so that their have a solid foundation to build on and progress their gross motor skills.
Why should they do this programme?
Early childhood is a critical period for the development of fundamental movement skills. It is therefore important for children to learn these skills whilst they are young, so that they have some basic movement skills to prepare them for starting primary school.
“Children who do not master fundamental movement skills are more likely to experience failure in the motor domain and less likely to participate in sport and games during childhood and adolescence” (Hardy et al 2009).
Studies have shown that children with low Functional Motor Skills competence are less likely to participate in and enjoy many physical activities compared with their skilled peers (Okely et al 2001).
How should this programme be carried out?
Children attending full-time should practice exercises 3-5 times a week.
Part-time children should practice 1-2 times a week.
Exercises should take about 15 minutes to carry out.
Don’t worry if only half of the exercises can be carried out in this time.
Focus on the quality of the exercise, not the quantity - Exercise tips.
A group size of 6 children per 2 adults is recommended.
Encourage the parents to practice the programme with the children at home.
Continue the programme for at least 12 weeks to see a benefit.
You may like to provide the children with a certificate after they have finished the programme.
Click here for information on MOVES programme for schools.
Does your child present with fine and gross motor coordination difficulties?
Children’s Occupational Therapy Team and Physiotherapy Team have developed this pathway to support children with difficulties related to fine and gross motor coordination skills.
Prior to a referral into this pathway, we require you to complete the following programmes within the educational setting and can be supported by home.
MOVES Gross Motor Programme
AND
Children’s Occupational Therapy Programmes
Following completion of the programmes, if the child continues to have motor skills deficit that interferes with their ability to complete everyday activities (such as self-care) appropriate to their developmental age and impacts academic/school productivity, prevocational and vocational activities, leisure and play, please refer them to our Motor Coordination Clinic. (See below for how to refer)
Please note, the referral will not be accepted without the above documents via email and a completed parent questionnaire.
On receipt of the information and referral form, this will be reviewed to assess if the child requires an assessment within the motor coordination clinic for problem such as Developmental Co-ordination Disorder, or if their needs are best met by our services individually.
