Clinical forums

This virtual, nationwide Clinical Forum is aimed at Leaders and Managers working across any setting supporting children, young people and families.

Our aims are:

• To offer a virtual arena for networking with Leaders and Managers in similar settings
• To share practice examples between settings
• To unpick policy updates pertinent to children, young people and families

To discuss challenges experienced in our setting

Background

The Leaders and Managers Network was established in its current format in 2020. Following a series of surveys with Leaders and Managers and virtual pilot groups in London, the purpose of the network was agreed. Members felt it was important to have a forum through which practice examples and policy updates could be shared and challenges could be discussed with Leaders and Managers in similar contexts. To learn more about the Leaders and Managers Network, contact cypfforums@gmail.com.

Current Activity

The Leaders and Managers Network meets quarterly on Zoom. The meetings are facilitated by the Forums Link at the RCOT-SS CYPF National Executive Committee. Attendees are asked to email any practice examples that they would like to share or any challenges they would like to discuss to cypfforums@gmail.com prior to the meeting.

Joining Information

Access to the Leaders and Managers Network is free as a benefit to any RCOT-SS CYPF member. All network meetings are advertised on Eventbrite, on the RCOT website, in OT News and in CYPF eNews. You will need to register via Eventbrite to receive the meeting link. There are no obligations to attend every meeting so why not join us next time?

Contact Details

E mail: cypfforums@gmail.com

Our Clinical Forum aims to support Occupational Therapists in children’s or adult services, working with young people and families to prepare them for adulthood or transition into adult services.

Our aims are:

Main aims of forum:

To support OTs working with young people and families who are preparing for their adulthood and their transition into adult services

Objectives:

• Develop knowledge and expertise of both OT interventions that prepare young people for adulthood and the OT role in the process of transition to adult services
• Share examples of evidence-based practice, resources and services that support preparation for adulthood across specialist, targeted and universal tiers - and advocate for more!
• Improve professional networking across the whole country
• Form local groups to share networking opportunities and resources
• Improve links with adult OTs and social care professionals
• Involve and share Young People's voices and opinions
• Lobby for increased research into OT assessments and interventions for teenagers across specialist, targeted and universal tiers
• Develop best-practice guidelines for OT practice in this area
• Share examples of effective practice, resources and services that support the transition to adult services across specialist, targeted and universal tiers - and advocate for more!

Background

The Preparation For Adulthood Clinical Forum was established in 2020 and hosted its first event virtually in November of that year. The Clinical Forum was set up by a group of passionate Occupational Therapists with a vision to join-up the networks and practices of Therapists working with this population. Occupational Therapists preparing young people for adulthood work across diverse geographic and practice settings and so the Clinical Forum aims to provide an arena for networking, sharing practice examples and disseminating evidence-based practice.

Current Activity

The Preparation For Adulthood Clinical Forum plans to facilitate 3-4 events annually, with a blend of training and networking opportunities.

Joining Information

All events are advertised on Eventbrite , on the RCOT website, in OT News and in CYPF eNews. Events are heavily discounted or free as a benefit to RCOT-SS CYPF members.

Contact Details
E mail: cypf.pfa@gmail.com

The Acute Clinical Forum is an umbrella group which aims to support paediatric occupational therapists working in a variety of clinical specialty areas: Acquired Brain Injury/neurorehabilitation, Long Term Ventilation, Oncology, Paediatric Intensive Care, Complex Upper Limb Management, and Managers and Leaders.

Our aims:

• Advocate for the role of paediatric occupational therapists in the acute setting. This will be achieved through links with national bodies, input into local / national projects, and bringing together of specialist skills and experience.
• Provide a space for members to develop skills, share knowledge, and contribute to best practice guidelines.
• Organise and promote Continued Professional Development opportunities relevant to occupational therapists working in acute paediatrics. This will be achieved through study days facilitated by the forum and information sharing about other events via mailing lists and social media.
• Inform members of acute occupational therapy service developments in the UK.
• Offer peer support to occupational therapists, particularly those working in isolation through meetings and study days.
• Address professional matters that affect acute paediatric occupational therapists and to provide networking opportunities via meetings and study days.
• Keep resources developed through the forum in a central location for ease of access for members.
• Support already developed acute sub-groups to continue to work with those in specialist acute paediatric occupational therapy areas such as:
• > Long-term ventilation.
• > Brain injury and neuro-rehabilitation.
• > Upper Limb.
• > Oncology.
• > Cardiac.
• Optimise clinical knowledge and promote best practice through sharing of information, teaching, presentations and discussion.

Background

The first study day held by the Forum was on Friday 27 October 2017, at the Sheffield Children’s Hospital. The programme was dedicated to bringing occupational therapists together to share, promote and discuss good practice within the Paediatric intensive care setting.

Programme highlights included:

• National Institute for Health Research presenting on the recent research call ‘early mobilisation in the paediatric intensive care unit’;
• Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust share their hospital-wide Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) pathway;
• The key take home messages from the 2017 National PICU conference, including the presentation on ‘Early rehabilitation in PICU: How do we do it and what does it achieve?’
• Occupational therapy PICU project at The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada.

On November 9th 2018, the CYPF Acute Forum and ABI link-group held an annual networking day in Birmingham. There was representation from 12 acute trusts offering services to paediatrics. The day incorporated a time to share on successes and challenges from of all services from across England and the lessons being learnt and innovative practice ideas being implemented.

Sian Phillips (Birmingham Children's Hospital) presented on her recent trip to Australia and Canada, funded by the Winston Churchill Foundation, where she explored rehab service provision for children within these areas and what we can learn and incorporate into practice here in the UK.
Tamsin Jones (Variety Children's Hospital at Kings College Hospital) shared on how they as an MDT are approaching cognitive rehab and peer relations and reintegration within the acute rehab setting.  

Time was spent auditing services against the COT Guidelines for Children and Young People with ABI and their use of outcome measures in the acute setting.
The day was a great success and it was evident that as professionals within a specific field of practice, we really do value the opportunity to meet together and share the successes and challenges of acute working.

Current activity

TBA

Joining information

To join this forum please log in to your web account.

Contact details

For further details about membership of the forum or to send a query, email: cypfacute@gmail.com

The Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Clinical Forum promotes and supports the role of occupational therapists working with children and families with autism.

Current aims of ASD Clinical Forum include:

• To support best practice in the field of ASD
• To be a reference point for national initiatives (e.g. white paper, best practice guidelines)
• To update members of new occupational therapy service developments within ASD
• To facilitate learning opportunities for both experienced occupational therapists and those new to working with children and young people with ASD
• To inform members of new and exciting Continuing Professional Development (CPD) opportunities and research articles
• To address professional matters that affect occupational therapists working in the field of ASD
• To offer support and networking opportunities
• To suggest useful tools or resource ideas
• To disseminate calls for research and support occupational therapists to get involved in research  
• To be a link for identifying supervision and mentoring opportunities

Joining Information

To join this forum please log in to your web account.

Contact Details

For further details about membership of the forum or to send a query, email: asdotforum@hotmail.com. 

Child and Adolescent Mental Health (CAMHS) is a national clinical forum.

Each regional group meets regularly to provide support and training for occupational therapists working within CAMHS. 

Current activity

We have a newsletter and host forum events.
Please check for event information by following CYPF on Twitter and Facebook for frequent updates. 

For further information, please contact us: cypfcamhs@gmail.com.

The CAMHS Occupational Therapy Network is a group of occupational therapists across  working across a variety of CAMHS who meet quarterly for educational and support purposes.

The aim of the group is to improve occupational therapy provision for children, young people and their families in CAMHS. We achieve this through structured continual professional development activities, in line with clinical governance requirements.

We meet with the purpose to facilitate learning, networking, support and communication. This is with a view to:

• Influencing future service development
• Establishing competencies and standards of practice
• Expanding the evidence base

Getting in touch

To join this forum please log in to your web account.

For more information please contact: Clinical Forum at cypfcamhs@gmail.com.

The Neonatal Forum promotes and supports the role of occupational therapists working on neonatal units.

Our aims are:

• To support best practice in the field of neonates and standardise our professional practice
• To update members of new occupational therapy service developments within neonatology
• To facilitate learning opportunities for both experienced occupational therapists and those new to working within neonates
• To inform members of new and exciting Continuing Professional Development (CPD) opportunities and research articles
• To address professional matters that affect neonatal occupational therapists
• To offer support and networking opportunities via an email group
• To suggest useful tools or resource ideas

Background

The Neonatal Occupational Therapy group was established in July 2013, and became a clinical forum under the auspices of Children, Young People and Families Specialist Section in 2014. The forum aims to support a collaborative approach for occupational therapists working within neonatal and affiliated services in the UK through the provision of support and educational opportunities.

Over the past two years the group has continued to grow and we now have in excess of 60 members, representing the four nations of the UK. Clinical forum meetings are held bi-monthly. To date, locations for the meeting have been London-centric, though we are delighted to be able to trial the new audio and video conferencing facilities at the Royal College of Occupational Therapists headquarters for our future meetings to ensure a greater reach to our members and to support their participation in our group activities.

What we have done

Over the past few years, the Neonatal Forum has been working on a number of initiatives. Following the success of our 2014 Joint Neonatal Therapy Study in Edinburgh in collaboration with the Neonatal special interest groups from the Association of Chartered Physiotherapists in Paediatrics and the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists, planning our 2015 study day was amongst our priorities for that year.

The study day was successfully held on Thursday 26 November 2015 with the theme ‘Research into Practice’ with excellent lectures and feedback from all professions.

We have also been working to develop our presence on the Children, Young People and Families specialist section of the Royal College of Occupational Therapy website. We now have this live page with some preliminary information, contact details and frequently asked questions, and will continuing to be adding to this page with useful resources for occupational therapists.

Our main objective over the past few years was  the development of a clinical practice guideline for occupational therapy assessment and intervention for preterm infants. Following consultation with the Children, Young People and Families specialist section and the Royal College of Occupational Therapists, this project commenced in September 2015, after a lot of hard work the the guidelines were completed and approved for publication in 2017.

Were delighted to be able to share them with you as a downloadable copy at:  https://www.rcot.co.uk/practice-resources/rcot-publications/downloads/neonatal-services

Frequently asked questions

1. Is there any specific training you would recommend for an occupational therapist working on a neonatal unit?

A good understanding of infant and child development is essential, along with the concept of developmental care. Within the UK there are a variety of opportunities to access education regarding the overall practice and principles of neonatal care. Examples include:

• Family and Infant Neuro-developmental Education (FINE) programme  
• Royal College of Occupational Therapy Neonatal Master Class

It is also important to have specialist knowledge on how to assess a preterm infant’s behaviours and skills - many of these assessments require specific accredited training. Examples include:

• Neonatal behavioural assessment scale
• Naturalist observation of new born behaviour
• Assessment of general movements
• Newborn behavioural observation system

Courses pertaining to specific aspects of intervention are also available.

There are international training opportunities which can be accessed via the internet such as webinars and on-line training modules however some of these require a membership subscription. Examples include:

• National Association of neonatal therapists (USA)
• Dandle-lion medical

2. What can I use as a competency framework to ensure I am working competently on a neonatal unit?

We are currently in the process of developing a clinical guideline for neonatal occupational therapy in the United Kingdom.

The American occupational therapy association have published a knowledge and skills document for neonatal occupational therapy which provides a comprehensive framework to support individual learning.

3. Is it possible to visit a neonatal unit or shadow an experienced neonatal occupational therapy?

This is not something the forum is able to facilitate at present. If you are interested in visiting/shadowing opportunities, you should directly contact a neonatal occupational therapist who is working locally to you to discuss available opportunities.

4. There is currently no occupational therapy input on my neonatal unit. How can I begin to establish my role? 

• Discuss with the unit lead whether there is any available and current funding for occupational therapy.
• Consider what is the current therapy input to the unit e.g. physiotherapy, speech and language therapy services.
• Provide education about the occupational therapist role and information/evidence on how the occupational therapist role could add value to the current multi-disciplinary team/neonatal services.

If there is funding available:

• Consider how the occupational therapist role would fit in with the current service model
• Collaborate closely with the multi-disciplinary team whilst establishing service
• Consider occupational therapy referral criteria and service scope

If there is no current funding available:

Work collaboratively with the neonatal unit management team to develop a business case to support neonatal occupational therapy provision.

5. I am the only occupational therapist working on the neonatal unit in my area - is there anyone I can network with for support?

The Neonatal Forum has an email group to support networking. If you wish to become a member of the forum please email neonatalOTforum@hotmail.com to ask to be added to the forum.

The forum meets bimonthly - we are aiming to have all of our forum meetings accessible via phone conference to support attendance by all our forum members.

6. What assessment tools should I be using?

There are a variety of assessment tools available that can be used by occupational therapists to assess infants' neurology, motor, cognitive, sensory and behavioural skills. Some of these are also predictors of neuro-developmental outcome. Some tools are specifically designed for preterm rather than term infants. Some are used solely by occupational therapists, others may also be carried out by other professionals such as physiotherapists, neonatologists, neurologists or paediatricians.

Many of these assessments do require training certification:

• Neonatal Behavioural Assessment Scale
• Newborns Behavioural Observations
• Assessment of General Movements
• Bayleys lll Developmental Scales

Others can be taught through informal training such as the Hammersmith Neurological assessment, Alberta Infant Motor Scale and developmental checklists.

7. Where can I access useful neonatal resources for my professional development?

A list of key resources is currently in development. This will be on our forum page soon.

Some key examples are:

• A guide to infant development in the neonatal nursery by Inga Warren and Cherry Bond  
• Developmental and Therapeutic Interventions in the NICU by Elsie Vergara and Rosemarie Bigsby
• National Association of neonatal therapists (USA) website
• NeoPAL basic app on smart phones to learn positioning

8. Where can I access useful neonatal resources for parents?

A list of key parent resources is currently in development. This will be on our forum page soon.

Joining Information

To join this forum please log in to your web account.

Contact Details

Clinical Forum Co-Chairs: Beverley Hicks: beverleyann.hicks@nhs.net and Ben Harris: ben.harris5@nhs.net 

British Association of Perinatal Medicine

BAPM is a group of health professionals dedicated to shaping the delivery and improving the standard of perinatal care in the UK. It is a membership organisation and runs a range of working groups and events that may be of interest to occupational therapists working in neonatal care. 

British Association of Perinatal Medicine | Home (bapm.org)

The Physical Disabilities Forum promotes and supports the role of occupational therapists working with children with physical disabilities in a variety of different settings e.g. community, mainstream, special and residential, acute, rehabilitation, early years settings.

Our aims are:

• To support best practice in the field of physical disabilities and standardise our professional practice
• To update members of new occupational therapy service developments within physical disabilities
• To be reference point for national initiatives (e.g. White paper, best practice guidelines)
•  To facilitate learning opportunities for both experienced occupational therapists and those new to working within physical disabilities
• To inform members of new and exciting Continuing Professional Development (CPD) opportunities and research articles
• To address professional matters that affect occupational therapists working with children with physical disabilities
• To offer support and networking opportunities via an email group
• To suggest useful tools or resource ideas
• To disseminate calls for research and support occupational therapist to get involved in research.

Current Activity

The forum aims to host three events a year hosted in different parts of the UK. To date full day study event/s and forum meetings have taken place in London and included presenters and practical workshops. They have focused on managing complex upper limb, understanding support needs of disabled children and families and ‘Person Centred Active Support’ (PCAS). The forum has been well received and membership continues to grow.

Joining information

To join this forum please log in to your web account.

Contact details

If you would like to know about any future events or contact any members of the committee please email cypfpdforum@gmail.com. Do also get in touch if you would like to run a meeting in your area.

The school based occupational therapy (SBOT) clinical forum promotes and supports the role of occupational therapists working in maintained and/or non-maintained mainstream or specialist school provisions.

Our aims are to:

• support best practice in the field of school based occupational therapy and standardise our professional practice in mainstream and special school settings
• promote the WFOT (2016) position statement on occupational therapy services in school-based practice for children and youth
• provide support and guidance about how services can be organised within the school system to reach all clients in the support-continuum (including whole classes or individuals) maximising occupational performance and participation based on international research evidence (WFOT, 2016)
• increase members’ knowledge of national and international policies and guidelines on inclusive education
• inform national policy on the education of children with special educational needs and disabilities
• update members of new occupational therapy service developments within specialist and mainstream school settings
• facilitate learning opportunities for both experienced occupational therapists and those new to working within school based occupational therapy
• inform members of new and exciting continuing professional development (CPD) opportunities and research articles
• offer support and networking opportunities
• suggest useful tools or resource ideas
• offer peer support to occupational therapists, particularly those working in isolation
• optimise clinical knowledge and promote best practice through sharing of information, teaching, presentations and discussion.

Reference: World Federation of Occupational Therapists (2016). Position Statement on Occupational Therapy Services in School-Based Practice for Children and Youth. Available at the WFOT reference centre (filter for Position Statements).

Current activity

We do hold regular study days and twilight events.  All events are advertised in the Learning Zone in OTnews.

Also, check for event information by following @CYPFsbot and @RCOT_CYPF on Twitter and the RCOT CYPF Facebook page for frequent updates.

Aims

• Defining and exploring universal provision for children and young people in school settings across the UK.
• Engage in group coaching and problem-solving to discuss practicalities and experiences of universal interventions and service offers.
• Understand RCOT case study templates to support collection of SBOT practice examples.
• Case study exploration with a focus on the school environment, inclusive education, family support and prevention.
• Offer a space to think, reflect and network with other professionals working within this field.

Contact cypfss@outlook.com if you have any queries.