Rehabilitation for Independence work in partnership with First Point Family Support Services to deliver a sensory service commissioned by the NHS  in the Bury locality.

An integrated approach of education and health services is delivered using a graduated approach. This enables early recognition, increased understanding, and review of actions which helps improve outcomes for children with sensory challenges.

The primary aim of the service is to:
• Increase understanding of sensory processing differences and how they impact everyday life in families, education staff and professionals.
• Increase the knowledge and confidence in families, education staff and professionals to adapt activities and the environment to support children and young people’s sensory differences.
• Improve personal, learning, and social outcomes for children and young people who experience sensory processing differences.

The main objectives of the service are to:
• Work in an integrated way with universal and system services, to provide a system wide graduated approach to sensory support for children and young people.
• Provide advice and guidance to professionals working with children and young people that enable them to identify and respond to children and young people’s sensory processing differences.
• Provide advice and guidance to families which support them to understand and self-manage their sensory processing differences.
• Provide consultation, specialist assessment in accordance to need and support planning for children and young people who are assessed as having sensory processing challenges.

The Sensory Differences Toolkit is a guide for schools/settings/practitioners on how to support children with sensory differences, in order to remove or reduce the impact of this on their learning and function. It is intended to be used with individual children in a child-centred approach rather than groups of children such as whole classes. It can be used across all educational, therapeutic and community settings and age groups e.g. early years, mainstream, special schools, colleges, activity clubs and respite care etc. Further information regarding the sensory pathway and Toolkit can be found here (https://www.bury.gov.uk/schools-and-learning/send-graduated-approach-toolkit/setting-and-school-staff/school-age/graduated-approach/ks2/needs/sensory/help) Rehabilitation for Independence also apply an educational approach through the facilitation of sensory workshops for parents, the education workforce, and others supporting children in the Bury locality.

Sensory workshops support understanding of how our senses process information, early identification of possible sensory challenges, suggestions of reasonable adjustments that can be made in the home and school environments, and provide opportunity for discussion with a specialist Occupational Therapist.

The purpose of the universal offer is to provide a wide range of resources and information that can be accessed at any time for all. Parent workshops and the workforce sensory training have been made available.

Content included at this stage involves access to resources such as an online education session  regarding sensory processing needs, ‘low level’ strategies to consider, and useful materials and worksheets that families, schools and practitioners can utilise to gather a greater understanding  of an individual’s presentation. The aim of this approach will be to help ensure those considered high risk’ can access the support and input they require, determined by their individual profile.

Parent Workshop:
The purpose of parent strategy workshop workshop is to not only provide a more enhanced oversight of sensory processing needs, but also provide parents and caregivers at this stage of the pathway with:• A greater understanding as to how sensory processing challenges may present in the home or school setting.
• Information with regards to how strategies shared from the Sensory Processing Differences Toolkit can be implemented practically, discussing clinical aspects such as dosage, equipment, environment, mapping and reflection, and grading.

During the workshop you will also have the opportunity to ask questions and speak with other parents if you would like to.

If you would like to book a place onto this, please contact us and we can provide you with the details of how to do this. We do ask that prior to attending, you familiarise yourself with the shared expectations for these sessions.
Workforce Sensory Training: The purpose of the Workforce Sensory Training is to help provide education workforce, health professionals, and others supporting young people in the Bury community with better understanding of our senses and how this information is processed.

Sensory Processing challenges can often be very complex and difficult to understand or read. Attendance of this training is therefore seen as a beneficial as it seeks to empower and provide parents, caregivers and schools with the right tools, understanding and knowledge in how to manage and recognise a child’s needs, and how strategies might then be implemented.

Further Information: You can access the Sensory Processing Needs Toolkit here.

Rehabilitation for Independence are commissioned by the NHS to provide a sensory service. There are Occupational Therapists on the sensory team however the service is separate to that of statutory NHS Occupational Therapy services.

Sensory referrals can be made by your child’s Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (School SENCO), Community Paediatricians at Fairfield Hospital, Child Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) or your child’s SEN Health Visitor.

This service currently covers from 2 to 18 years of age.

Changes to the sensory pathway came into action as of date. This will mean that any referrals that come into the service are processed according to need adhering to a graduated approach.

You can read more about the steps involved with the pathway here https://www.bury.gov.uk/schools-and-learning/send-graduated-approach-toolkit/setting-and-school-staff/school-age/graduated-approach/ks2/needs/sensory/help

There is an expectation that steps outlined within the Sensory Processing Differences toolkit are completed and that evidence of this has been provided before referrals are reviewed.

Within the agreed pathway, a ‘Universal offer’ has been made available to families, schools and all referrers, with a view that this information be shared with you prior to a referral being submitted.

The purpose of the universal offer is to provide a wide range of resources and information that can be accessed at any time for all.

Content included at this stage involves access to resources such as an online education session  regarding sensory processing needs, ‘low level’ strategies to consider, and useful materials and worksheets that families, schools and practitioners can utilise to gather a greater understanding  of an individual’s presentation. The aim of this approach will be to help ensure those considered high risk’ can access the support and input they require, determined by their individual profile.

As part of the ‘universal offer’ provided, attendance at the parent/caregiver sensory strategy workshop is also made available. The purpose of this workshop is to not only provide a more enhanced oversight of sensory processing needs, but also provide parents and caregivers at this stage of the pathway with:
‍
• A greater understanding as to how sensory processing challenges may present in the home or school setting.
• Information with regards to how strategies shared from the Sensory Processing Differences Toolkit can be implemented practically, discussing clinical aspects such as dosage, equipment, environment, mapping and reflection, and grading.
‍
During the workshop you will also have the opportunity to ask questions and speak with other parents if you would like to.

Sensory Processing challenges can often be very complex and difficult to understand or read. Attendance of this training is therefore seen as a beneficial as it seeks to empower and provide parents, caregivers and schools with the right tools, understanding and knowledge in how to manage and recognise a child’s needs, and how strategiesmight then be implemented.

This workshop is offered as part of the universal offer and is not a mandatory requirement, though we would recommend families attending for further information and understanding.

A workshop is held every month, (totalling 12 over the year) and are facilitated face to face. If you would like to book a place onto this, please contact us and we can provide you with the details of how to do this. We do ask that prior to attending, you familiarise yourself with the shared expectations for these sessions

The Sensory Consultation is provided to allow parents or carers of the child to share their main concerns and ask any questions.

This appointment is completed by a trained therapist in Sensory Integration, who can help to identify sensory challenges and what the appropriate input should require.

The agreed pathway has been designed for this to involve further guidance and discussion with regards to the strategies already being trialled (already obtained from the universal offer). During the sensory consultation the Occupational Therapist may signpost to other services.

Yes, all children referred age 16 or over have the opportunity to be part of the training and triage process should they wish to attend.

The purpose of the Workforce Sensory Training is to help provide education workforce, health professionals, and others supporting young people in the Bury community with better understanding of our senses and how this information is processed.

Within the session, the following points are covered:
• What sensory processing is, and how sensory processing difficulties may present in a person’s behaviour and engagement.
• Strategies and ideas as to how to support a child’s sensory needs at home and in school.
• Implementing and structuring activities
• Question-and-answer session

This free online interactive session will be facilitated virtually via Microsoft Teams.

To book a place on the Workforce Sensory Training click on this link : https://rehabforindependence.co.uk/sensory-workforce-training/