SEND occupational therapy team harness creative power of young people
Young people are helping Birmingham Community Healthcare’s SEND occupational therapy (OT) team develop new resources to support children in mainstream schools as part of an initiative designed to give volunteering opportunities while helping develop services that benefit their peers.
Supported by the BCHC patient experience team, SEND OTs worked with more than 50 students aged 13 to 21 in two half-day workshops at BCHC’s trust headquarters, where they helped the young volunteers learn about their work to help pupils feel focused and ready to learn.
The sessions focused particularly on promoting sensory circuits - motor activities that aim to prepare children to engage effectively in their activities of daily living and prepare them for learning. The team has been working with mainstream schools across Birmingham to embed sensory circuits and other OT strategies that create more inclusive learning environments for children and young people.
During the workshops, students explored classroom experiences, discussed practical ways to support concentration and engagement and helped shape activities and resources that teachers can use every day. Their ideas will now be used to create an animated video being produced by BCHC’s clinical illustration team, alongside a range of supporting materials for schools.
SEND occupational therapy team lead Lorraine Griffiths said: “This was a lovely way for young people to get involved in our work for the benefit of their peers. They came up with some great ideas and now we’re all very excited to see the final animated film.”
She added: “Young people have a unique understanding of the challenges and opportunities within school environments. Their creativity, honesty and lived experience have helped us develop resources that we hope will be engaging, meaningful and practical for both pupils and teaching staff.”
The workshops also gave participants an opportunity to learn more about NHS careers, teamwork and service improvement, while developing skills in communication, problem-solving and collaboration.
Once completed, the video and accompanying resources will be shared with schools to support the continued roll-out of universal support for schools, with sensory circuits and promote strategies that help children feel regulated, engaged and ready to achieve their full potential in the classroom.
The project is part of the national Volunteering for Health scheme, which is funding a number of partnerships between young people, NHS providers and Birmingham Voluntary Service Council (BVSC) .
BCHC patient experience lead Jeanette Hill explained: “This is just one of a number of workshops that BCHC are running over the school holiday periods this year.
"They are all excellent examples of how we are coproducing service improvements and how we can share the wonderful resources produced during the sessions with our schools and communities across Birmingham.”