Sensory Team

The VI service provides for children and Young People with medical diagnoses of visual impairment by Orthoptists, Ophthalmologists or Paediatricians. We include children and young people with SS or SSI Registrations and children with no diagnosis but have deteriorating eye conditions which cannot be corrected with glasses.

• The QTVI offers advice, support and training to families and educational settings to enable children and young people with VI to access all areas of the curriculum.
• Assesses functional vision and needs and offers advice for

 EHCP Assessments, Health and care needs and the use of Specialist ICT for Children and Young People with Visual Impairment.

• Supports direct teaching of specialist skills including Habilitation and Braille.
• Contributes to access audits of educational settings so appropriate reasonable adjustments can be made.
• Uses the NATSIP eligibility criteria (Opens in new tab) to guide decision making for support of individual children and young people with VI.

Habilitation Specialist

Habilitation training supports children and young people with a vision impairment and their families to learn about the breadth of ways that they can receive support to develop their mobility and independent living skills in the home, educational, community and public settings

Following an initial Functional Vision Assessment the Habilitation Specialist will carry out the following:

• The teaching of early movement skills
• Independent Living Skills
• Sensory Skills
• Cane Training
• Environmental Orientation/route learning
• Public Transport
• Mobility Aids

Reviewed 15.09.25

We provide support and advice for Deaf children and young people from diagnosis or following a referral to our services. 

We offer:

• Home Visits - advice and support to families in order to best develop language, communication and listening skills. We monitor the progress of the Deaf child. We provide strategies and support to establish consistent use of hearing aids and cochlear implants
• School Visits (mainstream or special) - advice, strategies, and recommendations to support curriculum access. We check hearing equipment and provide advice on maintenance and care. We liaise with SENCos and Inclusion Managers and write reports as necessary
• Deaf Awareness Training - annual deaf awareness training which Havering educational settings are invited to attend. The training develops knowledge and understanding of deafness, hearing technologies and strategies to access the curriculum
• Transitional Support - advice at key transition times
• Radio Aids - assessments for suitability and advice on the system to best meet the needs of the individual
• Family Signing - a weekly term-time group for parents and families of Deaf children. Its aim is to enable parents and carers of Deaf children to meet each other, learn some basic British Sign Language and have a cup of tea! The group is held in a child-friendly environment so all little ones are welcome
• Collaborative Working - strong links with the Specialist Speech and Language Therapist for Deaf children, Cochlear Implant Teams and the local Audiology Service. We work alongside other Agencies and Services as appropriate
• Fair Access - use the NatSIP Eligibility Criteria (Opens in new tab) to guide support allocation for Deaf children and young people.

Reviewed 15.09.25

We provide support and advice for children and young people with a dual sensory impairment. Children who are both Deaf and have visual impairments may be referred to as Deafblind. These children may have additional disabilities and needs. We work closely with Qualified Teachers of the Deaf (QToD) and Qualified Teacher for the Visually Impaired (QTVI)

 We offer:

• Home Visits - advice and support to families in order to best develop language, communication, listening, and visual skills. We monitor the progress of the multi-sensory impaired child. We provide strategies and support to establish consistent use of hearing aids, cochlear implants, and glasses
• School Visits (mainstream or special) - advice, strategies, and recommendations to support curriculum access. We check hearing equipment and provide advice on maintenance and care. We liaise with SENDCos and Inclusion Managers and write reports as necessary
• Multi-Sensory Impairment Awareness Training - training to develop knowledge and understanding of multi-sensory impairment, hearing technologies and strategies to access the curriculum
• Transitional Support - advice at key transition times
• Radio Aids - assessments for suitability and advice on the system to best meet the needs of the individual
• Collaborative Working - strong links with the Specialist Speech and Language Therapist for Deaf children, Cochlear Implant Teams, the local Audiology and Ophthalmology Services. We work alongside other Agencies and Services as appropriate

Fair Access - NatSIP Eligibility Criteria (Opens in new tab) to guide support allocation for Deaf children and young people

Reviewed 15.09.25

What is Paediatric Occupational Therapy?

Paediatric Occupational Therapy uses specialist clinical skills and approaches to enable your child to achieve their maximum independence. We support children and young people with disabilities aged 0-18 to access and engage with essential facilities within the home environment. We assess your child to determine what activities they are having difficulties with to develop tailored interventions. These activities are what we call occupations and can range from using the toilet to playing and having dinner with family.

We work closely with the NHS and educational facilities to ensure that there is a multi-disciplinary approach to your child’s care.

page updated 5.6.25