Make a referral

Who we accept referrals from

We accept requests for involvement from:

  • Health professionals
  • Education professionals
  • Social Care professionals
  • Parents if the child has been seen by the service before for the same condition within the last twelve months if discharged through the episode of care.

Consent is required from parent / guardian for every referral.

Referral paperwork should be sent to the email / address on the referral form.

GPs should access LMC approved proformas via OCCG.

Referral Process

If you have concerns about a child’s physical, communication or self-care needs, including eating and drinking development, and are thinking of referring to Children’s Integrated Therapies, referral paperwork is required.  Please see below for more information about how to refer to each service including relevant referral and screening forms.

GPs should use the LMC-approved proformas, available via the Oxfordshire Clinical Commissioning Group.

Referral guidance for Speech and Language Therapy

If you have concerns about a child’s speech and language development and are thinking about referring to Speech and Language therapy:

  1. Complete supporting paperwork relevant to the child’s age. These are designed to help you identify whether a referral is needed and can also be used to monitor a child’s progress with their speech and language skills.

There is also a Speech Sound Checklist. This must be completed if you have concerns about the way a child uses sounds when talking. Please click here to access the Speech Sound Checklist Pictures.

  1. If the supporting paperwork indicates that a referral is appropriate, discuss and agree referral with parents / carer. Obtain consent.
  2. For children not yet in school, complete the Preschool Referral Form (SPORFI). Return the form to the admin address on the referral form.
  3. For all other children complete the school age Referral Form.  Return the form to the CIT admin email address on the referral form.
  4. If the supporting paperwork suggests a referral is not needed at this time, visit our resources and advice for  strategies on how to support speech and language development. You can also look at the OCC Local Offer, Ordinarily Available Toolkit (OAT).

Non-urgent advice: Please note:

  • Ensure you tick / highlight areas of concern on the supporting paperwork.  This will enable us to ensure that we provide the most appropriate assessment for the child’s needs. Tell us, on the referral form, what you have already put in place to support the child and what progress the child made.
  • Secondary referrals will only be accepted if the young person has been discussed with the Secondary Link Therapist.
  • Consent from a person who has legal parental responsibility for a child is mandatory.
  • Referrals with incomplete information will not be accepted and will be returned to the referrer.
Referral guidance for Occupational Therapy (OT)

Occupational Therapy accepts referrals from health professionals, educational professionals, social and community services.

OT Referral Criteria

The quality of information you give us helps us to understand your young person’s needs.

We need to know what occupational or functional difficulties your young person is having such as:

  • The physical difficulties a child is having with dressing, washing and eating.  Telling us that your young person has poor fine motor skills, does not give us the information we need.  The more details you give us about what task you want your young person to get better at and why, helps us to prioritise their needs.
  • Please complete the questionnaires provided when you refer to us.
Referral forms and questionnaires
  • For all under 5’s, please complete the SPORFI form and send to the relevant Early Support Programme Officer ( address details at the bottom of the form for each area)
  • For all over 5’s please complete the referral form, adding as much information as possible.

Please use these questionnaires to help you give us the information we need

Referral for children with motor coordination difficulties: 12 week intervention programme

Before referral, please ensure you have followed the 12 week intervention programme and completed the 12 week questionnaire to identify the child’s difficulties and strategies that were put in place. You can also look at the OCC Local Offer, Ordinarily Available Toolkit (OAT).

12-week intervention programme

Make a referral for when you continue to have concerns and the child has made no identifiable improvements:  please ensure the documents below are completed in full. We do not accept incomplete forms.

You need to complete these forms and email them back to:  OxonChildrens.Therapies@oxfordhealth.nhs.uk

If we have received a referral without the 12 week process being followed then this referral will be rejected. The 12 week process can be implemented and the questionnaire returned to the Childrens Integrated Therapy service by a parent or other, within a 6 month window of the original rejected referral and will be accepted for triage.

To learn more about children who have coordination difficulties please look at our DCD page.

Please be advised that the Childrens Therapy Service is not a diagnostic service and following assessment we might suggest that you seek further advice/assessment from you GP or Paediatrician.

Referral guidance for Physiotherapy

Physiotherapy only accept referrals from health professionals, educational professionals and social and community services.

PHYSIOTHERAPY REFERRAL CRITERIA

We need to know what physical functional difficulties your young person is having. The quality of information you give us helps us to understand your young person’s needs. 

You need to complete referral form together with relevant questionnaire/paperwork detailed below for specific condition and email it back to the address at the bottom of the form. 

Referral for children under 5 years

Please complete the early years referral form* and send to the relevant Early Support Programme Officer. 

  • Torticollis, Plagiocephaly- please provide information from our website to parents and provide details of tightness and restrictions in neck movements as well as description of head shape in your referral. 
  • For developmental delay please complete relevant form with referral:  

Under 2.5 years: Milestones Questionnaire

Over 2.5 years:

Gross Motor Questionnaire – Professional

Gross Motor Questionnaire – Parent

Referral for children over 5 years with neurological and developmental difficulties

You need to complete Referral Form and email it to the address at the bottom of the form

For developmental delay please complete Gross Motor Questionnaire with referral 

Musculoskeletal conditions

Musculoskeletal conditions  

For children over the age of 1 year, please refer to MSK Service  

  • In-toeing/Out-toeing 
  • Bow legs & knock knees 
  • Tip-toe walking 
  • Curly toes 
  • Hypermobility 
  • Musculoskeletal pain 
  • Post trauma rehabilitation 
  • Orthopaedic Post-surgical rehabilitation 
  • Flat feet 
  • Sports injuries – trauma or overuse. 
Referral for children with motor coordination difficulties: 12 week intervention programme

Before referral, please ensure you have followed the 12 week intervention programme and completed the 12 week questionnaire to identify the child’s difficulties and strategies that were put in place. You can also look at the OCC Local Offer, Ordinarily Available Toolkit (OAT).

12-week intervention programme

Make a referral for when you continue to have concerns and the child has made no identifiable improvements:  please ensure the documents below are completed in full. We do not accept incomplete forms.

You need to complete these forms and email them back to:  OxonChildrens.Therapies@oxfordhealth.nhs.uk

If we have received a referral without the 12 week process being followed then this referral will be rejected. The 12 week process can be implemented and the questionnaire returned to the Childrens Integrated Therapy service by a parent or other, within a 6 month window of the original rejected referral and will be accepted for triage.

To learn more about children who have coordination difficulties please look at our DCD page.

Please be advised that the Childrens Therapy Service is not a diagnostic service and following assessment we might suggest that you seek further advice/assessment from you GP or Paediatrician.

Non-urgent advice: Please note

  • Ensure you completed supporting paperwork. Tell us, on referral form, what you have already put in place to support the child and what progress the child made.
  • Consent from a person who has legal parental responsibility for a child is mandatory.
  • Referrals with incomplete information will not be accepted and will be returned to referrer.

How to Re-Refer

Parents, schools, nurseries, or health professionals can request a re-referral or a new episode of care within one year of discharge. After one year, a new professional referral is needed.

If a child has not been seen by the SLT/Physiotherapist or OT before, it is not considered a re-referral.

To request a re-referral, email oxonchildrens.therapies@oxfordhealth.nhs.uk.

Page last reviewed: 11 March, 2025