Little Acorns Centre

Little Acorns Children’s Centre is based in Bridgeview House on the Gransha Park site in Derry/Londonderry.

Professional teams involved in assessing and supporting children with developmental difficulties are based in the centre including paediatric occupational therapy, physiotherapy, speech and language therapy, community paediatrics (developmental paediatrics), community children’s nursing and the children’s continence nursing service.

The multi-disciplinary child development clinic occurs in the centre weekly for pre-school children with significant developmental impairment. Children attending this clinic may be seen also by a community dentist, dietician and orthoptist.

Community Children’s Nursing Service

The Community Children’s Nursing (CCN) Service are a team of registered Children’s Nurses who can provide nursing care to any child* (0-16 years, or 0-18 years if known to the service) whose assessed (nursing) needs places excessive demands on the family, e.g. child requiring technical care such as home oxygen, suction, saturation monitoring, enteral feeding, wound care, and home ventilation etc can be referred.

Referrals can be accepted from all healthcare professionals.

Parents can also contact CCN service for advice regarding referral to service, or to be signposted to other relevant services.

The CCN service is complimented by a team of Children’s Healthcare Assistants who are trained, supervised and competent in a range of nursing skills, to enable provision of ‘short breaks’ for families at home or in Short break facility where the nursing needs of the child are complex, following comprehensive assessment.
Community Paediatrics (Developmental Paediatrics)

Community Paediatrics (Developmental Paediatrics) Team

The Community Paediatrics (Developmental Paediatrics) team are a team of paediatricians with expertise in child development, neurodisability, educational medicine, palliative care and child safeguarding. The team works closely with other members of the multi-disciplinary team, aiming to provide holistic care for children and young people with developmental difficulties, complex health care needs and special educational needs.

Our Service

Our service is for children age 0-18.

We accept referrals from medical practitioners, health visitors, educational psychologists and allied health professionals.

We assess children’s development and look after medical aspects of child health relating to developmental difficulties. We provide medical advice for the statutory assessment of special educational needs.

We refer children onwards when necessary to tertiary services such as Paediatric Neurology, Clinical Genetics and Metabolic Medicine.

We operate clinics daily in Little Acorns Children’s Centre, Gransha Park, as well as holding weekly outreach clinics held in Strabane Health Centre and Limavady Health Centre. We hold a weekly multi-disciplinary Child Development Clinic for children with complex medical issues, and a monthly joint clinic together with orthopaedics, orthotics and paediatric physiotherapy colleagues for children with motor disorders such as cerebral palsy at Altnagelvin Hospital.

We provide medical input into the Western Trust’s ASD and ADHD services.
Community Paediatrics (Developmental Paediatrics) Resources

Children’s Occupational Core Service | Introduction

CEREBRA | Sleep Advice Service

BDA | Food Fact Sheet

Dyspraxia in Children

CEREBRA | Get Advice and Support

Together for Short Lives

Cerebral Palsy Information

Down’s Syndrome Association

SHINE | Support for spina bifida and hydrocephalus
Children’s Occupational Therapy Service
The Children’s Occupational Therapy Service provides community based care for children and young people from birth to 18 years of age.

Our Service

An Occupational Therapist can help children and young people become more independent with their everyday tasks. This may include things like dressing, eating, toileting, handwriting, play skills, going to school and socialising with friends. Occupational Therapy provides assessment and treatment as appropriate to each child’s age and abilities.

Once your child has been assessed the Occupational Therapist may support your child’s development in a variety of ways including:
- Provision of advice to home and school.
- Group or individual therapy.
- Provision of specialist equipment at home or school which enables your child to function safely in the community. This includes specialist seating for feeding and positioning, wheelchairs, toilet aids, bathing/showering aids and mobility aids to support your child’s functional independence.
- Adaptations to the environment at home or school
Children’s Occupational Therapy Resources

Children’s Occupational Core Service | Introduction