Hi Kim

Here in Derby, we fund mobile equipment including specialist seating for mainstream settings when the child is known to the PI team. The funding comes from the Access budget that our service holds.

I also do joint assessment with OT's and then we have a contract with Medequip so we cab recycle and reuse.

hope that's useful

Lucy

Hi Kim

in Kent we have a joint equipment panel for Education, Health and Social Services which meets monthly to consider requests.  We have a service level agreement with NRS who order, deliver, recycle and clean equipment that has been agreed by the equipment panel.  Education holds its own SEN budget - it is not related to EHC plans, Health and social services have their own budgets although we can, and sometimes do, jointly fund equipment - not usually seating.  The request for seating comes from an OT who has to demonstrate that it has been discussed with the school/nursery teacher or SENCo and it must be agreed by a representative from Education, usually a specialist teacher for PD, before it can be ordered.

Hope that's helpfull

Julie

Hi Kim,

In Herts our pupils are provided with one chair through our equipment service, if schools require additional chairs they have to purchase them. Once a child has outgrown or no longer requires the chair it is sent back to the equipment service so it can be reissued. I am not sure what happens to chairs schools purchase themselves. OT's carry out all our assessments for seating.

Hope that helps,

Gemma

Hi Kim

In Surrey the OTs carry out the assessments and make the requests for specialist seating. Like in Kent, they are required to demonstrate that the equipment (and how and when it will be used) has been discussed with the setting, parents and where possible, child / young person. We process the requests through our service as we hold the equipment budget on behalf of the authority. Our therapists will look in the community stores run by Millbrook to see if the equipment is there but often it is not as the items are bespoke. We do however return equipment to the community stores for recycling (and cleaning) etc and we also use them to move equipment between settings when the child / young person moves school.

Hope that helps!

Jennie