The F-words
This Allied Health Professions (AHPs’) day, we shine a light on the work of The Children’s Trust AHPs, and how they use the F-words in their work to support children with brain injury and their families.
The Allied Health Professions (AHPs) are the third largest clinical workforce in the health and care. There are currently 14 registerable titles for AHPs, including occupational therapists, physiotherapists and speech and language therapists. The theme for AHPs’ Day this year is ‘quality and safety’, emphasising the important of providing exceptional care, grounded in research, evidence and innovation.
Here at The Children’s Trust, we know that a multidisciplinary approach, with full engagement and participation from the children and families, gives children with brain injury and neurodisability the best opportunity to develop to their full potential.
The Favourite Words: F-words approach
Developed by Dr. Rosenbaum and Dr. Gorter, the F-words is a framework that builds upon the World Health Organizations (WHO's) International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) framework.
When working with children with brain injury on their rehabilitation, this framework encourages us to focus on six factors that are important to the child’s development.
Functioning: children may need to find new ways to access activities.
Family: we include the family in the rehabilitation process.
Fitness: accessing fitness for health is important for physical and mental wellbeing.
Fun: engaging children in activities they enjoy.
Friends: supporting children to establish meaningful relationships.
Future: supporting children to develop and build their future.
The F-words in action
Jasmin Bagwell, highly specialist physiotherapist at The Children’s Trust, uses the F-words to establish with a child and their families what they would like to work towards for their future.
Jasmin says: “The F-words helps me focus the child’s therapy in a direction that they would prefer, and also allows me to take a look at the family as a whole, and not just on physiotherapy.
“For example, I was working with a girl who was on a rehabilitation placement at The Children’s Trust after acquiring a brain injury, who’s goal was to be able to sit at the table and enjoy a meal with her family. This goal may seem very simple, but at the time, this child was unable to engage in this daily family event, and therefore was missing out on this important bonding time with her family, which was affecting her emotionally.
“To work towards this goal, her rehabilitation programme had to include several different therapy disciplines: speech and language for eating skills, occupational therapy for learning to use cutlery skills, physiotherapy for trunk stability and sitting, and psychology for her emotional wellbeing.”
Melanie Burrough, director of therapies and education, says: “We have been exploring how we set goals, collaboratively, with children, young people and families. The Children’s Trust School therapy team have introduced the ‘goal-based outcome’ tool which has helped us think about goals which might focus on quality of life and participation of children and young people who attend our school.
“We have also been learning more about using ‘F-words’ in our everyday practice to bring together child, family and professional views in one place, which are meaningful and help us think about which therapy interventions are right for that child. Using F-words has helped us think differently about the different priorities of professionals and families and how we consider this in rehabilitation.”
Rewarding work
Jasmin tells us: “The most satisfying part of my job is interacting with the children and their families and watching them work towards their goals and make progress. It is just the greatest to see the children achieve something that they haven’t been able to since their brain injury, and perhaps something that they and their parents thought they may not be able to do.
“Most of all, it’s so wonderful to see the children come out of their shells and become more confident in themselves, and to have some fun after such a difficult time.”
Jasmin running a therapy session at The Children's Trust
Being an Allied Health Professional
Jasmine shares: “I think some of the most essential qualities that are needed to be an Allied Health Professional are to be patient, truly listen and be adaptable; and most importantly, being able to play and have fun.
“The children and families we support have been through so much, and their rehabilitation is very intensive. We strive to make The Children’s Trust a place where we introduce fun and playtime back into their lives, whilst also working towards their rehabilitation goals.”
