Finding information on how to self-manage children’s health and well-being couldn’t be easier with the development of Kids Independently Developing Skills (KIDS), a new website and social media resource which offers a range of support for children and their parents.
This wonderfully rich resource is a single point of reference for parents, teachers, healthcare professionals and young people themselves looking to access an extensive range of information on self-help. It is supported by a dedicated team of occupational therapy staff.
KIDS aims to help children and young people reach their potential and can be accessed at www.nhsggc.org.uk/kids or on Facebook and Twitter @nhsggckids.
The website, which now has an average of 24,577 hits every month and rising, offers a range of support for children: from a video on how to tie shoelaces to activity sheets for parents and nursery staff to support children gain early writing skills.
It also includes information on supporting the development of children’s communication skills as well as advice on how to manage postural care for children and young people with physical disabilities.
Parents can access information on the development of their child from birth to five-years-old. There is information on language skills, learning to sit, roll, crawl and walk, the use of their hands to grasp, hold and draw, learning independence skills, nutrition and emotional development.
Play is an integral part of a child’s development and KIDS offers advice and information on how play can help a child to explore their environment, learn about their body, develop a sense of self and make friends. Play can also support the development of new skills like learning to ride a bike, throw and catch and how to dress themselves.
Karen Lamb, Interim Head of Specialist Children’s Services, said: “Establishing the KIDS website was a massive challenge, however, thanks to the tremendous support and help from our web team, the funding from Glasgow Children’s Hospital Charity and the dedication and hard work of our staff, we are delighted that KIDS is now live and being used across Greater Glasgow and Clyde.
“It is packed full of interesting and useful information including advice, strategies, and self-help support from all disciplines working within children’s services.”
There are four main sections on the website. The Child Development section has a developmental timeline, interactive questionnaires, information on prematurity and transition to nursery and school.
The Life Skills section aims to support children and young people to reach their potential by developing life skills including self-care skills, skills required to be successful at school, communication skills and play skills.
All of the sections provide information parents, teachers and health professionals can access and use to support children from birth to their teenage years.
The resource was first tested in 2018 and 76% of children and young people seen by the occupational therapy team between February and August 2018 were directed to KIDS as part of their input from the service. Of the 76%, 25% were given immediate advice from KIDS and discharged with no other input.
Feedback from parents has been extremely supportive with one parent emailing the team to share their appreciation writing: “Hi – this is just a very quick message to say how amazing this KIDS website is.
“Well done on a fantastic, user-friendly resource. I can’t quite believe how easy it was to get the support and advice I needed – particularly the sensory questionnaires & tailored pdfs – with the next-steps & appropriate contact details on the same page! Too often I have ended up with 20 tabs open all with different bits of vague information. I’ve had to do a lot of research for my son’s health but never have I found a site so clear & easy to use yet also so comprehensive. So, thank you! 🙂 🙂 :).”
Since initial testing, the site has grown significantly with information being added by all health professional teams from Specialist Children’s Services. KIDS is no longer an occupational therapy resource but is a tool used by Specialist Children’s Services to promote and share knowledge to support self-management.