Description
The Islington Additional Needs and Disability Team at Whittington Hospital NHS Trust is seeking a highly motivated Band 7 Occupational Therapist to join their special schools and mainstream schools team.
The successful applicant will be based 3 days a week in Richard Cloudesley School, a school for children with complex physical and learning disabilities, and 2 days a week at the Northern Health Centre, providing a service to children in mainstream schools and supporting with clinic-based work.
The postholder will support schools and families at a universal, targeted, and specialist level through workforce training and development, class and curriculum support, and joint target setting.
The team offers excellent training opportunities with a strong emphasis on individual performance appraisal and supervision, both from within the team and from the Occupational Therapy service. External training is also fully supported and encouraged.
Main Duties of the Job
The post holder will manage a caseload independently and provide highly specialist occupational therapy assessment, intervention, and management for children and young people with complex physical, developmental, and neurodevelopmental needs within community, clinic, and educational settings.
Duties will include:
- Supporting children's participation in school-based activities
- Overseeing equipment provision at school and home
- Delivering and reviewing occupational therapy provision outlined in Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs)
- Carrying out clinic-based assessments for children with movement difficulties
- Providing support and training for parents and other professionals
- Liaising with educational colleagues to undertake joint planning of IEP targets and staff training
- Providing clinical supervision and support to less experienced colleagues, trainees, unqualified staff, and staff from other disciplines and agencies when required
Person Specification
Qualifications:
- Diploma or Degree in Occupational Therapy and current HCPC Registration
- Specialist training in areas such as upper limb rehabilitation, splinting, postural management, OT CPIP, sensory approaches, CO-OP or OPC
Skills:
- Ability to analyse complex clinical information, apply advanced clinical reasoning, and write high-quality reports
- Ability to assess occupational performance and participation across a range of settings and plan and deliver evidence-based interventions
- Ability to provide specialist advice and consultation to colleagues and partner agencies
Experience:
- Specialist experience of managing complex caseloads of children and young people with physical disabilities, developmental difficulties, and neurodevelopmental conditions
- Experience of developing and delivering training to others
- Experience of splinting, postural management, and positioning and equipment provision
- Knowledge of assessment tools and outcome measures relevant to paediatric occupational therapy practice
Benefits:
- Excellent training opportunities
- Strong emphasis on individual performance appraisal and supervision
- Flexible working hours
- Part-time working options available