Description
We are looking for an experienced and enthusiastic Band 6 or Band 7 Paediatric Occupational Therapist to join our multidisciplinary team at our Canary Wharf clinic.
This is an exciting opportunity for an Occupational Therapist with a strong interest and experience in sensory processing, sensory integration and regulation to help further develop the occupational therapy and sensory provision within our clinic.
You will work closely alongside our Speech and Language Therapists, supporting children with a wide range of developmental, sensory, communication and complex needs.
Main duties of the job
- Carry out specialist sensory assessments and observations.
- Identify children's individual sensory processing profiles and how these impact participation, regulation, learning, play and daily life.
- Plan and deliver individualised sensory-based occupational therapy programmes.
- Develop and implement sensory diets and sensory strategies where clinically appropriate.
- Design and deliver sensory circuits, including alerting, organising and calming activities.
- Support children who experience sensory dysregulation.
- Provide strategies for sensory seeking, sensory avoidance and sensory sensitivities.
- Support proprioceptive, vestibular, tactile and interoceptive development.
- Work on body awareness, motor planning, coordination and postural control.
- Advise parents, therapists and other professionals on environmental adaptations and regulation strategies.
- Support the development of sensory programmes that can be continued at home, nursery or school.
Multidisciplinary Working
- You will work closely with our Speech and Language Therapists to understand how a child's sensory regulation, attention, motor skills and communication needs interact.
- This may include joint OT and Speech and Language Therapy sessions, developing sensory regulation strategies before and during communication therapy, supporting children to achieve an appropriate level of regulation for engagement and learning, joint goal setting, collaborative parent consultations, sharing strategies across disciplines, supporting children who use AAC and other communication systems, and contributing to multidisciplinary clinical discussions and case reviews.
Essential Requirements
- Hold a recognised degree or postgraduate qualification in Occupational Therapy.
- Be registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC).
- Have relevant paediatric occupational therapy experience.
- Have experience working with autistic children and/or children with complex developmental needs.
- Have strong knowledge and experience of sensory processing and regulation.
- Have experience planning and implementing sensory programmes and sensory circuits.
- Be confident working with Early Years children.
- Be able to assess children's functional, motor and sensory needs.
- Be able to work independently while contributing effectively to a multidisciplinary team.
- Have excellent communication skills when working with children, parents and professionals.
- Maintain high standards of clinical documentation and professional practice.
Desirable
- Sensory Integration training or postgraduate Sensory Integration qualifications.
- Experience using standardised sensory assessments.
- Advanced knowledge of sensory processing.
- Experience developing or running sensory rooms.
- Experience with complex needs and neurodevelopmental conditions.
- Experience with DCD/dyspraxia and motor coordination difficulties.
- Experience working within specialist schools or Early Years settings.
- Experience delivering parent or professional training.
- Experience supervising junior Occupational Therapists, particularly for Band 7 applicants.
- Experience developing new clinical services or pathways.
Band 7 Expectations
- For applicants joining at Band 7 level, we would expect additional experience in specialist paediatric occupational therapy and the ability to take a leadership role in developing our OT and sensory provision.
- This could include acting as a clinical specialist for sensory processing and regulation, establishing sensory assessment and intervention pathways, developing clinical protocols and resources, supporting and supervising junior Occupational Therapists as the service grows, delivering internal training to Speech and Language Therapists and other team members, supporting quality assurance and evidence-based practice, and contributing to the strategic development of Occupational Therapy within Unlocking Language.