Senior Children's Occupational Therapist

Job overview

Children and Family Health Devon (CFHD) is the place to be! We are developing an innovative, integrated model of children’s community services and looking for enthusiastic individuals to join our dedicated locality and county-wide professional teams.

We are excited to be able to offer this opportunity for a Senior Band 6 OT position based in the Exeter, East and Mid Devon Locality.

The post is based within the multidisciplinary Physical and Sensory Pathway whilst working closely with colleagues across the other pathways within CFHD. We are an innovative, dedicated and friendly service with both development and CPD opportunities.

You will be expected to have clinical supervisory skills and be able to hold a complex and varied caseload, working across the different environments such as home, schools and clinics. Please contact us if you would like any further information regarding this position we would love to hear from you.

• Hold responsibility for the assessment, diagnosis and treatment of a case load within a designated geographical area, within own level of competence and capability
• Using a strengths-based approach; ensure clinical effectiveness through the use of evidence-based interventions, goal-based, collaborative practice and Routine Outcome Measures
• Deliver specialist occupational therapy advice, assessment and interventions to a client group of children and young people experiencing a range of difficulties in maximising their occupational performance within different settings
• Interventions may include direct therapy, coaching or training, provision or recommendations for suitable adaptive equipment where this is a statutory provision and provide specialist guidance and recommendations for home or school adaptations
• Supervise and support Occupational Therapy Technicians and/or Integrated Therapy assistants
• Mentor/ clinically supervise newly qualified Occupational Therapists and Band 4/5 staff as required
• Participate in the provision of student placements
• Promote and support participation of service users across the service
• Work across other geographical areas as required to support colleagues according to need and demand
• Participate in clinical audits and clinical research as appropriate
• For some job holders, part of the role will include assessment and intervention of specialised equipment and environmental adaptations as part of our statutory work completed

Working for our organisation

It builds on our strong relationships across education, health, social care and voluntary sector services in Devon, and, most importantly, it has been developed and refined in partnership with children, young people and their families/carers.

Our Children and Young People say…

“We would like the people who work for Children and Family Health Devon to be understanding, patient and respectful. They should be trustworthy and make us feel safe and comfortable.

It is important that they use their skills and experience to listen carefully in a non-patronising and non-judgemental way. When staff are positive and friendly, they help to create an environment that is informal and without pressure”.

Welcome booklets - 1 (pagetiger.com)

Find out more about working for our Service by following this link: We are CFHD OT on Vimeo

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Please see the job description for the details regarding the post

• Communicate complex condition-related information from assessment to clients, carers, families and members of the multidisciplinary team/other professions in a way that is accessible and easily understood. This will include facilitating strategies for people with communication disorders where barriers to understanding may exist
• Demonstrate empathy with clients, carers, families and colleagues, ensuring that effective communication is achieved, particularly where barriers to communication exist, or sensitive issues are being dealt with. Patient, carers and family will frequently have difficulty accepting the information provided
• Form productive relationships with others who may be under stress and/or have challenging difficulties
• Employ good presentation skills to promote multi-disciplinary and interagency liaison and collaborative practice to a broad range of audiences including other professionals and users
• Write reports reflecting knowledge of paediatrics that can be accessible to both lay and professional people
• Contribute to clinical pathways both multi and uni-professional by discussing own and others input around client’s needs, ensuring a well-coordinated care plan
• Deal with initial complaints sensitively, avoiding escalation where possible
• Demonstrate good negotiation skills across a range of issues

• Demonstrate specialist Occupational Therapy knowledge across a range of therapeutic interventions
• Use knowledge and experience to inform sound clinical judgement/decision making for case management
• Integrate evidence from a variety of sources to make a differential diagnosis, of occupational performance, seeking advice as appropriate
• Demonstrate the ability to reflect on practice with peers and mentors and identify own strengths and development needs

• Responsible for organising and planning own caseload to meet service and patient priorities. Readjusting plans as situations change/arise
• Responsible for the supervision and co-ordination of Occupational Therapy Technicians on a daily basis
• Responsible for the supervision of Band 5 staff on a regular basis

• Undertakes all aspects of clinical duties as an autonomous practitioner including professional and legal accountability and clinical risk management for all aspects of own work
• Some aspects of work will involve delivery of the care as part of a multidisciplinary, multi-agency team. Otherwise to be the sole professional with responsibility for that patient’s episode of care and for onward referral as required
• Perform advanced therapeutic assessment of children who present with developmental problems, long term conditions and may have severe communication impairment, learning disability, complex and severe physical and sensory disability
• Use advanced questioning and communication, manual assessment techniques and clinical reasoning skills to provide a diagnosis and prognosis enabling the delivery of an individualised occupational therapy treatment programme. This includes but is not exclusive to the appropriate selection of referrals for inclusion in a range of treatment and management options, including neuro developmental, motor co-ordination, sensory differences, specialised equipment and environmental adaptations.
• Supervision takes the form of annual appraisal with line-manager plus planned management supervision, clinical supervision on a planned regular basis. Clinical work is not routinely evaluated. Access to advice and support is available from peers, the paediatric team and clinical manager
• Responsible for own caseload as an autonomous practitioner
• Responsible for tasks and duties as delegated by the Clinical Team Manager or Specialist Children’s Occupational Therapist.
• To use routine outcome measures and goal-based approach, collaboratively with service users, in ways that inform treatment and clinical care
• Work closely with clients, carers, and families agreeing decision making relevant to the patient/client management
• Co-produce specialist clear care plans based on best practice with children, young people and their families/carers
• Ensure care plans are written in an understandable format for the child, young person and their family/carer
• Provide specialist Occupational Therapy intervention including 1:1 / group therapy, parent/ carer-based interventions and consultancy/coaching mentoring within a range of community settings. Outcomes to then be evaluated · To demonstrate clinical effectiveness by use of evidence-based practice and outcome measures
• To always consider safeguarding and child protection issues, following relevant policies and procedures and receiving safeguarding supervision as required

• Deputise for the Clinical Team Manager or Specialist Occupational Therapist in their absence, taking responsibility for operation management of the team, allocating and organising the work of less experienced occupational therapist and assistant staff to meet priorities on a daily basis
• Provide children and young people with the opportunity to express their views in an age appropriate way, to have their opinions considered and to be able to influence the shaping of services
• Interpret and assist in the implementation of local and national guidelines, policies and procedures affecting the development of children’s services
• To follow their employer’s policies, procedures and guidance as well as professional standards and guidelines

• Work to the financial policies and procedures as laid down by the employer
• Take appropriate care of equipment entrusted to them for use
• Responsible for maintaining a clear desk policy and protecting all confidential information in accordance with the organisations policies and procedures
• Required to act responsibly in terms of providing best value practice and protecting service resources
• Responsibility for any specific materials you are required to use, maintaining their general standard and ensuring that adequate supplies are maintained
• Ensure all equipment used is maintained to the required standard to ensure patient and staff safety
• Maintain stock control, ordering supplies in a timely manner through the agreed process
• Complete an assessment, order, set up the provision of specialist equipment for identified children. Demonstrate to parents/ staff how to maintain and adjust as appropriate

• Contribute to the delivery of a range of training opportunities, as appropriate using a broad range of technology to develop and deliver
• Supervise the work of Occupational Therapy Technicians and/or Integrated Therapy Assistants where necessary
• Mentor and supervise newly qualified occupational therapists as required
• Access clinical supervision at the frequency determined by the organisation
• Oversee the caseload management of newly qualified staff and Occupational Therapy Technicians
• Demonstrate the ability to target training (formal and informal) appropriately to the needs of course participants, reflecting and evaluating training provided.
• To participate in the appraisal process
• Ensure prompt action is taken in raising issues with regard to staff performance, sickness, attendance levels and any disciplinary, capability or grievance matters

• Responsible for accurate and timely inputting of data into relevant data collection system to ensure workload is accurately reflected
• Responsible for the inputting of accurate and contemporaneous case notes on the relevant clinical systems in line with professional and organisational standards
• A sound knowledge of IT
• Computer literate
• Ensure all employer’s policies, procedures and guidelines are followed
• Complete all statutory and mandatory training as required by the employer
• Identify and manage risks through incident reporting when appropriate
• Take part in activities designed to improve service delivery or quality of care such as staff surveys, participation and service development

• Participates in clinical audit
• Participate in clinical research as appropriate

• Acts as an autonomous professional
• Works within codes of practice as defined by Royal College of Occupational Therapy and HCPC
• Works within organisational policies and procedures

Please contact us to discuss the post more fully.

Person specification

Qualifications

• • Degree in Occupational Therapy
• • HCPC registration
• • Diploma level specialist training or experience

• • Post-graduate certified courses specific to children’s needs (e.g. Sensory training; ADOS, 3di etc)

Experience

• • To work within trust clinical guidelines and Royal College of OT and HCPC standards. To have working knowledge of national and local standards and monitor own quality and safety of practice
• • Extensive knowledge of Occupational Therapy models of practice and specialist approaches
• • Extensive knowledge of legislation affecting clinical practice such as manual handling, housing and SEND
• of Occupational Therapy therapeutic interventions for children and young people including but not inclusive to: manual handling, specialist equipment, 24-hour postural management, fine motor, sensory differences and housing adaptations
• • Knowledge of a wide range of Occupational Therapy assessment tools appropriate to meet a wide range of needs in the paediatric population
• • Knowledge and use of evidence-based practice and outcome measures
• • Well-developed knowledge and understanding of legislation around SEND
• • Knowledge of normal child development and a broad range of paediatric conditions
• • Substantial clinical experience in a range of children’s OT assessment and interventions
• • Community based Children’s Occupational Therapy experience
• • Evidence of working as an autonomous practitioner
• • Developed skills in working with individuals and families with physical and sensory needs
• • Knowledge and experience of gaining meaningful feedback from children, young people and families’ voice and inform meaningful change
• • Experience of working in a ‘person-centred’ way which shows you can demonstrate values that are important to children, young people and families

• • Research skills

Specific

• • Excellent communication and interaction skills
• • Ability to maintain sensitivity at all times to clients, carers and families
• • Excellent interpersonal skills - including observation, listening and empathy skills
• • Excellent presentation skills, both written and verbal
• • Well-developed negotiation and problem-solving skills
• • Ability to keep accurate and legible children/young people and families clinical notes in line with RCOT and HCPC guidance
• • Well-developed analytical and reflection skills
• • Well-developed auditory and perceptual skills
• • Proven ability to work on own initiative and without supervision in a variety of community settings
• • Evidence of ability to make decisions under pressure and in stressful situations
• • Ability to demonstrate advanced clinical reasoning skills
• • Ability to plan organise and prioritise effectively
• • Knowledge and experience of gaining meaningful feedback from children, young people and families’ voice and inform meaningful change

You will be joining the organisation at an exciting time. As the first fully integrated care organisation in England, we are working to improve the way we deliver safe, high-quality health and social care. We have a positive and vibrant working atmosphere, we are proud of our investment in our staff both in terms of developing potential career skills and valuing people.

If you provide support to a family member or friend with health or care needs, we aim to be a Carer-friendly employer. We have a ‘Staff Carers’ policy which includes flexible working where possible and a Carer’s Passport scheme that links you into support and discounts.

• We reserve the right to close vacancies early if we receive a high volume of applications. Therefore, we encourage you to apply promptly.
• Please read the job description carefully and tailor your application to reflect the requirements of the role.
• Applicants who identify in their application form they are a part of the Armed Forces community will be guaranteed an interview, provided they meet the minimum essential criteria outlined in the job description and person specification for the role. Step into Health guidance can be found on our NHS Employers website.
• Correspondence will be sent via Trac, text, and email. Please ensure you check your email and Trac account regularly.
• Applicants with no previous NHS experience will ordinarily be appointed to the minimum of the band.
• If you have not received an invitation to interview within 28 days of the closing date, please assume that your application has been unsuccessful on this occasion.
• It is your responsibility to ensure the timely receipt of appropriate references.

If you require support you can obtain this from our Equality Business Forum which has representatives from all protected groups.