Children's Occupational Therapist

Driven by our Trust values: Honesty, Empathy, Ambition, Respect; the Trust's vision is to provide high quality care to the diverse communities we serve to make their lives better.

We are passionate about creating an inclusive workplace that promotes and values diversity. Our cultural diversity, long term conditions and disabilities, and LGBTQIA+ staff networks are a key part of this commitment, creating positive change and helping build an inclusive culture across the Trust.

Different ideas, experiences and backgrounds make us stronger and more creative and applications from all walks of life are welcomed - our processes ensure that all applicants are treated fairly at every stage of the recruitment process.

Options for flexible working are considered for all roles within CCS, including job share opportunities, compressed hours, annualised hours, tailored working patterns and more. If you are interested in flexible working, please talk to the recruiting manager for this vacancy.

Job overview

This is an exciting opportunity for a Band 6 Occupational Therapist to join the dynamic therapists at Cambridgeshire Community Children’s Occupational Therapy Service.

Our service has been a fully integrated OT service combining health and social care roles for many years. This role is based in the community and will involve working at your clinic base, local special schools, family homes, mainstream schools and local pre-school settings.

Children seen will have range of disabilities and developmental delays and are between 0-19 years old.

The post holder will be based in the Cambridge area at The Peacock Centre in Cambridge, however, this post will require travel across the county to facilitate regular CPD and mandatory training.

The post holder will be joining a skilled and enthusiastic team of occupational therapists and assistants. We also work closely with our physiotherapy colleagues as well as other members of the multi-disciplinary team.

There is a strong commitment from Cambridgeshire Community Services for continued professional development for all members of staff.

We want you to use your skills and knowledge to make a real difference in children and young people’s lives.

Why not click on the link to the Job Description and find out more about the role.

We look forward to receiving your application!

Main duties of the job

To provide an integrated Occupational Therapy service to children and young people and their families, this will involve crossing traditional health and social care boundaries and promoting close, effective working relationships within the health multi-disciplinary team, the local authority and schools.

You will be responsible for your own caseload and in a supervisory capacity for that of junior staff /students working within your team.

Working for our organisation

Rated ‘Outstanding’ by the Care Quality Commission, we are proud to provide high quality innovative services across most of the east of England that enable people to receive care closer to home and live healthier lives.

There’s one reason why our services are outstanding – and that’s our amazing staff - who, for the seventh year running, rated us incredibly highly in the national staff survey.

If you share our passion for innovative and high-quality care delivery, then please submit your application and join us on our exciting journey as a leading-edge specialist community provider. All are welcome to apply and our promise to you is a culture which prioritises staff engagement and development.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Nature of work

To provide specialised children’s occupational therapy assessment and treatment for children.

To assess and prescribe specialist equipment for home and school to support function and participation (e.g. positioning, beds, toilet and bathing, hoists and slings, safety) and link with the housing specialists within the service to ensure a fully integrated service.

To work in a variety of settings such as clinics, mainstream schools/nurseries, special schools/nurseries, client’s homes and other community settings.

To appropriately delegate work/tasks to Therapy Assistants, maintaining oversight of their input with children and young people.

To formulate and deliver an individual occupational therapy programme based on a sound knowledge of evidence based practice and treatment approaches using clinical assessment, reasoning skills and knowledge of treatment modalities available, e.g. CO-OP approach, COPM, neurodevelopmental therapy, sensory integration therapy (in line with strongest evidence and RCOT guidelines) and other alternatives (with appropriate support from senior colleague).

To participate in training/lecturing programmes, with support from senior colleagues, for Occupational Therapists staff, Occupational Therapy students, medical students, doctors, teachers and learning support assistants in schools and parents/carers.

To participate in the planning, development and evaluation of the children and young peoples Occupational Therapy service.

Where appropriate, to act as a key worker for CYP on their caseload, ensuring that there is effective communication between all members of the team and that a coordinated approach is in place.

To complete assessments with support from senior occupational therapist to inform the SEN tribunal process

The nature of children’s practice will require the post holder to bend, stretch, lift children’s limbs, crawl, kneel, work in confined spaces and at times work from the floor employing light physical effort on a day to day basis

Planning

To plan their own diary and prioritise their caseload in line with the service offer.

To participate in the planning, development and evaluation of the children and young people’s Occupational Therapy service.

To work as an autonomous practitioner supported by regular clinical and management supervision.

To comply with departmental and organisational policies and procedures.

Specific projects

To participate in defined, delegated projects.

To liaise with Team Leaders to ensure that all children referred into the occupational therapy service receive an equitable service.

Communication

To provide excellent communication with Children and Young People, Parents, carers, schools, local education authority, social services, acute hospitals, paediatricians, physiotherapists, speech and language therapists, pre-school teachers, psychologists (clinical and educational) and child and family nurses.

Often information handled will be sensitive and highly complex. Occasionally children are seen with extremely sensitive rare and complex medical conditions this requires communication at a high level with specialist doctors and national centres of excellence.

To investigate and manage concerns, incidents and complaints recognising limitations and referring to more senior colleagues, where appropriate.

To provide clear, concise written reports for other agencies for statutory processes to meet legal requirements, e.g. Education, Health and Care Plan, Tribunal cases.

Contribute to CCS’ internal communication strategies ensuring effective two-way communication and engagement within the organisation.

ices

People Management

To be involved in the supervision of junior Occupational Therapists (alongside the team leader Occupational Therapist).

To be involved in the supervision of occupational therapy students in their clinical practice.

Maintain their own professional development and ensure complies with mandatory requirement to take part in appraisal process

To provide support, guidance and training to therapy assistants assessing and evaluating competence and delegating work appropriately.

To participate in the staff appraisal scheme as an appraiser for therapy assistants, where appropriate.

To support in the recruitment of therapy assistants and administrative staff, where appropriate.

To train educational assistants to support the child’s goals in the educational setting.

Research & Development Activity

To maintain own professional development and requirement to take part in appraisal and KSF process

To participate in evidence based audit and research projects to further own and team’s clinical practice. To have support from senior colleagues to make recommendations to the clinical lead of the service for changes to practise by the team. This may lead the implementation of specific changes to practise or contribute to service protocols.

To participate in undertaking the measurement and evaluation of own work and current practices through the use of evidence based practice projects, audit and outcome measures, with support from senior colleagues.

To be responsible for maintaining own competency to practice through CPD activities, and to maintain a portfolio which reflects personal development.

To maintain and develop current knowledge of evidenced-based practice in children’s occupational therapy developing specialist knowledge of particular conditions and patient types.

To participate in the staff appraisal scheme as an appraisee and be responsible for complying with his agreed personal development programmes to meet set knowledge and competencies.

To be an active member of the in-service training programme by attendance at, and participation in, in-service training programmes, tutorials, individual training sessions, external courses and peer review, ensuring delivery of feedback following attendance at external courses.

To be competent in carrying out literature searches and to actively maintain/update specialist knowledge.

Person specification

Qualifications & Training

• Degree or Diploma in Occupational Therapy
• Registration with HCPC
• Relevant post graduate training

• Post graduate attendance on child specific study days

Experience

• Experience working with families who are adjusting to disability issues
• Experience working in multi-disciplinary or multi agency teams
• Experience working with children and young people
• Experience supervising junior staff/students

• Experience of working in the community
• Experience of working on complex cases in a multi-agency setting
• Experience of using systm one electronic recording system.

Knowledge & Skills

• Awareness of moving and handling legislation
• Ability to work with a child centred approach
• Ability to work as a team and independently

Both have a strong track record, with the highest ratings from the Care Quality Commission, best in class NHS staff survey outcomes, and a decade of experience in innovation and clinical development.

The group model provides health and care services to a population of 3.2 million in their homes and neighbourhoods. We provide care that supports people from the very beginning to the very end of their lives.

We will remain 2 separate employers until further notice and the specific role being advertised will be in employed by Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust

Certificate of Sponsorship

For roles that are eligible for sponsorship, applications from job seekers who require Skilled Worker Visa to work in the UK are welcome, and will be considered alongside all other applications. You are strongly advised to visit Check if you need a UK Visa website (Opens in a new tab), and familiarise yourself with what is required which should assist you in your understanding of the process

Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here. (Opens in a new tab)

UK Registration

For roles that require professional registration, applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new tab)

Our safe recruitment pre-employment checks are undertaken before an appointment is confirmed and may include a DBS check. Where the role requires you to drive, we'll ask you to validate your driving licence online via the DVLA.

In submitting an application, you authorise Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust to confirm any previous NHS service details via the Inter Authority Transfer (IAT) process should you be appointed.

ALL CORRESPONDENCE will be via the e-mail address on your application form. If you have not been invited to interview within 2 weeks of the closing date, you unfortunately haven’t been successful on this occasion, but keep an eye on our vacancies as a job that’s just right for you may appear!