Specialist Occupational Therapist, Band 6, TCT School

Job responsibilities

Clinical Responsibilities

• Provide high quality, evidence based occupational therapy provision for children and young people attending The Childrens Trust School, in partnership with other members of the multi-disciplinary team and education services.
• Undertake specialist occupational therapy assessments of children with complex needs e.g. multiple co-morbidities, neurodisabilities and chronic conditions, through standardised and non-standardised assessments and clinical observations.
• Devise suitable, individualised, 24hr occupational therapy programmes/strategies that fit within the childs daily routine, whether to be carried out by parents or members of the Multidisciplinary Team; these should be monitored, evaluated, and adjusted appropriately according to the needs of the child.
• Develop therapy goals, in collaboration with the child and family/carers, as well as the multidisciplinary and education teams, other health professionals and agencies, to facilitate the participation of the child in their life skills.
• Support assessment and management guidelines for young people with assistive technology needs.
• Support assessment and intervention in the clinical area of assistive technology for school, teaching and integrating skills with members of the multidisciplinary and educational teams.
• Set outcomes as part of the child or young persons annual review and Education, Health and Care Plans.
• Support the Multidisciplinary and education teams with measuring short term targets, through using the IMpacts curriculum, therapy outcome measurement tools e.g. Goal Attainment Scaling (GAS).
• Teach, integrate, and monitor occupational therapy interventions in the childs environment, whether it is carried out by parents, school staff, therapy staff, nursing and care staff or volunteers.
• Assess, and organise the provision of necessary occupational therapy equipment.
• Support specialist interventions including upper limb splinting and casting with support from the Highly Specialist Occupational Therapist.
• Keep appropriate and accurate intervention records, fulfilling legal, professional and all other requirements of The Childrens Trust.
• Contribute to child related reports, including looked after children and annual review reports as required, and assist with the collation of these as required, in a timely manner in line with organisational targets.
• Liaise with all appropriate medical staff, whether employed by The Childrens Trust, visiting consultants or at off-site clinics, and attend clinics with the child as required.
• Support the delivery of a tiered model approach to occupational therapy at The Childrens Trust School, providing regular integrated time to classes and houses.
• Work closely with all members of the Multidisciplinary Team, as well as the child and family, to provide a fully integrated approach to the overall management of the child. This will include any home/school visits, professional child related meetings and/ or appointments, as required.
• Provide clinical cover across the service during episodes of staff shortage/heavy workload, to ensure effective service delivery.
• Work flexibly in terms of hours, including the ability to work an early evening (weekly) and one weekend day, per calendar month.
• Undertake other or additional duties that are within your skills and abilities, as the organisation may reasonably require from time to time.

Communication

• Communicate effectively with children/young people (applying the principles of consistent communication).
• Facilitate effective communication with families and members of the Multidisciplinary Team.
• Recognise barriers to effective communication and be able to reduce these as appropriate.
• Attend and contribute to Multidisciplinary Team meetings, to discuss individual children/ young people and service in general, as required e.g. reviews, case conferences, parents evenings, clinics, etc.
• Maintain clear and concise documents and records, in accordance with The Childrens Trust Policy.
• Ensure documents are managed confidentially at all times.
• Attend regular meetings with the Multidisciplinary Team, to discuss individual children/young people and service in general, as required e.g. reviews, case conferences, parents evenings, clinics.
• Manage informal complaints, in line with The Childrens Trust polices and contribute to the resolution of written complaints, and as they occur taking immediate action where necessary.

Management of Self and Others

• Provide support and supervision for junior team members and students, within area of responsibility, providing direction, motivation, and support to achieve key objectives.
• Participate in the annual Performance Development Review and monthly supervision sessions, as required by The Childrens Trust, both as Appraiser and Appraise.
• Manage time effectively, prioritising and delegating work appropriately and as required.

Governance

• Read and implement all policies, procedures, and risk assessments, pertinent to working practice and keep up to date with changes as and when they occur.
• Critically evaluate practice through clinical audits and by appraisal of the information gained, in combination with current knowledge of evidence-based practice; identify opportunities for service improvement and development, with support from Highly Specialist Therapists/ Heads of Therapy.
• Continue the audit cycle, by evaluating any changes implemented as a result. This should include the adoption of evidence informed practice, the trial of emerging interventions and the cessation of interventions, where evidence is insufficient and other approaches are indicated.
• Recognise and critically appraise situations where the effectiveness, efficiency and quality of the service are compromised and take appropriate action to resolve the situation, with support from Highly Specialist Therapists/ Heads of Therapy.
• Critically reflect on own performance and that of other staff; and use this evaluation to enhance the effectiveness, efficiency, and quality of future practice.
• Undergo The Childrens Trust Risk Assessor training, in order that all activities are risk assessed and documented in the most appropriate format. Ensure that detailed risk assessments are completed, as required.
• Actively participate in local clinical governance activities.

Career Long Learning, Education and Research

• Undertake all mandatory training, in line with The Childrens Trust policy.
• Advance personal knowledge, understanding and skills in line with identified learning needs, by making appropriate use of a variety of learning and development resources and opportunities, e.g. by attending courses/ lectures, contact and involvement with relevant special interest groups and visiting other departments/ organisations and by conducting Literature Reviews.
• Prepare appropriately for Performance Development Reviews, identifying learning objectives and setting targets; identify opportunities for professional development in order to meet continuing professional development requirements.
• Submit research Abstracts/ Posters to both local and national conferences, with support if required.
• Participate in in-service competency training programmes and teaching sessions, as appropriate.

Limits of Authority and Problem Solving

• In addition to The Childrens Trust policies, the Specialist Occupational Therapist is governed by, and should adhere to, the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) Standards of Proficiency for occupational therapists and the Royal College of Occupational Therapists Quality Assurance Standards.
• Make day-to-day decisions regarding occupational therapy requirements for children and young people, based on case load, including recommendations for specialist equipment.
• Responsible for day-to-day time management and prioritisation of workload, taking into account the needs of the whole service.
• Monthly formal supervision.
• Provides formal supervision monthly to junior Occupational Therapists and/or Multidisciplinary Technicians.

Professionalism

• Meet current HCPC and Royal College of Occupational Therapists standards with respect to professionalism and to keep up to date with any changes.
• Be responsible for maintaining registration with HCPC and other Professional Bodies.
• Adhere to the policies and procedures of The Childrens Trust.
• Maintain professional boundaries and professionalism at all times.
• Committed to demonstrating the organisations values and behaviours at all times.

Health and Safety

• Adheres to all health and safety guidelines, including infection prevention and control.
• Provide evidence of a valid NHS Covid Pass or acceptable proof of Covid vaccination or medical exemption and all vaccinations (or medical exemption) required for the post.
• Adhere to manual handling procedures and complete mandatory manual handling training.
• Promotes the health and safety of others.
• Uses the incident reporting and risk assessment system (IRAR), to identify and report risks and incidents/actions if directed.
• Responsible for identifying and mitigating risk within the work environment.

Wellbeing and Emotional Resilience

• Maintains a positive approach and outlook when dealing with change and overcoming challenges and problems.
• Recognises own limitations, develops realistic goals, and uses support network resource when or if necessary.
• Treats challenges and problems as a learning experience.
• Remains organised and focused when under pressure.
• Responds appropriately and effectively to all constructive feedback.
• Motivates self and others.

Qualifications

Essential

• RCOT recognised degree or postgraduate diploma in Occupational Therapy.
• HCPC registration.
• Continuous Professional Development in line with regulatory body standards.

Desirable

• Member of Royal College of Occupational Therapy.
• Member of specialist interest group or forum.

Experience

Essential

• Minimum of two years clinical experience post qualification.
• Experience of working with children/young people with neurodisabilities and or mainstream and or specialist schools/ and or paediatrics.
• Experience of working as part of a multi-professional team.

Desirable

• Experience of 24 postural care approach.
• Experience of working with families.
• Experience of SEND legislation.
• Experience of specialist equipment.
• Recent relevant training with respect to assistive technology.

Skills & Abilities

Essential

• Knowledge of occupational therapy management for neurodisability supported by clinical reasoning.
• Clinical reasoning skills in predictable situations, analysing a variety of evidence and presenting this in a relevant format e.g. report, presentation.
• Workload management including delegation of tasks.
• Observation and treatment skills relevant to the assessment and management.
• Ability to meet the physical demands of a school therapy role.
• Attention to detail.
• Ability to supervise others and enable development of their skills.
• Professional integrity, particularly in clinical governance.
• To work flexibly to meet the needs of the service. This may include one weekend day a month and early evening working- there is no on call required.
• Competent written and verbal communication skills.
• Identifies own training needs and pursues on own initiative.

Desirable

• Risk assessment skills.

Knowledge

Essential

• Knowledge and understanding of safeguarding children and young people with complex disabilities.
• Competent skills in Microsoft Word, PowerPoint.
• Knowledge of relevant outcome measures and statutory outcome requirements.

Desirable

• Knowledge of current research, clinical audit, and service evaluation methods.

Personal Qualities

Essential

• Physically fit and able to comply with trust manual handling guidelines. Able to carry out moderate to intense physical effort throughout the working day and carry out concurrent activities.
• Ability to cope working in a demanding environment.
• Flexible and can do attitude to competing commitments in workload:
• Highly motivated and reliable.
• Commitment to the vision and values of The Childrens Trust.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).