Job summary
The Therapies In Schools (TIS) service is an innovative PT and OT model of service which is commissioned by West Sussex County Council and delivered by Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust. It's aim is to provide additional therapeutic input into schools to support the teachers and carers to integrate therapeutic goals into heart of curricular activities and at home. TIS is an additional service to the current NHS provision and aims to work flexibly to meet ever changing demands as they arise. A key part of TIS is to provide accredited training to all education staff and offers opportunities for families and carers to access the training too.
The TIS service has been highlighted by the Children's Disability Council as excellent example of joint commissioning and innovative practice. TIS has also been mentioned in a ministerial letter by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Children and Families.
We wish to recruit a full time Band 7 Occupational Therapist with the necessary diverse skills and experience, or a Band 6 therapist that would like to gain experience and develop into this Band 7. The Band 6 to 7 development post would include spending one day a week working alongside our Child Development Centre colleagues and 4 days in schools.
When making your application it is vital you state why you are interested in the TIS role! and if you are interested in Band 7 or the Band 6 to 7 Development role.
Main duties of the job
Please look at these schools' websites to understand the differences in the needs of the young people you will be supporting. The schools are:
- Fordwater (Chichester)
- St Anthony's (Chichester)
- Littlegreen (Chichester)
This is a very varied role as each school has a different cohort of children necessitating a slightly different approach to integrating therapeutic goals into the curriculum, whilst remaining true to the TIS model.
Your role will be to provide a universal approach through delivering accredited training to school staff, some targeted work through group work and ad hoc needs, and a small caseload of intensive work to support families in crisis or needing enhanced support due to a change in circumstance. Your role is in addition to the existing NHS provision provided by the Child Development Center (CDC) therapists, working collaboratively with the CDC therapists is vital. You'll work in your main allocated schools, do home visits where needed, and occasionally support your team members in other schools. You will need to be flexible in your availability to attend occasional parents evening events, parent carer forum liaisons and host parent coffee mornings/network groups.
About us
The team is funded by WSCC education but 'hosted' by Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust.
The purpose of this team is to work within specific special schools in order to support children and young people, families and staff.The TIS team consists of 14 Occupational Therapists and Physiotherapists working across 11 SEN schools in West Sussex.
We're a friendly, creative group who strive to deliver flexible solutions across the schools we support. As we are split across the county, we believe strongly in supporting each other through virtual and face to face team meetings, supervision and shared learning. Regularly sharing what we're doing in our schools and what works or needs tweaking.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Main tasks
To increase parental confidence in the quality of provision provided within the schools.
- To build relationships with parents prior to school entry by attending parental tours for specific pupils and completing home visits
- Maintain therapeutic relationship with identified children (regular phone calls as required)
- Attending annual reviews for identified children
- Attending coffee mornings and parents evenings across allocated schools
- To support parents through all transitional stages both immediately prior to and throughout school (class to class, Yr 6 Yr 7, attending parental tour for specified pupils) and post school placement.
To increase confidence and skills of school based education staff to deliver OT programmes
- To undertake specified large group training across allocated schools
- To undertake bespoke small group training to meet the individual needs of specified pupils
- To support a team of identified Therapy Champions (teachers and teaching staff who have completed level 3 TIS training) to be first point of contact for other staff
To undertake work alongside school staff for agreed caseload.
- Working in class to support staff in delivering OT programmes
- Write, monitor and evaluate OT programmes in partnership with school staff.
- Contribute reports to and/or provide sections for health care plans, annual reviews
- To write tribunal assessments/ reports and attend tribunals where appropriate.
- Write and share with staff recommendations that can support areas of school curriculum areas.
- Provide recommendations to ensure the environment facilitates participation and inclusion for students with sensory and motor difficulties.
- To allocate OT time in schools depending on the need of the caseload.
- To provide group work sessions as agreed with the individual school
To work as part of the multi-disciplinary teams to improve further the integrated holistic and child centered approach of the allocated special schools
- Attend regular MDT meetings
- Attend MDT team around the family meetings for specified pupils
- OT will understand the holistic curriculums of each school and will contribute to the student-centered planning.
For further details please see attached Job Description.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Main tasks
To increase parental confidence in the quality of provision provided within the schools.
- To build relationships with parents prior to school entry by attending parental tours for specific pupils and completing home visits
- Maintain therapeutic relationship with identified children (regular phone calls as required)
- Attending annual reviews for identified children
- Attending coffee mornings and parents evenings across allocated schools
- To support parents through all transitional stages both immediately prior to and throughout school (class to class, Yr 6 Yr 7, attending parental tour for specified pupils) and post school placement.
To increase confidence and skills of school based education staff to deliver OT programmes
- To undertake specified large group training across allocated schools
- To undertake bespoke small group training to meet the individual needs of specified pupils
- To support a team of identified Therapy Champions (teachers and teaching staff who have completed level 3 TIS training) to be first point of contact for other staff
To undertake work alongside school staff for agreed caseload.
- Working in class to support staff in delivering OT programmes
- Write, monitor and evaluate OT programmes in partnership with school staff.
- Contribute reports to and/or provide sections for health care plans, annual reviews
- To write tribunal assessments/ reports and attend tribunals where appropriate.
- Write and share with staff recommendations that can support areas of school curriculum areas.
- Provide recommendations to ensure the environment facilitates participation and inclusion for students with sensory and motor difficulties.
- To allocate OT time in schools depending on the need of the caseload.
- To provide group work sessions as agreed with the individual school
To work as part of the multi-disciplinary teams to improve further the integrated holistic and child centered approach of the allocated special schools
- Attend regular MDT meetings
- Attend MDT team around the family meetings for specified pupils
- OT will understand the holistic curriculums of each school and will contribute to the student-centered planning.
For further details please see attached Job Description.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Degree in Occupational Therapy
- Registered with HCPC
- Post Graduate training in a relevant specialist area
Equal Opportunities
Essential
- An understanding of the principles of equal opportunities in relation to staff and patients
Experience
Essential
- At least 4 years post grad experience
- Experience of working with children or adolescents
- Experience of working with children with complex neurological conditions
- Experience of working with schools and educational settings, including report writing for SEN
- Experience of working in a multidisciplinary team and high-level understanding of team dynamics.
- Experience of providing training and presenting information to colleagues in a transdisciplinary team.
Skills
Essential
- Excellent working knowledge of informing sciences such as anatomy, physiology and pathology of paediatric conditions applicable to specialism
- Excellent knowledge of assessment and treatment tools and specialist treatment approaches
- Articulate good communication skills
- Demonstrates working knowledge of relevant legislation such as Manual Handling, Health and Safety
- Competency and ability to assess and treat wide range of complex conditions within paediatrics
- Good IT skills
- Advanced negotiation and problem-solving skills. Excellent conflict management skills.
- Confident presentation skills.
- Critical appraisal and reflection skills
- Excellent organisational skills.
Desirable
- Excellent knowledge of specialist equipment for use within paediatrics
- Advanced clinical reasoning skills
- Undertaking Audits
Flexibility
Essential
- Able to work flexibly to allow for attending parents evening and other occasional events.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Degree in Occupational Therapy
- Registered with HCPC
- Post Graduate training in a relevant specialist area
Equal Opportunities
Essential
- An understanding of the principles of equal opportunities in relation to staff and patients
Experience
Essential
- At least 4 years post grad experience
- Experience of working with children or adolescents
- Experience of working with children with complex neurological conditions
- Experience of working with schools and educational settings, including report writing for SEN
- Experience of working in a multidisciplinary team and high-level understanding of team dynamics.
- Experience of providing training and presenting information to colleagues in a transdisciplinary team.
Skills
Essential
- Excellent working knowledge of informing sciences such as anatomy, physiology and pathology of paediatric conditions applicable to specialism
- Excellent knowledge of assessment and treatment tools and specialist treatment approaches
- Articulate good communication skills
- Demonstrates working knowledge of relevant legislation such as Manual Handling, Health and Safety
- Competency and ability to assess and treat wide range of complex conditions within paediatrics
- Good IT skills
- Advanced negotiation and problem-solving skills. Excellent conflict management skills.
- Confident presentation skills.
- Critical appraisal and reflection skills
- Excellent organisational skills.
Desirable
- Excellent knowledge of specialist equipment for use within paediatrics
- Advanced clinical reasoning skills
- Undertaking Audits
Flexibility
Essential
- Able to work flexibly to allow for attending parents evening and other occasional events.
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.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
Additional information
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.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
