Paediatric Occupational Therapist - Band 5 - ICPS

Job responsibilities

Please see the full job description for more detail in the supporting information.

JOB PURPOSE:

• To provide a high quality children and young peoples occupational therapy service to a caseload of children and young people with a variety of physical, learning and social needs (including children with statutory needs, e.g. Education Health & Care Plans, safeguarding and child protection issues/concerns) in a variety of community settings.
• To carry an independent caseload of children across a range of settings within the multidisciplinary team, to support children and young peoples occupational therapy needs as appropriate.

KEY WORKING RELATIONSHIPS:

Children, young people, families and carers

Service Lead Paediatric Occupational Therapy

Paediatric Occupational Therapy Team

Integrated Community Paediatric Service

Education staff within mainstream and school special school settings

Children and Young People and Family Services in Social Care

Acute Trust Services e.g., Paediatricians, Acute Therapy Services

KEY TASKS:

This role is based in the community working within homes, clinics, special and mainstream schools with children aged between 0-18 years.

The primary purpose of this post is to provide a service to children with a neurodisability and other complex conditions.

To provide advice, assessment, intervention and training to children and young people with additional needs, their parents, carers and teachers

To identify the childs difficulties, undertake assessments using clinical reasoning skills and enable them to participate in activities and occupation.

To be accountable for a clinical caseload for children with a range of conditions providing appropriate assessments and intervention programmes.

To monitor, evaluate and modify treatment interventions to measure progress and ensure effectiveness.

To communicate effectively and provide advice and training to colleagues working within other clinical areas.

To participate in the planning and development of the service, holding responsibility for defined and delegated projects.

To work with and provide supervision and training for Occupational Therapy Students and OT Support Workers and Technicians.

To maintain and develop professional competence through continuing professional development, and to develop the ability to reflect on and evaluate training attended

To actively participate in clinical and peer supervision

To contribute to clinical effectiveness arrangements and participate in audit and research relevant to your role and clinical setting.

To be accountable for own professional action and recognise own professional boundaries, seeking advice as appropriate

To ensure effective partnership working at all times with other members of the health team, social care, education and voluntary bodies in the best interests of the child.

To assess the needs of children and young people and to formulate plans regarding appropriate complex bespoke specialist equipment and minor adaptations. To set up and monitor equipment, instructing patients/carers on its safe use.

The post holder is expected to drive and travel across the County.

Communication

• To empathetically communicate condition related information from assessment to children, carers, families and members of the multi-disciplinary team/other professions

To evaluate outcomes and provide advice to others regarding the management and care of children with communication and eating difficulties

To support, reassure and advise families and carers to engage in the therapeutic process and provide specific information on neurodisability conditions

To deal with initial complaints sensitively, avoiding escalation where possible

To form productive relationships with others who may be under stress and/or have challenging communication difficulties

To give information and advice to enable children, their parents/carers and other professionals working with the child, to carry out therapy interventions and ensure ongoing support between professional treatment sessions.

To prepare and write reports for Education Health Care Plans, multi-disciplinary assessments and reviews.

To work jointly with other professionals within the multi-disciplinary team and attend joint case conferences.

To liaise and work with other members of the multi-disciplinary team: Therapists, Teachers, Clinical Psychologists, Special Educational Needs Teachers, Consultant Community Paediatricians and Safeguarding teams.

To give appropriate information to children, parents/carers and other professional staff regarding therapy programmes.

To maintain working relationships within Education.

To keep adequate records on patients, to maintain confidentiality in respect of this information, and comply with the Trusts record keeping policy.

• To attend professional meetings.

Health and Safety

• To adhere to Health and Safety policies of the Trust

• To participate in Clinical Governance procedures for the service.

• To comply with the Trust Safeguarding Policy including co-operation with statutory child protection agencies in ensuring the safety and wellbeing of children.

• To be aware of Health and Safety Policies and to maintain up to date knowledge of any published changes or amendments.

• To be aware of any Health and Safety legislation or policy in relation to any area of work or practice undertaken as part of this post.

• To undertake risk assessments as required.

• To take personal responsibility for maintaining a safe working environment, and to report or highlight any potential dangers or risks to the appropriate person.

• To take personal responsibility for, and adhere to policy and guidelines in relation to lone working.

Service Improvement

• To contribute to and be pro-active in the identification of service improvement. To participate in the planning, to implement and evaluate service developments within the specialism based on audits, questionnaires, reflective practice, meetings, surveys and data collection.

• To include assistance piloting of new services, prioritisation of caseloads and alternative methods of working.

To contribute to the development of clinical standards and guidelines in own speciality, and to inform service policies, including the use of research in evidence based practice

To make suggestions about possible improvements or changes to the service which may of benefit to children families or the organisation.

To undertake appropriate research and provide research advice to other staff undertaking research.

To participate in audit and service evaluation, with colleagues within and across the service to help develop and improve services to children and their families.

To participate in clinical and quality frameworks for the Paediatric Occupational Service.

Quality

• To contribute to clinical effectiveness arrangements and quality agenda, and participate in audit and research relevant to your role and clinical setting.

To be accountable for own professional action and recognise own professional boundaries, seeking advice as appropriate

To take responsibility for discharging clients according to clinical need and/or Trust procedure.

To understand when to make onward referrals to other agencies in order to assist in the diagnosis ant treatments options of children on own caseload, as well as advising other members of staff

To operate in accordance with the policies and guidelines of the Paediatric Occupational Therapy Service, HCPC and the Royal College of Occupational Therapists.

Equality, diversity and rights

To adapt practice to meet individual children/families` circumstances, including due regard for cultural and linguistic differences

To be sensitive to the individual needs of children and families affected by disability.

To be aware of the needs of children and families in relation to their language, culture, religion, ethnicity and gender.

To actively challenge, and where necessary report any incidence of abuse or discrimination in line with policy and procedures

Qualifications

Essential

• Degree or equivalent diploma in Occupational Therapy
• HCPC Registration
• Evidence of CPD maintained in a portfolio

Desirable

• Membership of Specialist Interest Group (Children, Young People and Families)
• Membership of RCOT

Skills and Abilities

Essential

• Clinical experience including individual and group work.
• Assessment, planning, implementing and evaluating treatment, complying with professional and service standards.
• Ability to work autonomously and set own priorities.
• Ability to analyse clinical, professional and ethical issues.
• Ability to reflect and critically appraise own performance.
• Ability to organise and respond efficiently to information.
• Teamwork and effective communication/
• negotiation skills.
• Ability to build effective working relationships with multi professional teams, children and carers.
• Ability to cope working in emotional environments with parents/carers.
• Ability to understand the child and families / carers culture and diversity and provide services appropriate to individual needs
• Able to carry out moderate to intense physical effort through concurrent activities

Desirable

• Supervisory/appraisal skills.

Personal Qualities

Essential

• Ability to travel to rural locations to carry out the post.
• Ability to handle children and equipment, frequently exerting moderate physical effort for long periods.
• Ability to cope with frequent exposure to distressing or emotional circumstances
• Flexibility in approach to service delivery

Experience

Essential

• Demonstration of clinical assessment and intervention knowledge
• Knowledge, training and experience of a range of treatment techniques and approaches

Desirable

• Previous Band 5 experience or evidence of working on clinical cases
• Experience and working knowledge of children
• Knowledge experience of the impact of a childs disability on occupational performance and the childs family carers
• Facilitation and involvement in audit and understanding of quality issues

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

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).