Occupational Therapist

Job responsibilities

• Suffolk County Council - Ipswich, Bury St Edmunds or Lowestoft, Suffolk
• £36,298 - £42,380 per annum (pro rata for part time)
• 18.5 - 37 hours per week (part time working considered)
• Permanent

We are committed to flexible working, so please read the Job and Person Profile to find out about the types of flexible working available for this role.

Your role and responsibilities

You will provide high quality occupational therapy assessments of need within the local authorities statutory responsibility.

These assessments will take place in the home environment for children and young people with complex disabilities. Assessments are carried out to identify difficulties and solutions are explored to overcome them through advice and information; the provision of equipment; minor / major adaptations and liaison with professionals from health and education.

You will work closely with wider organisations such as Housing organisations and Community Equipment Services.

You will need:

• experience of working with disabled children preferably within a Social Care setting (desirable, newly qualified OTs will be considered)
• to be motivated and adaptable
• to be able to work independently and autonomously as well as part of a team.
• organisational skills as you will be responsible for managing your own workload
• excellent communication skills to liaise with families, children, young people and other professionals

You can view a full list of requirements in the Job and Person Profile. If you think you have what it takes to be successful in this role, even if you dont meet all the requirements, please apply. We would appreciate the opportunity to consider your application.

The team

The Children and Young Peoples Occupational Therapy Team are a small, committed, and supportive team of Occupational Therapy Managers, Occupational Therapists and an Occupational Therapy Assistant.

We work alongside Social Workers, Family Support Workers and Business Support colleagues within the Disabled Children and Young Peoples Team.

The team provides both social care and occupational therapy support to children, young people with complex disability and their families / carers.

You will:

• receive regular supervision from your Occupational Therapy Managers and peer support from your team colleagues.
• be able to access regular training to support your development in your role.

We will offer you

• regular clinical supervision from an Occupational Therapy Manager
• an induction to the role and ongoing support by peers
• ongoing training to support professional development
• clinical support with peers and continued professional developmentmeetings
• multidisciplinary team working
• a friendly and supportive team
• flexible working policy
• flexible bases / working from home.

Travel and workplace requirements

We positively encourage the use of technology to communicate, but in this role, you will need to travel to locations away from your contractual base, so you must either hold a full and current driving licence and have access to personal transport or meet the mobility requirements of the role through other reasonable and suitable means. If you require a reasonable adjustment due to a disability to meet the travel requirements of this role, please speak with the contact detailed below.

This role supports hybrid working, a broadly even balance between working from home and working from an office base. Please speak with the contact detailed below if you wish to discuss how that might impact your working arrangements.

For more information

For an informal discussion, please contact Emma Scothern (she/her) or Abbie Ball (she/her) by calling (01473) 265044 or emailing: emma.scothern@suffolk.gov.uk or: abbie.ball@suffolk.gov.uk

Closing date: 11.30pm, 31 May 2023.

This authority is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. DBS checks or police vetting will be required for relevant posts.

Experience

Essential

• Demonstrates personal values and behaviours aligned to our corporate WE ASPIRE values.
• Passionate about making a positive difference for Suffolk.
• Committed to listening to children and families and to working collaboratively with them to address concerns.
• Commitment to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults.
• Ability to be flexible, work under pressure and use own initiative.
• Demonstrates in depth knowledge of Signs of Safety and an in-depth practical understanding of and skills in using solution focused approaches of intervention.
• Knowledge and effective skills in using evidence-based models of intervention to deliver successful outcomes and an ability to bring research into practice.
• Ability to clarify risks and concerns and focus on solutions to create a climate in which change can happen.
• In depth knowledge of relevant legislation, regulations and guidance as appropriate to role.
• Wide knowledge of associated agencies and their working practices and roles.
• Proven ability to use a range of assessment frameworks.
• Ability to recognise Child Protection and risk issues and take appropriate action.
• Demonstrating expert knowledge and application of the early intervention and preventative agenda.
• Expert knowledge of the social and emotional factors that affect a childs capacity to learn and develop.
• Ability to effectively use a range of assessment frameworks.
• Ability to interpret and apply policy and procedures, supporting the development of good practice.
• Understanding the diverse range of needs of clients and backgrounds and how to respond appropriately.
• Evidence of leadership skills to support, advise and motivate staff and children, young people and their families.
• Evidence of leadership skills to negotiate, influence and mediate with a range of audiences, including professional stakeholders, partners and colleagues to achieve positive outcomes.
• Proven use of effective communication to manage challenging situations and provide appropriate advice and facilitation to de-escalate.
• Ability to appropriately challenge.
• colleagues and partners to ensure the statutory right of the service user.
• Sensitivity to disability, sexuality, gender and ethnicity issues.
• Proven ability to lead, facilitate and make a constructive contribution to meetings and negotiate with a range of stakeholders, settings and contexts.
• Ability to keep accurate and timely records.
• Evidence of ability to compile and analyse information and data and present in variety of formats.
• Demonstrates awareness of the importance of using plain language and the ability to do so.
• Relevant experience of working directly with children, young people and their families, as relevant to the specific client groups.
• Evidence of collaborative work with families.
• Proven commitment to finding solutions, planning and developing interventions with families and evidence of effectively using solution focused approaches in practice.
• Experience of supervising and coaching staff.
• Experience of working with children and families where there have been Safeguarding concerns.
• Experience of working alongside parents who may have mental health, learning or physical disability or sensory impairment.
• Experience of assessment and observation of the developmental needs of children.
• Experience of working with a range of agencies and communities.

Desirable

• Political awareness.
• Experience of providing training and facilitation.
• Experience of identifying areas of required development within a team.
• Ability to learn new IT applications as appropriate to role.
• Experience of using Suffolk Signs of Safety and Wellbeing principles, disciplines and tools.
• Experience of group work.

Additional requirements

Essential

• To work in a variety of locations and clients homes, including rural areas if required by the post.
• A DBS check will be undertaken for the successful candidate.
• Advanced organisational skills and the ability to prioritise work of self and others and meet deadlines.
• Willingness to undertake training as required to update knowledge and skills.
• Evidence of successfully working alone as well as part of a team.
• Ability to undertake out of hours working if required.

Qualifications

Essential

• Suitable professional qualification at graduate level or equivalent experience in a relevant area of work.
• Evidence of continuing professional development.
• Management and leadership qualification.

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).