Children's Housing Occupational Therapist

Job description

Job responsibilities

About Us

Would you like a job that makes a real difference to peoples lives?Are you motivated to work in creative ways to improve the quality of life for children and young people and their families?

We are a small team of Occupational Therapists andSupportOfficers who aredeterminedto make a big difference in the lives of the children, young people and families that we work with.

We are looking for qualified Occupational Therapists (OTs) with some experience in housing adaptations and equipment to use their skills and knowledge to provide high quality housing OT solutions.This experience may have been gained in a professional capacity, as a Student or as a Qualified OT or outside of practice. Although desirable, experience of working in Childrens Services is not essential.

The Childrens Housing OT service works in partnership with young people and parents, Health, Education and Social Service professionals to provide a holistic service across the whole of Oxfordshire.

Our service is built on partnership working, ensuring that local councils and Housing Associations are included in solution planning and we have evolved close working relationships to enable this.We constantly face new challenges and, working with external agencies, we aim to continue to develop innovative solutions to help meet families evolving needs.

As a service we have:

• Worked with councils to purchase properties to help meet families specific needs and designed bespoke adaptations as part of this provision
• Established additional funding methods to enable higher value project completions
• Encouraged and enabled families to manage their own Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) projects to promote more timely interventions
• Contributed to local initiatives reviewing the delivery of and the value offered by DFGs.

About the Role

This post involves working with children and their families at home and assessing for appropriate housing adaptations and equipment. Training and skill development opportunities will be provided on an ongoing basis and the post holder will be supported by the wider team as well as the Manager of the Childrens Housing OT Service.

You will have the opportunity to work with children and young people who have a wide range of complex developmental and physical needs including conditions such as Autism, Cerebral Palsy and Muscular Dystrophy. You will drive to see the children at home and you will work with partners in Health, Social Services and the District/City Councils in providing solutions to help meet assessed needs.

This post sits within the wider Childrens Social Care team and will be involved in contributing to service development and implementing evidence-based practice.

Key responsibilities include:

• Assessing childrens needs in their home environments and developing solutions, in partnership with them and their families
• Writing up formal assessments, re-housing reports and specifications following assessments
• Designing adaptations that meet identified needs and working with local partner agencies to enable successful outcomes
• Managing a busy caseload, ensuring that recommendations and referrals are followed up in a timely manner
• Being an advocate for the children and families that we work with and ensuring that their voice remains central to the work that we do

About you

This job is for an OT who isenthusiastic, motivated anddeterminedthat their role will make a difference for the children and families that we work with.Together, were shaping childrens social care for the future. Every day, our colleagues are helping to transform the lives of the residents of Oxfordshire. We want you to be passionate about being a part of this.

We would like to hear from you if you are:

• A qualified Occupational Therapist with housing adaptations experience (either as a Student, OT or in a personal capacity) and are registered with HCPC
• Kindand caring, with anempathyfor the people that we work withand a respect for individuals diversities, qualities and abilities
• Able to demonstrate professional and personal integrity through everyday interactions
• Willing to embrace learning and development opportunities in all that you do
• Drivento think differently and innovate to ensure successful service, professional and personal outcomes

Rewards and Benefits

• Competitive salary from £37,035 - £43,693.
• Relocation allowance of up to £8,000.
• Annual leave starting at 30 days per year (plus bank holidays).
• A comprehensive Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS).
• Flexible working.
• Employee Assistance Programme including access to health and wellbeingsupport24x7.
• Range of family-friendly policies.
• Childcare vouchers, cycle to work scheme, electric car scheme, range of staff discounts including travel, holidays, insurance, food, health & leisure activities.
• Excellent learning and development opportunities.

Curious to learn more? Contact our friendly team for a confidential and informative chat!

Team Manager Michael Roche (michael.roche@oxfordshire.gov.uk)

Ourcommitmentto:Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

At Oxfordshire County Council we are proud of our diverse workforce.Everyone is accepted for who they are, regardless of age, disability, gender identity, marital status, race, faith or belief, sexual orientation, socioeconomic background, or on maternity or family leave. We have a number of staff network groups which provide peersupport, education and safe spaces for all.

Ourcommitmentto:Guaranteed Interview Schemes

As a DisabilityConfidentemployer, we guarantee an interview for disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the job.We also guarantee interviews to care leavers who have completed further education and who meet the essential criteria for the job. For those leaving care without any further education, we guarantee an interview for our apprenticeships.We are alsocommittedto helping andsupportingthose transitioning from HM ArmedForcesto civilian life and guarantee an interview for those demonstrating the essential criteria for the role, within three years of leaving the service.

Ourcommitmentto:Safeguarding

Oxfordshire County Council arecommittedto safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults. We expect all employees, workers and volunteers tosharethiscommitment. We will ensure that all our recruitment and selection practices reflect these commitments.

Ourcommitmentto:Flexible Working

We are open to discussions about flexible working, which can include flexi-time, full time and part time working, jobsharing, nine-day fortnights and annualised hours, depending on the requirements of the role and the service.

Follow us on Social Media

Stay up-to-date with the latest news and featured jobs from Oxfordshire County Council by following us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

If you encounter any technical issues with the application system, please contact us at: careers@oxfordshire.gov.uk

Person Specification

General Requirements

Essential

• Please refer to job description above

Desirable

• Please refer to job description above

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).

Employer details

Employer name

Oxfordshire County Council

Address

Witney

OX28 4AZ

Employer's website

https://www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)