Children's Occupational Therapist

at  Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust

Do you have the skills and knowledge to make a real difference in children and young people’s lives?
We are expanding the skill-mix within our Children & Young People’s Occupational Therapy service and are looking for another enthusiastic and motivated Occupational Therapist to join our fantastic team of therapists. In return we will provide regular supervision, mentorship, and training under the preceptorship programme so that you enjoy your job and develop your professional skills within Children’s Services.
Our fully integrated OT service has been combining health and social care roles for many years. This community based role will involve working at your clinic base (Cambridge area), local special schools, family homes, mainstream and local pre-school settings. Typical caseloads have a mixture of children with physical/developmental needs with conditions such as cerebral palsy and autism. Although desirable, experience of working with children is not essential.
The post holder will maintain strong links with their Band 6 supervisor, a newly appointed Band 5 colleague, plus supportive community OT colleagues and at times work along-side the specialist housing “team-within-a-team” OT colleagues within our service, who support children and families with major housing adaptations.
The post holder will require excellent communication, organisation and time management skills to support provision of effective interventions.
The post holder will be given a thorough induction to the specialist area.
We also work closely with our physiotherapy colleagues as well as other members of the multi-disciplinary team such as speech and language therapists and paediatricians.
As you advance through your competencies you will be expected to achieve an increasing level of autonomy demonstrated through your professionalism, continuing professional development (CPD), conduct, and level of responsibility.
To provide an integrated Occupational Therapy service to children and young people and their families, this will involve crossing traditional health and social care boundaries and promoting close, effective working relationships with Cambridgeshire County Council, schools, and other members of the health multi-disciplinary team.
You will be responsible for your own caseload and, when appropriate, in a supervisory capacity for that of Therapy Assistants and/or students working within your team.
There will be a requirement to travel across the county to facilitate regular CPD and mandatory training.
Rated ‘Outstanding’ by the Care Quality Commission, we are proud to provide high quality innovative services across most of the east of England that enable people to receive care closer to home and live healthier lives.
There’s one reason why our services are outstanding – and that’s our amazing staff who, for the seventh year running, rated us incredibly highly in the national staff survey.
If you share our passion for innovative and high-quality care delivery, then please submit your application and join us on our exciting journey as a leading-edge specialist community provider. All are welcome to apply and our promise to you is a culture which prioritises staff engagement and development.
Nature of work
To provide children’s occupational therapy assessment and treatment for children. This will include the assessment and prescription of specialist equipment for home and school to support function and participation (e.g. positioning, beds, toilet and bathing, hoists and slings, safety) and link with the housing specialists within the service to ensure a fully integrated service. This will be with support from senior colleague(s).
To work in a variety of settings such as clinics, mainstream schools/nurseries, special schools/nurseries, client’s homes, and other community settings
To appropriately delegate work/tasks to therapy assistants, maintaining oversight of their input with children and young people.
To formulate and deliver an individual occupational therapy programme based on a sound knowledge of evidence based practice and treatment approaches using clinical assessment, reasoning skills and knowledge of treatment modalities available, e.g. CO-OP approach, COPM, neurodevelopmental therapy, sensory integration therapy (in line with strongest evidence) and other alternatives (with appropriate support from senior colleague)
To participate in training/lecturing programmes, alongside senior colleague(s), for teachers and learning support assistants in schools and parents/carers and other members of the multi-disciplinary team.
To participate, alongside senior colleague(s) in the planning, development and evaluation of the children and young people’s (CYP) Occupational Therapy service.
Where appropriate, to act as a key worker for CYP on their caseload, ensuring that there is effective communication between all members of the team and that a coordinated approach is in place.
The nature of children’s practice will require the post holder to bend, stretch, lift children’s limbs, crawl, kneel, work in confined spaces and at times work from the floor employing light physical effort on a day to day basis.
Planning
To plan their own diary and prioritise their caseload, with support from senior colleague, as required in line with the service offer.
To participate in the planning, development and evaluation of the children and young people’s Occupational Therapy service.
To work as an autonomous practitioner supported by regular clinical and management supervision.
To comply with departmental and organisational policies and procedures.
Specific projects
To participate in defined, delegated projects.
To liaise with Team Leaders to ensure that all children referred into the occupational therapy service receive an equitable service.
Communication
To provide excellent communication with Children and Young People, Parents, carers, schools, local education authority, social services, acute hospitals, paediatricians, physiotherapists, speech and language therapists, pre-school teachers, psychologists (clinical and educational) and child and family nurses.
Often information handled will be sensitive and highly complex. Occasionally children are seen with extremely sensitive rare and complex medical conditions this requires communication at a high level with specialist doctors and national centres of excellence.
To communicate concerns, incidents, and complaints to more senior colleagues and participate in resolution, where appropriate.
To provide clear, concise written reports for other agencies for statutory processes to meet legal requirements, e.g. Education, Health and Care Plan, Tribunal cases.
Contribute to CCS’ internal communication strategies ensuring effective two-way communication and engagement within the organisation
Contribute to CCS’ external communication strategies working with the Head of Communications to raise awareness and promote the reputation of CCS’ services
People Management
To be involved in the supervision of occupational therapy students in their clinical practice.
Maintain their own professional development and ensure complies with mandatory requirement to take part in appraisal process
To provide support, guidance, and training to therapy assistants, linking with senior colleagues to evaluate competencies.
To participate in the staff appraisal scheme as an appraiser for therapy assistants, where appropriate.
To support in the recruitment of therapy assistants and administrative staff, where appropriate.
To train educational assistants to support the child’s goals in the educational setting.
Research & Development Activity
To maintain own professional development supported through the Trust’s preceptorship programme and requirement to take part in Appraisal and KSF process.
To participate in evidence-based audit and research projects to further own and team’s clinical practice. To have support from senior colleagues to make recommendations to the clinical lead of the service for changes to practise by the team. This may lead the implementation of specific changes to practise or contribute to service protocols.
To participate in undertaking the measurement and evaluation of her work and current practices through the use of evidence based practice projects, audit, and outcome measures, with support from senior colleagues.
To be responsible for maintaining own competency to practice through CPD activities, and to maintain a portfolio which reflects personal development.
To maintain and develop current knowledge of evidenced-based practice in children’s occupational therapy developing specialist knowledge of particular conditions and patient types.
To participate in the staff appraisal scheme as an appraisee and be responsible for complying with his agreed personal development programmes to meet set knowledge and competencies.
To be an active member of the in-service training programme by attendance at, and participation in, in-service training programmes, tutorials, individual training sessions, external courses, and peer review, ensuring delivery of feedback following attendance at external courses.
To be competent in carrying out literature searches and to actively maintain/update specialist knowledge.
Clinical and Practice Governance
Observe and maintain strict confidentiality with regards to any patient/family/staff/records and information in line with the requirements of the Data Protection Act.
Any data that is taken/shared as part of a phone call or transported, faxed, or transferred electronically must be undertaken with regard to the Trust Information Governance and Information Security policies.
The post holder must adhere to the Trust risk assessment and risk management processes
The post holder must adhere to infection control policies and procedures
It is a condition of your employment that you are currently registered with HCPC, and it is your responsibility to maintain your professional registration.
Undertake mandatory training and any other training relevant to the role as required by Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust.
The post holder must participate in clinical and safeguarding audits as required
Provide patients and their families /carers with information on standards they should expect from the team
Participate in clinical supervision on a regular basis
The post holder is required to participate in relevant emergency preparedness process for their team.
General
Safeguarding people responsibility
Safeguarding children and adults at risk of abuse or neglect is a collective responsibility.
There is an expectation that all staff develop and maintain their role relevant safeguarding people competencies and comply with local safeguarding partnerships practice. Alongside this employee who are registrants are reminded of their professional duty of care.

Safeguarding means protecting a citizen’s health, wellbeing, and human rights; enabling them to live free from harm, abuse and neglect. It is an integral part of providing high-quality health care.

• Those most in need of protection include:
• Children and young people
• Adults at risk, such as those receiving care in their own home, people with physical, sensory and mental impairments, and those with learning disabilities.

The post holder must at all times carry out their duties with regard to Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust Workforce Diversity and Inclusion Policy.
To be aware of the responsibilities of all employees to maintain a safe and healthy environment for patients, visitors, and staff.
All post holders must adhere to the code of conduct on confidentiality and be aware of and adhere to all Trust policies and procedures.
This job description is intended only as a guide to the range of duties involved. The post holder will need to be flexible and adaptable in order to respond to other duties that may be required from time to time and the changes and developments within the Trust.
This job description is intended only as a guide to the range of duties involved. The post holder will need to be flexible and adaptable in order to respond to other duties that may be required from time to time and the changes and developments within the Trust

Please refer the Job description for details