Job overview
Barnet Children’s Integrated Therapies have an exciting opportunity for an enthusiastic, innovative and self-motivated Occupational Therapist, who is experienced in interdisciplinary working with children and young people in the community. This is part of a two-year Project we are running with our Education partners at Barnet Council, from September 2023 to August 2025. OTs in Barnet work as part of a dynamic and innovative Integrated Therapy Team which includes Speech and Language Therapists, Physiotherapists and Therapy Assistants as well as OTs. This Project builds on established interdisciplinary working and aims to further develop interagency collaboration.
Following the success of the Project’s first year, we are delighted that from September 2024 we will have an additional Band 7 role joining the team already in place focussed on supporting children and young people through clinical review, stakeholder engagement and the delivery of a Targeted training programme for staff and parents.
The successful candidate will work in both primary and secondary mainstream schools across Barnet. The role in primary school is to support children entering mainstream reception classes with special and complex needs that may include autism, learning difficulties and sensory processing differences.
The secondary school role is related to reviewing and updating EHCPs together with delivery of support for parents and staff at the Targeted level, (Gascoigne et al, 2013).
Main duties of the job
1.Working closely with Barnet Education's Specialist Inclusion Service to train and support the implementation of Occupational Therapy advice and strategies into the mainstream schools core offer.
2.To be responsible for the assessment of young people in Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4 with a range of functional needs and the provision of advice for them, their families and the staff working them.
3.To provide targetted training and support for staff working in mainstream primary and secondary schools
4.To be innovative and develop new training offers to schools to meet the sensory and motor based needs of their pupils while upskilling staff on OT based strategies and recommendations.
5.To support children with complex profiles in mainstream reception classes
Working for our organisation
Whittington Health serves a richly diverse population and works hard to ensure that all our services are fair and equally accessible to everyone. Nowhere is this more obvious than in the way we look after our staff. We aim to employ a workforce which is as representative as possible of this population, so we are open to the value of differences in age, disability, gender, marital status, pregnancy and maternity, race, sexual orientation, and religion or belief. The Trust believes that as a public sector organisation we have an obligation to have recruitment, training, promotion and other formal employment policies and procedures that are sensitive to these differences. We think that by doing so, we are better able to treat our patients as well as being a better place to work.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Please see detailed job description and specification attached. Full job description and main responsibilities attached.
Person specification
Education / Qualifications
Essential criteria
1. NVQ level 2 or equivalent standard of literacy and numeracy
2. Masters level modules or equivalent courses in speciality
3. Degree in Occupational Therapy
4. Evidence of Continued Professional Development
Desirable criteria
5. HCPC registration
6. Clinical Educator training
Skills & Abilities
Essential criteria
7. •Advanced knowledge of the evidence base of rehabilitation relating to specialist area.
8. Excellent specific therapy assessment and treatment skills in field of specialism utilising a range of approaches.
9. Able to independently manage own and others clinical caseload and prioritise as required
10. Demonstrates effective communication skills with all disciplines and agencies
11. Clear, concise verbal and written reporting skills
12. Excellent presentation skills of complex information
13. •IT skills including word processing and excel
Knowledge & Experience
Essential criteria
14. An awareness of NHS Plan, NSF and clinical governance priorities
15. Appropriate assessment tools for this client group
16. Current issues in the delivery of community based services
17. Sound understanding of confidentiality
Desirable criteria
18. Previous NHS experience
19. Day to day clinical supervision of the caseloads allocated to junior team members.
20. Experience of organising and implementing training programmes for staff
21. Previous experience working in schools
PERSONAL QUALITIES
Essential criteria
22. Able to respond to pressure appropriately
23. Flexible approach to work
24. Uses initiative
25. Commitment to Continuing Professional Development
26. Commitment to equal opportunities
27. Professional manner
Other
Essential criteria
28. Demonstrating Trust Values
29. To be able to travel efficiently throughout the area
SAFEGUARDING CHILDREN AND ADULTS
To comply with the Trust’s Safeguarding Children and Adults policies, procedures and protocols. All individual members of staff (paid or unpaid) have a duty to safeguard and promote the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults This will require you to:
30. Ensure you are familiar with and comply with the London Child Protection Procedures and protocols for promoting and safeguarding the welfare of children and young people.
31. Ensure you are familiar and comply with the London Multi Agency Safeguarding Vulnerable Adults Pan London Procedures.
32. Ensure you are familiar and comply with local protocols and systems for information sharing.
33. Know the appropriate contact numbers and required reporting lines.
34. Participate in required training and supervision.
35. Comply with required professional boundaries and codes of conduct
Whittington Health is committed to safeguarding all children and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.