Band 7 Occupational Therapist

Job overview

Islington Additional Needs and Disability Team is a multidisciplinary service for children and young people 0-19.

We are seeking a dynamic and highly motivated Occupational Therapist to join our special schools and mainstream schools team. The successful applicant will be based 3 days a week in Richard Cloudesley School, a school for children with complex physical and learning disabilities and 2 days a week at the Northern Health Centre providing a service to children in mainstream schools and supporting with clinic based work.

The postholder will support schools and families at a universal, targeted and specialist level: through workforce training and development, class and curriculum support and joint target setting.

We offer excellent training opportunities with a strong emphasis on individual performance appraisal and supervision, both from within the team and from the Occupational Therapy service. External training is also fully supported and encouraged.

We are a friendly and relaxed service who promotes equal opportunities and access for all. We support flexible working hours and applicants interested in part time working may also apply.

Main duties of the job

The post holder will manage a caseload independently and provide highly specialist occupational therapy assessment, intervention and management for children and young people with complex physical, developmental and neurodevelopmental needs within community, clinic and educational settings including children and young people who require occupational therapy provision as specified within their Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs). Duties will include supporting children’s participation in school-based activities, overseeing equipment provision at school and home, delivering and reviewing occupational therapy provision outlined in EHCPs and carrying out clinic-based assessments for CYP with movement difficulties.

The post holder will also provide support and training for parents and other professionals. They will liaise with educational colleagues in order to undertake joint planning of IEP targets, and staff training as appropriate.

The post holder will provide clinical supervision and support to less experienced colleagues, trainees, unqualified staff and staff from other disciplines and agencies when required, both within the team and the wider service.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Clinical Responsibilities

• Manage a highly specialist caseload of children and young people with physical disabilities, developmental difficulties and neurodevelopmental conditions.
• Undertake comprehensive occupational therapy assessments across clinic, school, home and community settings using a range of standardised, non-standardised, functional and observational assessment approaches.
• Assess the impact of physical, sensory, motor, environmental and neurodevelopmental factors on participation, independence and occupational performance.
• Analyse complex information using advanced clinical reasoning to identify occupational needs, prioritise intervention and formulate evidence-based treatment plans.
• Establish meaningful and measurable goals in partnership with children, young people, families and educational staff.
• Deliver, monitor and evaluate high quality, evidence-based occupational therapy interventions for children with complex needs, adapting treatment plans as required to maximise outcomes and measure progress.
• Maintain accurate, timely and legally compliant clinical records.
• Demonstrate specialist clinical knowledge in the areas of Developmental Co-ordination Disorder, neurodevelopmental and neurological conditions such as Cerebral Palsy and Hemiplegia.
• Demonstrate ability to identify and reflect on ethical issues and provide guidance to junior staff as necessary.
• Demonstrate highly effective personal coordination of day-to-day activities including prioritising case loads, decision-making and problem solving.
• Provide specialist occupational therapy support within mainstream and specialist educational settings to promote participation, independence and access to learning.
• Assess and address occupational performance difficulties relating to self-care, access to learning, postural management, positioning, upper limb function and participation in school and community activities.
• Deliver occupational therapy provision specified within Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs), ensuring compliance with statutory requirements.
• Provide consultation, training, coaching and specialist advice to educational staff to support implementation of recommendations and inclusive practice.
• Support key educational transitions and preparation for adulthood, promoting functional life skills, self-management and independence.
• Work collaboratively with families, schools and partner agencies to ensure effective implementation of occupational therapy recommendations.

Assessment, Equipment and Specialist Intervention

• Assess, prescribe, implement and review specialist equipment, assistive technology and environmental adaptations to promote independence, safety and participation.
• Undertake complex risk assessments and balance effective risk management with the promotion of independence and inclusion.
• Deliver specialist occupational therapy interventions including upper limb rehabilitation, postural management, positioning programmes, splinting within scope of practice and participation-focused interventions such as Cognitive Orientation to daily Occupational Performance (COOP) and Occupational Performance Coaching .
• Monitor and evaluate intervention outcomes using recognised outcome measures and make referrals to other services where appropriate.
• Contribute specialist occupational therapy advice to Education, Health and Care Needs Assessments (EHCNAs).
• Develop comprehensive and robust clinical reports, integrating information from multiple sources to present clear clinical rationale, defensible professional judgement and evidence-based recommendations.
• Develop clear, specific, measurable and legally compliant occupational therapy advice and outcomes for inclusion within Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs).
• Attend Annual Reviews and multidisciplinary meetings to review progress and contribute to future planning.

Please see attached Job description for full list of roles and responsibilities

Applicant requirements

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.