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Job overview
We have an exciting opportunity for a qualified, competent, confident, and enthusiastic Occupational Therapist to join the Wellbeing in Newham Schools Team. You will be responsible for supporting with the delivery of the Mental Health Occupational Therapy provision within schools alongside the Band 7 OT within the team. As a specialist Occupational Therapist, this role will entail assessing and delivering interventions for young people that present with mental health needs from an OT lens. Expertise on supporting the wellbeing of those with additional needs is paramount for this role.
In line with the government’s priority to increase access and availability of mental health and wellbeing support for children and young people, the Wellbeing in Newham Schools Team is an exciting opportunity to deliver evidence-based early interventions for children and young people, working across both educational settings and healthcare sectors in England.
The successful candidate will work across a range of primary and secondary education systems, collaborating with school staff, young people, and parents in supporting mental health and well-being needs. The postholder will be able to confidently utilise specialist OT skills to ensure that young people referred to the service receive robust holistic assessments and interventions, and can support in identification of additional needs that may need investigation with other agencies.
Main duties of the job
The post-holder will work collaboratively with a wide number of agencies, voluntary services and community interest groups to develop the ability of young people to be able to engage in occupations that are both necessary and meaningful for their mental-wellbeing. The ability to utilise creative and innovate approaches to care is paramount for this role. As part of a team with a novel OT provision, the post-holder will confidently support the lead occupational therapist in deliverance of whole school approaches such as school wide trainings, group interventions, and provide bespoke OT consultation sessions with school staff.
You will have a demonstrable track record of supporting mental health and well-being needs of young people and families. Specialist knowledge on how sensory, cognitive, and physical needs impact on mental well-being is necessary for this role. The successful candidate will be able to adapt their communication, so to engage children and young people across the developmental spectrum. You will exemplify strong risk management skill-sets.
As a band 6 OT within the team, supervision from the senior OT, and support from the clinical leads/ wider team will be provided to ensure continuous growth of your specialist skill-sets. We offer an exciting and dynamic environment where your ideas and career development will be valued. Innovative ideas that you may have for the OT provision within the team will be accepted.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
The successful candidate will have
- Prior experience of working within pediatric OT services supporting children with well-being and mental health needs.
- Extensive knowledge of various paediatric conditions.
- Concrete understanding of MOHO and CanMOP models of practice and how to utilise these models to support development of interventions.
- Sound knowledge of OT interventions across the spectrum of mental illness and knowledge of which interventions are appropriate and how to apply these in a low intensity / early intervention space
- Ability to support Band 7 OT with triaging occupational therapy referrals, prioritising these, completing evidence-based assessments and interventions to address key occupational areas of self-care, productivity and leisure
- Ability to confidently deliver whole school trainings, group interventions, and consultation spaces within educational settings.
- Ability to use client-centred approaches to co-producing negotiated occupational goals and evaluate these with service users collaboratively.
- Enthusiasm for and experience of extending brief low intensity forms of help offered to children and parents around mental health needs in education settings
- A high degree of professional autonomy and self-management and will be required to account for their professional practice through appraisal and audit
- Motivation to implement initiatives to benefit pupils their families and education staff
- Understanding of educational environments
- Understanding of CBT concepts
The community served is multi-ethnic and culturally diverse and we welcome applicants who are skilled at working with the richness and complexity of this multicultural context.
Please also see attached the full job description
Person specification
Other
Essential
- • Commitment to equal opportunities
- • Self-motivated, assertive and flexible.
- • Interest and ability to contribute to the MHST service development
Desirable
- • Proven qualities in sustaining the mental, emotional and physical demands of specialized therapeutic work with disturbed and distressed children, adolescents and their families/carer networks.
Experience
Essential
- • Experience in Occupational Therapy including experience working with service users in mental health or learning disabilities with complex needs.
- • Experience of participation in clinical governance
- • An enthusiasm for brief interventions in schools
- • Formulation and treatment of children and young people with mental health difficulties
- • Experience of undertaking delegated leadership tasks and managing trainee staff effectively
- • Experience of multidisciplinary and multiagency working and co-working assessments and treatment
- • Experience of providing a culturally sensitive service
- • Working autonomously with families providing an assessment and treatment service
- • Experience in managing child protection concerns
- • Experience of delivering evidence based Parent groups and specialist groups.
- • Knowledge and experience with working with Child Protection issues and serious mental health problems, including challenging behaviour
- • Experience of risk assessment and risk management
Desirable
- • Experience of supervising students on placement
- • Experience of participation in quality improvement activities
- • Experience of working with evidence based approaches to low mood, anxiety and behaviour problems
- • Experience of working in a school setting. Work in a multi-cultural setting, including working with interpreters
- • An enthusiasm for using Routine Outcome Measures
- • Experience of working with children, young people and parents presenting with a range of mental health difficulties and challenging behaviour
- • Experience of working with families, school and other partner organisation to support young people who may be displaying behaviours that challenge.
- • Experience of working with children, young people and families in emotional crisis.
- • Experience of working in a culturally diverse Inner city area
Knowledge and Skills
Essential
- • Evidence of understanding the Statutory framework within which Occupational Therapy (detailed knowledge of Occupational Therapy legislation, guidelines and procedures).
- • Ability to provide effective occupational therapy assessments and interventions relevant to children with communication, learning difficulties and sensory needs.
- • Skilled in carrying out both individual and group interventions.
- • Knowledge of evidence informed interventions for low mood, self-harm, anxiety and common behaviour problems in young children in education settings
- • High level skills in working with professional networks and the ability to advocate for and advance the mental health needs of parents and their children
- • Ability to chair team meetings, undertake delegated management tasks and support the Clinical Lead in general team tasks/development as required
- • Ability to form excellent working relationships with colleagues and work flexibly with others in multidisciplinary and multi-agency settings
- • Knowledge and skills in effective communication, orally and in writing, complex, highly technical and/or clinically sensitive information to clients, their families, carers and other professional colleagues both within and outside the NHS (e.g. schools)
- • Effectively manage a clinical caseload, complete outcomes measures routinely, update clinical records in line with team, service and Trust requirements
- • Knowledge of legislation in relation to the client group and mental health, education and the children Act and Child protection
- • Knowledge of Legal aspects of Moving and Handling
- • Ability to recognise own limits and seek support re supervision as appropriate.
Desirable
- • Knowledge of evaluating outcomes of interventions and ability to critically appraise own performance.
- • Ability to work closely with teaching staff in the identification of integrated learning and therapy-related individual objectives.
- • Knowledge of current development in CAMHS
- • An interest of developing some area of expertise
- • Knowledge of the relevant clinical research literature and ability to apply it to field of parent/child mental health for each service area
- • Able to work effectively across organisational boundaries
Education/ Qualification/ Training
Essential
- • Degree or Graduate Diploma in Occupational Therapy
- • Health and Care Professions Council Registered (HCPC)
- • Registration with the Royal College of Occupational Therapists
- • Evidence of continuous and relevant professional training and development (CPD), as appropriate with qualification period
Desirable
- • Previous experience of working in CAMHS
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This advert is for CAMHS Occupational Therapist with East London NHS Foundation Trust in London, London, England. It is listed as a Band 6 Occupational Therapist role. The advertised salary is £45,953 - £54,254 Per annum pro rata inc HCA. The contract type is Permanent: NA. The application deadline is 17 Jul 2026.
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