Children and Young People's Neurodevelopmental Occupational Therapist

Job overview

Coventry and Warwickshire has a well-established and dynamic service for children and young people with neurodevelopmental disorders, providing specialist assessment, diagnosis and intervention. As part of the team you will provide Occupational Therapy (OT) assessment and intervention for children and young people who may be autistic, have Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Developmental Dyspraxia. You will provide a holistic approach to working with their cognitive, motor, sensory, emotional and mental health needs to support their daily function and well being.

Main duties of the job

We are seeking a motivated OT with a keen interest and experience in working with this population. The main responsibility will be to support the child/young person and those close to them to understand their neurodivergence, what it means to them, the impact on their participation in daily occupations and the support that could help them to thrive.

You will be required to work autonomously and alongside other health and education staff as part of a multidisciplinary and multiagency team.  This is a dynamic role where you will be working within community settings such as schools, clinics and family homes.

We have a strong commitment to clinical supervision and Continuing Professional Development (CPD), and offer a supportive and proactive environment. You will be part of a well established, multi-disciplinary neurodevelopmental team including Psychology, Paediatrics, Speech and language Therapy, Psychiatry, Nursery Nursing and Occupational Therapy.  Student placements are an expectation of the role as well as supervision of OT Assistants within the team.

As travel across a wide geographical area of Coventry & Warwickshire being a car owner/driver, or suitable alternative transport to enable you to undertake the job is essential (It is unlikely that public transport will meet this requirement.)

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

As part of the neurodevelopmental service you will support children and young people who have multiple diagnoses. They may have additional social and emotional/mental health needs and may have been unable to access school and/or other services due to the many barriers they face. As a specialist neurodevelopmental OT you will use core skills and knowledge to provide a holistic approach to support their engagement and participation in activities that are both meaningful and purposeful to them.

You will be required to provide advice through consultation to other professionals,  to improve awareness and support for neurodivergent children across the children's directorate. You will attend wider multi disciplinary forums to support case discussions and formulation from an OT perspective.

Having a good understanding of neurodevelopmental conditions, as well as sensory integration and mental health will provide a strong foundation for you in this role. There will be opportunities for developing competencies and furthering knowledge through internal training, supervision as well as external training as required.

You will work as part of a smaller OT team (3 OT's and 2 OTA's), supported by a Consultant Practitioner in Neurodiversity across both Coventry and Warwickshire.