Children's Occupational Therapist

Job overview

Band 7 Clinical Lead – Children’s Occupational Therapy Location: North Warwickshire (Nuneaton/Rugby)

Are you an experienced OT ready to lead? Join our evolving Children’s Occupational Therapy service, delivering care across health, education, and social care. We're implementing a graduated model of community therapy and need a confident leader to drive service development.

As Clinical Lead, you’ll shape new clinical pathways, manage a diverse caseload, and support a geographically spread team. Responsibilities include clinical supervision, staff appraisals, and collaboration with professionals across sectors.

We’re looking for a proactive, organised OT with strong

Main duties of the job

• To provide effective service delivery through the provision of professional leadership, operational management, supervision and guidance to Occupational Therapy staff within a multi-disciplinary environment. Following the principles of Governance, to develop and maintain a high quality service, through recognised professional standards, evidence based practice, and effective clinical audit programme. To take a lead role in developing a specific area of service delivery in conjunction with the Childrens Occupational Therapist Lead in line with evidence base, clinical audit and local and national drivers. To use a client centred approach within the multi-disciplinary team, and to work as an autonomous practitioner to enable each client to achieve their potential in areas of self-care, productivity and leisure, and to promote independence and participation in life roles in the home and community. To manage in managing a caseload of clients with complex conditions. To deputise for the Childrens Occupational Therapist Lead.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Main duties

To be professionally and legally accountable for caseload of clients with complex needs with supervision.

Professional/Clinical Responsibilities

To take responsibility of managing the risk and clinical responsibility for all staff and own designated caseload, and for the supervision of the caseload of both junior Occupational Therapy  staff and support staff with supervision.

To deliver a high standard of clinical care and maintain service delivery by flexible, effective and efficient prioritisation sound clinical and professional judgement.

To have a detailed working knowledge of social care, education, health, housing and voluntary organisations eligibility criteria and relevant policies and procedures, to be able to effectively refer the client to these services.

To have an extensive  range of verbal and non-verbal communication skills to engage effectively with clients and their carers to gain consent and active participation in treatment by developing a therapeutic relationship based on trust and negotiation within the legal framework with those clients who lack capacity to consent.

To select and apply to standardised and non-standardised Paediatric Occupational Therapy and other professional assessments tools using highly specialised co-ordination, dexterity, observation and communication skills.

To plan, implement and review client centred individual and/or group interventions, using meaningful graded activity based on advanced knowledge of evidence-based practice, clinical reasoning and  knowledge of Occupational Therapy models of practice and specialised co-ordination, dexterity, observation and communication skills.

To use highly specialist skills to interpret and analyse complex clinical, social and environmental factors to contribute to accurate diagnosis and prognosis of a wide range of complex  health conditions and recommend the best course of intervention, and the development/review of treatment and discharge plans.

To negotiate with client / carer to identify and formulate client centred, specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timely (SMART) goals using the specialist assessment information and to complete the designated outcome measures.

To ensure junior staff and own verbal and non-verbal, written and electronic client records, reports and activity data are maintained and kept up to date in accordance with professional and Trust record keeping standards.

To provide and ensure junior staff deliver specialist Occupational Therapy verbal or written reports / letters. To represent the Occupational Therapy Service and / or clients at multi-disciplinary / multi agency meetings and contribute to multidisciplinary decision making.

To provide Occupational Therapy expertise at appropriate local and regional working parties or meetings to develop, implement and redesign service delivery.

To have an extensive knowledge of specialist disability equipment for children and be responsible for the safe and competent use of all therapy equipment and to ensure junior staff and clients / carers attain competency prior to use.

To have a detailed working knowledge of appropriate legislation and comply with the Professional Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct and Professional standards for Occupational Therapists and ensure that junior staff are aware of these.

To respect the individuality, values, cultural and religious diversity of clients, and be responsible for the provision of a service which is sensitive to these needs.

To review, reflect and analyse own practice, performance and ethical issues through effective use of operational and clinical supervision and performance development review and provide guidance to junior staff.

To participate in research opportunities, and demonstrate the ability to critically evaluate current research, apply them to practice and disseminate findings at a local level.

To demonstrate extensive leadership skills through participation in designated projects

To participate and demonstrate ongoing personal and professional development through development opportunities, networking and a Continuous Professional Development portfolio in order to maintain professional competence and fitness to practice as a Band 7 Occupational Therapist.

To provide highly specialised advice, teaching and training opportunities to clients, carers.

To be an accredited Occupational Therapy fieldwork educator and to provide and support Occupational Therapy fieldwork placements

To coordinate, provide and support opportunities for teaching and training of staff, other students for example medical, nursing, work experience and other professionals.

To develop and maintain effective professional communication networks with clients, carers, multidisciplinary team and other professionals / organisations.

To exercise good personal time management, punctuality and consistent reliable attendance.

To assist the Lead Childrens Occupational Therapist in interpreting and implementing professional and clinical guidelines, Trust policies and procedures, and to have an extensive working knowledge of relevant national and local targets / initiatives to promote and develop quality improvements appropriate to the needs of the service.

To work with the Lead Childrens Occupational Therapist to develop and implement Occupational Therapy objectives in line with the Service Specifications

To work effectively as a member of the multidisciplinary team to influence service improvements and to work with the Lead Childrens Occupational Therapist in the planning and achievement of local objectives.

To assist the Lead Occupational Therapist for Children, Young People and Families in the induction of all new Occupational Therapy staff in Children, Young People and Families, students and other new staff.

To actively participate and to deputise for the Lead Occupational Therapist in leading the Occupational Therapy meetings and for disseminating information and addressing issues raised.

To facilitate the identification of training needs of the junior and support Occupational Therapy staff through appraisal and assist the Lead Occupational Therapist  in the development, formation and delivery of the Occupational Therapy training plan.

To respond to informal complaints about the Occupational Therapy for Children, Young People and Families and to contribute to the investigation of a complaint, and assist in implementing any changes to the practice as a consequence.

To effectively manage risk by ensuring that  junior and support staff are aware of their obligation to comply to Health and Safety guidelines, and maintain safe environment and working practices

To assist the Lead Occupational Therapist and be responsible for engaging all junior staff and assist in practice development / redesign, evaluation, audit and research activities as appropriate and relevant to the service.

To assist in maintaining and developing departmental therapeutic resources and co-ordinate an annual stock take in Occupational Therapy.

To assist the Lead Occupational Therapist to review service delivery through analysis and interpretation of performance reports.

To have specialist knowledge of the principles of housing design and technical plans to advise junior staff and families on housing adaptations and to be able to recommend appropriate adaptations to the Disabled Facilities Grant officers.

To be responsible for organising and running therapeutic individual sessions and groups with a designated caseload of clients using specific technical knowledge and skills.

To take a lead role in treating abnormal tone including splinting to achieve optimal positioning and support junior Occupational Therapy staff.

To take a lead role in the provision of correct positioning, seating and pressure relief of clients with complex needs and to refer and liaise with other services as required.

To take a lead role in the delivery of the Special School Service

Managerial Responsibilities

To assist the Lead Occupational Therapist in the operational Management and promotion of Occupational Therapy service, delegating tasks to junior and support staff as appropriate.

To notify the service administrator of staff absences when the Childrens Occupational Therapy Lead is not available.

To be responsible for the supervision and performance development review of identified junior staff in line with Trust and College of Occupational Therapy guidelines.