Children's Occupational Therapy Assistant

Job overview

Band 4 Children's Occupational Therapy Assistant

We are looking for an experienced, dynamic and highly motivated therapy assistant with previous experience of supporting therapy for children.

Islington Additional Needs and Disability Children’s Service provides a multi-agency team approach to working with babies, children and young people who present with additional needs and complex disability. Within this service are teams providing assessment, diagnostic and therapy services to children in early years settings, special schools and mainstream schools.

The Therapy Assistant will support the therapists working in mainstream schools in Islington (school aged children and young people) and will be based at the Northern health centre, Holloway Road.

The Therapy Assistant will be responsible for carrying out individualised support and care to children and young people undergoing assessment and/or receiving interventions in clinic, schools and homes under supervision of qualified staff. She/ he will also undertake administrative and clinical duties to support the team including booking clinics, organising workshops, data collation and liaising with parents/carers.

We will offer you excellent training opportunities with a strong emphasis on individual performance appraisal and supervision.

We are a friendly and relaxed service which promotes equal opportunities and access for all. We support flexible working hours.

Main duties of the job

• To share information with team members as directed and appropriate, keeping confidentiality at all times.
• Demonstrate ability to use basic computer systems, reports and input data.
• Ensure that up-to-date written and electronic records are maintained in accordance with Trust standards
• Respect the individuality, values, cultural and religious diversity of children and their families, and contribute to the provision of a service sensitive to these needs.
• Assist team members with liaising with other agencies involved in the child’s care
• Form professional relationships with children, families and school staff and communicate with them in a way that respects their views, autonomy and culture.
• To use a variety of verbal and non-verbal communication skills and tools to communicate with children who are non verbal, of a non English speaking background, requiring an interpreter, with a hearing impairment, with altered emotional states, with a cognitive/learning/behavioural disability.
• Report verbally to school therapists on the child’s development and performance in therapeutic and functional skills.
• Liaise with relatives and carers and other agencies involved in the child’s care
• Report effectively any issues or concerns to supervisor/line manager
• Persuade and motivate children to participate in therapy activities and reassure if required.
• Demonstrate effective communication over the telephone to parents/carers and external agencies

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Clinical Responsibility:

• Undertake specific individual or group programmes as assessed and directed by trained staff members, observing general behaviour, ability and response of the children, recording the information as requested and reporting to a supervisor. Settings could include clinic, home or school.
• Engage children in therapeutic activities to promote independence, safety and well-being.
• Facilitate and participate in planned activities, seeking guidance if child’s condition changes.
• Assist in the implementation of team member interventions including:

o Assist in the running of therapy groups

o Carry out therapy programmes as directed by therapists with children and young people

o Under supervision of a therapist, provide a range of treatments; instructing and guiding children to support them in achieving identified goals. To work towards goals identified by the child, family/carers, the treating therapist, education professionals and the MDT

o Implements therapy treatment plans

o Organises transport and schedule visits or clinic appointments.

o Assist team members with home and clinic assessments

• Adhere to the Trust’s Policies and Procedures
• To assist in completing risk assessment of environment and safety under the guidance of senior team members following local and Trust policies
• Have a basic understanding of Moving and Handling Legislation and apply manual handling principles.
• Assist with transfers, standing and the application of braces, splints and other equipment such as seating with support as appropriate
• Ensure that toys and play materials are kept clean, safe and secure.
• To support staff in gathering evidence (including research database and website searches) and developing resources.
• Provide training and/or demonstrate activities and strategies to teachers/schools, with the support and guidance of therapists
• To assist therapists in making and preparing clinical resources such as visual timetables
• To be responsible for toy cleaning for the team on a termly basis
• Review and reflect own practice and performance through effective use of regular supervision and appraisal.

Administrative Duties

• To keep up to date records on clients following Service Policy.
• To support the team with clinical administrative duties such as scanning and uploading to electronic records, sending letters to families, collating clinical data including feedback questionnaires, calling families to arrange appointments, supporting therapists to organise workshops, carrying out audits for team e.g toy cleaning audits and updating caseload spreadsheets and organising workshops.
• To attend relevant staff and service meetings.
• To provide cover for other general administrative duties such as answering the telephone, and photocopying when requested.

Financial Responsibility

• Highlight stock issues to team members
• Ensure the security of stock and the safe use of equipment
• Responsibility for checking the condition of an area or equipment for the department

Service Development and Improvement

• Implements the Policies and Procedures that have been determined by Islington Specialist Children’s Services.
• To undertake surveys or audits as directed by supervisor/line manager
• Ensure that work areas are well maintained are comply with Health and Safety Guidelines, ensuring the safe use of equipment, cleaning and storage of materials

Responsibility for Dealing with Difficult Situations

• To regularly deal with emotional circumstances with children and families to promote achievement of goals with close guidance and support
• To work with children and young people who may have complex emotional, social and behavioural difficulties.
• To identify and report concerns regarding Child Protection issues
• To be able to complete required work load within time frames and deadlines set by line manager/supervisor, which may be stressful at times
• To deal with children and their parents/carers with a variety of emotional conditions e.g. depression, anxiety, aggression, frustration, apathy, and cognitive/learning/behavioural disabilities and mental illness.
• To deal sensitively with clients and their carers who may be distressed.

Physical Working Conditions and Environment

• Ability to work in occasionally unpleasant conditions with odours, occasional body fluids, home visits and confined areas
• Develop physical skills for assessment and manual treatment of children
• Working with children or parents/carers/family members who may display aggressive or abusive behaviour.

Knowledge, Training and Education

• To take part in a structured induction programme, aimed at identifying learning needs and developing competencies in working with a wide range of therapists.
• Demonstrate a basic level of understanding of the effects of medical conditions on functioning
• Have a basic understanding of the Moving and Handling Legislation and apply manual handling principles in best practice
• Attend all mandatory training set by the trust and the department
• To demonstrate ongoing personal development through participation in internal and available development opportunities
• To ensure that mandatory training is kept current and up-to-date
• Undertake relevant activities to meet training objectives identified with supervisor

OTHER

To undertake any other duties as required by the service, which may include a change in workplace.

Exercise good personal time management, punctuality and consistent reliable attendance and maintain professional standards of dress code and personal presentation

Staff who deliver work into educational settings will need to take the bulk of their holiday time during school holidays

Applicant requirements

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.