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Job overview
Highly Specialist Occupational Therapist (Band 7)
- hours | Flexible working considered
FTC 12/12 Hackney Ark Child Development Centre
An exciting opportunity has arisen for a dynamic and innovative Children’s Community Occupational Therapist to lead and develop OT provision within the Expert at Hand model, alongside managing a mixed Band 7 caseload within a highly respected and integrated OT service.
This post is funded through the ‘Expert at Hand’ SEND reform programme and offers a unique opportunity to contribute to system-wide transformation. The role is likely to be extended, subject to ongoing funding and service development.
You will work as part of a multidisciplinary team, supporting early identification of need and delivering evidence-based, targeted interventions within education settings. The role includes designing and delivering training, modelling strategies, and building workforce capacity to embed inclusive practice and improve outcomes for children and young people. You will also deliver evidence-based interventions across a tiered model of OT provision, addressing health, social care and education needs.
You will work closely with Specialist Teachers, Educational Psychologists, Children’s Physiotherapists, Speech and Language therapists, and wider health colleagues, as well as the broader workforce across education and social care.
Main duties of the job
As well as delivering school based occupational therapy as part of the SEND reforms you will also also be based within the Hackney Ark Children's Occupational Therapy team holding a mixed caseload across health, social care and education.
The well-resourced OT service has been commissioned to address the health and social care needs of children and young people and has history of championing non-traditional roles to meet the varying occupational needs of children and young people across City and Hackney. These include roles include a short breaks / leisure team, a post specifically for looked after children, a service to support transition to adult services, Autism Diagnostics and NICU. The service has consistently maintained low wait times, and this gives the opportunity to offer intervention to children and young people and their families.
You will be based in the heart of Hackney at The Ark, a purpose-built Child Development Centre, where teams work closely to offer a joined-up service to families. The Clinical Leads offer regular supervision and there is an MDT internal training programme; external CPD and networking are supported and encouraged. You will supervise OTs and students and work with the Clinical Leads and other Band 7s to further develop and grow the OT service.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Please see Job Description and Person Specification.
You will report to the Clinical Lead Occupational Therapist and contribute to innovative service development, partnership working, and co-design with children, young people and families.
You may be asked to work very occasional evenings or weekends.
Person specification
OTHER
Essential
- Commitment and adherence to equality, diversity and inclusion
- Ability to travel around the Borough
- Able to respond to external demands appropriately
Knowledge
Essential
- confidentiality issues
- In-depth knowledge of national policies and procedures relevant to children’s occupational therapy, child development and SEND
- In depth knowledge of a range of appropriate therapeutic interventions and an ability to compare and contrast relative benefits
- In -depth knowledge of assessment tools and outcome measures relevant to the client group including the utilisation and interpretation of standardised tests and outcome measures
- Knowledge and adherence to clinical governance procedure’s and standards of record keeping
Experience
Essential
- Substantial post-graduate experience as an OT including work in a child development setting with Autistic young people
- Experience in delivering evidence based school based occupational therapy
- Evidence of applying a tiered approach to school based occupational therapy
- Experience of audit and understanding of research principles
- Experience of developing bespoke packages for schools, including training packages
- At least 6 months experience of working within the NHS
- Understanding of the Children and Families and experience of writing EHCP reports
Desirable
- • Experience of working in traded services occupational therapy, and writing proposals
Trust Values
Essential
- Understanding and demonstration of the Trust Values
Skills/ Abilities
Essential
- Ability to demonstrate staff values
- Ability to adapt approach to respond to a CYPFs circumstances
- Excellent interpersonal skills – including observation, listening and empathy skills
- Negotiation and Problem solving Skills
- Excellent presentation skills, both written and verbal
- Demonstrates good analytical and reflection skills
- Good organisational and prioritisation skills
- Developed supervision skills
- Proficiency in manual handling, and physically handling children with disabilities and demonstrating techniques to carers
- • Competence in assessing, adjusting and fitting equipment for children
- Able to work independently and as part of a team
- Ability to plan workload for delegated area of work
- Ability to delegate work to others
Desirable
- Ability to speak a community language
Ed/ Qualifications
Essential
- Recognised Occupational Therapy Degree Qualification or equivalent leading to registration with HPC
- Health Professions Council – Licence to Practice
- Evidence of successful completion and maintenance of continuing professional development using evidence based approaches
Desirable
- • Registered Member of College of Occupational Therapists
- MSc in relevant subject
- Fieldwork Educators Course
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Applying for this NHS job
This advert is for Highly Specialist Children's Occupational Therapist with Homerton Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust in London, London, England. It is listed as a Band 7 Occupational Therapist role. The advertised salary is £58,133 - £65,261 pro rata p.a. inc.. The contract type is Fixed term: 12 months (FTC end date: 12 month from start date. Likely to extend). The application deadline is 29 Jul 2026.
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