Occupational Therapist - Children and Young People’s ME/CFS Service

Job overview

We are looking for a dedicated professional to support children and young people living with ME/CFS. Using evidence-based approaches, you will help them develop the awareness and skills needed to respond flexibly to everyday situations and experiences.

Working as part of a creative and supportive multidisciplinary team, you will deliver interventions both individually and in group settings, develop resources, and liaise with families and key stakeholders.

With a focus on emotional and physical wellbeing, you will work therapeutically to enhance young people’s understanding of self-regulation and activity management. Your input will empower them to manage symptoms effectively and improve their functional capacity across all areas of life.

We are seeking someone committed to ongoing professional development and staying informed about advances in the field of ME/CFS.

If you are passionate about making a positive impact and working collaboratively to improve outcomes for young people and their families, we would love to hear from you.

Employment in this post requires an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check, which the Trust will cover the cost of.  Applicants who subscribe to the DBS update service are able to present a valid DBS certificate instead of requiring a new check.

Please note visa sponsorship for this role is unfortunately not available. Ensure you hold valid right to work in the UK and will not require sponsorship if successful

Main duties of the job

Assess, treat, monitor and evaluate the progress of young people diagnosed with ME/CFS, considering the holistic and developmental needs of the individual, and any relevant environmental factors.

Provide specialist knowledge and skills to support the needs of children and young people diagnosed with ME/CFS, working with the team to further develop and facilitate educational and support groups for young people and parents.

Advance own clinical knowledge, skill and competence based on current evidence to support CYP with ME/CFS

To maintain the Occupational Therapy Service Standards by use of agreed frames of reference, models of practice and related forms of assessment, goal setting, and reporting and outcome measures.

Develop and deliver educational group work for children, young people, parents/carers

To work with individuals referred with full regard to informed consent or agreed indicators of consent.

To manage own caseload and to be responsible for own time management and balance of clinical work and non clinical tasks.

To provide relevant training, information, advice and support to the individual, colleagues or carers regarding the needs of young people with ME/CFS

Liaise and work closely with the relevant agencies, colleagues and carers to promote maximum functional ability of the individual referred and facilitate social inclusion, providing ongoing consultancy and support, where agreed, to meet the needs of those with complex functional needs.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

For the main duties and responsibilities for this role please read the attached job description and person specification.  When completing your application please ensure your supporting statement reflects the criteria set out in these documents by showing how your experience and skills apply to this post.

We understand that using AI can be a useful and supportive tool when completing your application.  However, we have also seen an increase in the over-reliance of AI tools which is negatively impacting applications as they remove candidate’s individuality, and it becomes much harder to get a sense of who you are and your authentic experience.  If you do use AI, it should be used to enhance your application and not to create your supporting statement in its entirety.  If we suspect you have used AI to create your supporting statement and this does not match your experience, we may withdraw your application.

As part of our vision to have a skilled, diverse and caring workforce, Dorset HealthCare offers support for people getting into work. We offer an employability service to support individuals with application writing, interview skills and other employment support. If you would like or know of anyone who would value this support, please do contact [email protected]