Harrow Paediatric Occupational Therapy are looking for motivated, flexible and innovative band 5 to work with children and young people in Harrow. We are a friendly, dynamic and innovative team who are passionate about supporting children, young people and families in Harrow. This post will involve working a mixture of clinics, mainstream schools and special schools. Our service is keen to focus on evidence based family-centred care principles, and applying best practice guidelines to enable occupational participation. We are open to new ideas and constantly reviewing and modifying the way we work.

Main duties of the job

To provide Occupational Therapy to a complex caseload:

• of Children and young people with neurodisability including physical difficulties and SEN with in mainstream schools
• To complete initial assessment and therapy interventions to mainstream children with SEN
• To support and train parents and adults working with children with SEN.
• To contribute to in-service training and service development

About us

You will be based at Alexandra Avenue Health and Social Care Centre and be part of a dynamic, friendly occupational therapy and multi-disciplinary paediatric team.

There is a strong commitment to continuing professional development and evidence based practice through the provision of regular in-service training, journal club and access to external courses. Support is also provided through regular supervision sessions, peer support meetings and the staff appraisal programme.

Harrow has one of the largest Paediatric Therapy Teams in North West London. You will work alongside colleagues in Physiotherapy and Speech and Language Therapy, p. We are a well-established, dynamic team working collaboratively with colleagues in Health, Education and Social Services.

As an NHS Trust we strongly encourage and support vaccination as this remains the best way to protect yourself, your family, your colleagues and of course patients and service users when working on our healthcare settings

Job description Job responsibilities

MAIN DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Role Responsibilities

Working Relationships and Communications Requirements of the Job.

To communicate complex patient related information effectively to ensure collaborative working with multidisciplinary team members across health, education and social services and the voluntary sector.

To share information with others, observing confidentiality and data protection guidelines and having due regard for local guidance on sharing information with colleagues in education, social services and voluntary sector.

To have due regard for the cultural and linguistic differences of children/families concerned.

To work closely with CYP, carers and families, involving them in decision-making regarding intervention approaches, demonstrating and ensuring that effective communication is achieved, particularly where barriers to understanding exist (i.e. hearing loss, communication difficulties, English as an additional language and learning difficulties). This may involve use of signing, symbol systems, interpreters, fax and telephones.

To employ excellent communication skills such as persuasion, motivation and explanations to encourage clients and carers to undertake treatment programmes.

To demonstrate established negotiation skills in the management of conflict across a range of situations.

To form productive relationships with others in particular parents/carers who may be under stress and/or have challenging communication difficulties.

To write clinical reports as per departmental standards reflecting highly specialist knowledge.

To provide written advice for statutory assessment (Education and Health Care Plans).

Level of Clinical Responsibility.

To co-ordinate the day-to-day provision of Occupational Therapy input for CYP with special needs on caseload, prioritising own workloads and resources to ensure CYPs needs are met.

To manage a caseload of CYP with SEN This includes:

Gaining appropriate consent

Planning, delivering and evaluating treatment programmes

Using specialist manual handling techniques

Referring on to other services/professionals as appropriate in particular, Harrow Wheelchair services, Community equipment store, Consultant Paediatricians,

Using specialist knowledge and demonstrating advanced skills in dealing with complex issues, including those where there are conflicting clinical indicators, to generate appropriate strategies for caseload management and wider issues relating to service provision for children with Occupational Therapy needs.

Negotiating with CYP parents/carers, and others around individual case management

Writing reports reflecting highly specialist knowledge and providing specific advice for statutory assessment of special educational needs

Analyse clinical and social information from a range of sources and integrate into assessment and development of care/treatment plan

To provide highly specialist advice and programmes to OTs, other professionals and parents regarding the management of children with OT needs.

To demonstrate clinical effectiveness by use of evidence based practice and manage clinical risk within this area of service

To demonstrate the ability to reflect on sensory, fine and gross motor and cognitive/perceptual aspects of CYPs functional skills and to identify appropriate strategies to facilitate and enhance self care, productivity and play skills/leisure.

To assess for and recommend specialist equipment e.g. static seating, and adaptations for self-care in school environments using specialised techniques to make adjustments to meet CYPs specific needs.

To ensure the specialist equipment is used correctly and safely by parents/carers, school staff and others involved in the CYPs care, ensuring regular family engagement, taking into account changing postural needs and medical conditions.

To provide training to parents/carers and other professional colleagues (formal and informal) as appropriate, adapting training so that it meets the needs of the course participants.

Setting clear functional goals in consultation with parents/teachers, demonstrating clear clinical reasoning, which will involve the use of therapeutic activities and approaches which are meaningful and appropriate to the childs developmental level and social an educational circumstances.

To carry out clinic and school groups to include fine motor, ADL development and sensory based groups.

To ensure that children with upper limb needs have hand skills maximised through employment of appropriate management strategies to include provision of splints with support from senior staff.

To maintain up to date and accurate case notes in line with COT professional standards and local trust policies

To gather client related activity data accurately and regularly, ensuring the provision of such information.

Supervision of OT assistants and students and support their development as clinicians.

Leadership and Staff Management Responsibility.

To contribute to the efficient organisation of the service.

To autonomously manage own time and prioritise highly specialist caseload within the community setting.

To advise line manager on issues of service delivery.

To support project working groups aimed at achieving team objectives particularly those relating to multidisciplinary working.

To supervise the work of Occupational Therapy Assistants and students.

To assist in the support of students from other professional groups.

To explain the role of Occupational therapists to other colleagues in Health education and social care as well students and volunteers.

To participate in induction of new members of the multi-disciplinary team.

To facilitate clinical case discussions as part of peer review on an individual/small group basis.

Person Specification Other Essential

• oCar Driver

Education and Qualifications Essential

• oRecognised Occupational Therapy Degree Qualification or equivalent
• oEvidence of CPD in portfolio including attendance of specialist short courses relevant to CYP with special needs/ disability
• oHealth Professions Council - Licence to Practice
• oTraining in Moving and Handling people with disabilities

Desirable

• oMember of College of Occupational Therapy
• oAdvanced training up to Masters level equivalent in area of Paediatric Occupational Therapy e.g. sensory integration Paediatric Bobath Course, child development sensory Integration modules
• oMember of CYPF RCOT specialist section

Experience Essential

• Extensive experience to of working with pre-school and school aged children: with complex needs, physical and learning disabilities, perceptual-motor disorders and Neuro-developmental disorders
• Extensive experience of : Assessment, treatment and management of CYP with complex needs, Working as part of an MDT within an early years setting, Managing own caseload, Working with parents / carers and Writing clinical notes and reports
• Experience of: Teaching other professionals/parents, Clinical audit, research, Line management/Supervision of staff, Contributing to Appraisal of others and Leading teams/projects.

Desirable

• oKnowledge of a range of specialist aids, equipment and seating systems including wheelchairs and assistive technology
• oKnowledge of the Balanced system and its application within OT
• oKnowledge of, foundation stage and National curriculums

Any attachments will be accessible after you click to apply.

333-G-HCS-0084-B