Advanced Children's Occupational Therapist - Bedfordshire and Luton

East of England Community Health and Care NHS Trust (Cambridgeshire); Kempston; Remote; GBP 49,000 - 57,000; Full time

Job summary

East of England Community Health and Care NHS Trust (Cambridgeshire) is recruiting an Advanced Children’s Occupational Therapist (Band 7) to join the Experts at Hand programme in Bedfordshire and Luton. This role combines clinical leadership, training and targeted interventions across schools and early years settings.

The post holder will act as a named Expert at Hand, provide consultation to education staff, supervise junior therapists, and develop service delivery within a tiered model of

Qualifications

• Experienced Children’s Occupational Therapist with a passion for innovation and system-wide working.
• Will act as a named Occupational Therapy Expert at Hand for a cluster of settings.

Responsibilities

• Provide consultation, training, coaching and targeted interventions.
• Lead supervision of Newly Qualified OTs and support practitioners.
• Develop and deliver the Experts at Hand model across Bedfordshire and Luton.
• Manage a small caseload of targeted-plus children for short-term interventions.

Skills

Clinical leadership

Training & coaching

Education staff collaboration

Supervision

Consultation

Education

Degree in OT

HCPC registration

Leadership training

Sensory training

Tools

Microsoft Office

Job description

Main area Children's Occupational Therapy Grade Band 7 Contract Permanent Hours

• Full time
• Part time
• Job share
• Flexible working
• Home or remote working
• Compressed hours
• Term time hours
• Annualised hours

37.5 hours per week (Consideration given to all working patterns including whole year or term time only, full time or part time. There will be an expectation of some remote working and in person delivery.) Job ref 839-BCHS-8412014

Employer East of England Community Health and Care NHS Trust (Cambridgeshire) Employer type NHS Site Woburn Court Town Kempston Bedfordshire Salary £49,387 - £56,515 pro-rata if candidate is part time or Term Time Only. Salary period Yearly Closing 18/11/2026 23:59 Interview date 26/11/2026

Advanced Children's Occupational Therapist - Bedfordshire and Luton

Band 7

Job overview

East of England Community Health and Care Trust is establishing Experts at Hand, a national SEND reform project that recognises the vital role of Occupational Therapy in early years, mainstream schools and further education.

This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced Children’s Occupational Therapist with a passion for innovation, workforce development and system-wide working.

The post holder will act as a named Occupational Therapy Expert at Hand for a cluster of settings, providing consultation, training, coaching and targeted interventions.

The role includes clinical leadership responsibilities, supervision of Newly Qualified OTs, support practitioners and apprentices, alongside contributing to service development and evaluation.

The post holder will play a key role in developing and delivering the Experts at Hand model across Luton and Bedfordshire as part of the SEND reform programme.

In addition, the post holder will manage a small caseload of children requiring short-term targeted-plus intervention, working closely with specialist services within a tiered model of support.

Interviews will take place in 2 parts. Virtual Stakeholder panel 26thNovember 2026 and formal face to face interview 3rd December 2026.

Should we receive a high number of applications we reserve the right to close this vacancy at any point after 12th November 2026

Main duties of the job

As part of a multidisciplinary system partnership, the post holder will work alongside Educational Psychology, Speech and Language Therapy, CAMHS and Local Authority colleagues to deliver a robust offer.

The post holder will act as a named Expert at Hand for a cluster of settings, providing consultation, training, coaching and targeted intervention. The role includes clinical leadership responsibilities, including supervision of support practitioners and contribution to service development and evaluation.

You will act as a whole service specialist advisor and resource to educational personnel, relating to improving a child/young person’s ability to function and participate.

You will work with educational staff to support the formulation and delivery of intervention to children/young people based on sound knowledge of evidence‑based practice and treatment approaches using clinical assessment, reasoning skills and knowledge of treating modalities.

Working for our organisation

Rated ‘Outstanding’ by the Care Quality Commission, we are proud to provide high quality innovative services across most of the east of England that enable people to receive care closer to home and live healthier lives.

There’s one reason why our services are outstanding – and that’s our amazing staff who, for the seventh year running, rated us incredibly highly in the national staff survey.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Clinical / EaH Role

• Act as a named Expert at Hand for a cluster of schools and early years settings.
• Provide highly specialised consultation, advice and support to education staff to enable inclusive practice.
• Support the implementation of the graduated response across universal, targeted and specialist levels.
• Participate in Team Around the School (TAS) and multi‑agency meetings.
• Undertake all aspects of clinical duties as an autonomous practitioner, holding responsibility for a small caseload of targeted plus children for short term interventions without direct supervision.
• Using specialist knowledge to make clear judgements and analysis on the information provided.
• To assess and prescribe specialist equipment to support function and participation.
• To appropriately delegate work/tasks to therapy assistants, maintaining oversight of their input with children and young people.
• The nature of children’s practice will require the post holder to bend, stretch, lift children’s limbs, crawl, kneel, work in confined spaces and at times work from the floor employing light physical effort on a day to day basis.

Universal and Targeted Offer

• Develop and deliver training programmes for school staff and parents/carers.
• Undertake environmental audits for settings as required (access and sensory).
• Provide coaching and modelling of strategies within education settings.
• Deliver and oversee targeted intervention programmes (group and individual).
• Coproduce the targeted offer with clusters of neighbourhood settings.

Workforce Development

• Support the induction, supervision and competency development of registered band 5/6 therapists and Support Practitioners and apprentices.
• Build capacity within education settings through coaching and mentoring.
• Contribute to the development of champions in schools/settings.
• To communicate effectively and work closely with Parent Carer Forum representatives, upskilling this workforce as parent carer navigators/ambassadors.
• Work closely with the Clinical Lead and Head of Service to identify gaps in knowledge and training for education, early years and parent carer settings.

Specialist Clinical Practice

• Provide a highly specialised holistic assessment and intervention for children with complex needs
• To act as a whole service specialist advisor and resource in an area of expertise and how this relates to function and participation
• Support appropriate escalations and referrals into other specialist services.
• Maintain HCPC/RCOT registration and professional standards (where applicable).
• Hold a small caseload of short term targeted plus children
• To provide excellent communication and provide direct advice to parents, carers, education and early years practitioners.
• Utilise appropriate patient outcome measures to evaluate the effectiveness of interventions.

Service Development & Governance

• Contribute to audit, outcome measurement and evaluation of the EAH model.
• Support data collection and reporting of service impact.
• Participate in service development, quality improvement and pathway development.
• Working closely with the Clinical Lead and Head of Service to shape and develop Standard Operating Procedures and Policies within the department.

Communication

• Communicate complex clinical information clearly to parents, carers, education staff and professionals.
• Provide a high level of clinical knowledge, mentorship, supervision, and support to Band 4, Band 5 and Band 6 therapists, while coordinating the day‑time delivery of the service.
• Build strong relationships across education, health and SEND partnerships.
• Provide professional advice to support decision‑making regarding children’s needs.
• Maintain clear and accurate clinical records in line with service standards.
• Communicate professionally as an expert representative within the Multi‑Disciplinary Team around the school with SALT, Education Psychologists, Education staff and CAMHS.
• Maintain clear and accurate outcome measures for intervention, training and delivery of the EAH model.
• To investigate and manage concerns, incidents and complaints recognising limitations and referring to clinical lead/service manager where appropriate
• Occasionally children are seen with extremely sensitive rare and complex medical conditions this requires communication at a high level with specialist doctors and national centres of excellence

Budgetary Responsibility

• To monitor stock levels in own service area and request new equipment as appropriate.
• Does not hold budgetary responsibility but is aware of the need to plan non- pay expenditure.

People Management

• Provide line management, supervision, and support to Band 6, band 5 Therapists and Band 4 Support Practitioners/Apprentices, including responsibility for recruitment, attendance management, wellbeing, performance management, capability, and disciplinary processes.
• Provide supervision, support, and coaching to students within the Occupational Therapy Service, facilitating their learning and professional development.
• Provide mentoring, guidance, and professional support to junior colleagues to support their development and clinical practice.
• Promote and maintain mandatory training compliance across the team in line with Trust requirements.
• Identify learning and development needs within the service and develop and deliver training plans to address knowledge and skills gaps.

Person specification

Qualifications

• Degree in OT
• HCPC registration
• Leadership training
• Sensory training

Experience

• Working with CYP in education or community settings
• Experience of delivering training
• Minimum 3 years post graduate experience
• Working in a range of Multi‑agency settings
• Managing people

Skills

• Specialist knowledge in functional and sensory OT
• Ability to use various microsoft programmes
• Able to work with stakeholders

Employer certification / accreditation badges

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

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.

Name Jennifer Gill Job title Paediatric Occupational Therapy Team Lead Email address [e-mail]