Children's Occupational Therapist

NHS; Stevenage; Hybrid; GBP 31,000 - 47,000; Full time

Job summary

A healthcare provider in the UK is seeking a dynamic Occupational Therapist to join their Children and Young People's Therapy Service. This position offers opportunities for professional development, leadership skills enhancement, and collaborative work with educational professionals to provide support for children's occupational therapy needs. Ideal candidates should have a degree in Occupational Therapy, be registered with HCPC, and possess strong communication and organizational skills.

Benefits

CPD opportunities

Award-winning preceptorship programme

Regular group supervision

Responsibilities

• Hold a 0-25 years caseload providing interventions in various settings.
• Collaborate with education colleagues to support children's needs.
• Provide leadership and supervision to less experienced staff.

Skills

Excellent communication skills

Knowledge of Children's Occupational Therapy

Good multi-disciplinary working skills

Education

Degree in Occupational Therapy

Registered to practice with HCPC

Job description

If you are a newly qualified Occupational Therapist or an experienced OT looking to develop specialist skills in children's occupational therapy then this post could be just for you. This is a Band 5-6 progressive post based at Danestrete Health Centre in Stevenage.

We are looking for a dynamic, enthusiastic and creative Occupational Therapist to be a part of our well-established team. You will be joining an innovative and agile Children and Young People's Therapy (CYPT) Service committed to delivering high quality intervention and transforming lives.

Hertfordshire Community NHS Trust provides integrated Speech and Language Therapy, Occupational Therapy and Physiotherapy Services for families across the county. Our CYPT integrated service provides opportunities for collaborative working, joint training and shared learning amongst each profession. Our service is jointly commissioned by health, social care and education, allowing us to provide a seamless pathway of care from early years through to schools, specialist provisions and further education settings, and at home.

Main duties of the job

Our integrated service provides opportunities for collaborative working, joint training and shared learning amongst each profession. We work closely with colleagues in education, with well-established relationships.

The successful applicant will be expected to hold an 0-25 years caseload, providing a service which meets both the health and education Occupational Therapy needs of CYP, providing interventions in a variety of settings, e.g. mainstream settings, specialist provisions, pre-school settings and clinics.Ideally applicants should have post graduate experience/training in assessment and treatment of clients with neurological conditions/learning disability/neurodiverse conditions. We have a practise development lead with dedicated time to support and upskill new band 5/6 staff. Training will be provided in areas where further up skilling and development is required.

We can offer:

• Regular group supervision, managerial supervision, a well-established appraisal system, and an award winning preceptorship programme for newly qualified therapists
• CPD opportunities, including in service masterclasses
• Opportunities to develop leadership skills and to supervise less experienced members of staff
• Opportunities to work alongside other therapists/assistants to deliver intervention to children/young people requiring specialist support
• An initial induction period where you will have the opportunity to observe and shadow your team.

About us

If you are looking for somewhere to make a real difference and are passionate about helping CYP access the right support at the right time to help them stay safe, and thrive in their development, a career with us may be just what you're looking for. At HCT we strive to make a difference to the health and wellbeing of our communities.

We are proud to be an organisation which focuses on our people, and we welcome people who share our values to come and work with us.

Our shared values support the development of a strong working culture, guiding and inspiring all of our actions and decisions. They enable us to be better at what we do ensuring we provide the highest quality of care to our patients.

Our patients, their families and carers are at the centre of our vision - Outstanding Services and Healthier Communities

Our staff are proud to be Innovative, Caring and Agile in their work to help achieve the Trust vision

We welcome diversity in our workforce and are interested in applicants from all backgrounds and ages

You've made a great decision to apply to join to HCT - we're looking forward to taking the next steps of the journey with you.

Job responsibilities

Please see Job Description attached, which details the responsibilities within this post.

Childrens Occupational Therapy is based on a 3 Tier model of service delivery, with provision at Universal, Targeted and Specialist tiers.

Successful candidates will need to be enthusiastic and motivated. Good communication, clinical reasoning and organisational skills are essential. You must be a team player but be able to work autonomously and have the ability to champion the needs of your patients.

You will be joining a well-established, supportive team of therapists and assistants. CYP Therapies at HCT pride ourselves on the support we provide to staff. Please see below comments from a current member of the team:

I love working in CYPT/HCT - everyone in the team is super dedicated. There is strong management support, but also space for being flexible and creative to meet childrens needs; innovation & good practice is valued and encouraged. I enjoy & appreciate the robust supervision structures, training in supervision & coaching, and the many opportunities for personal development and learning, including for example in-house training days and tutorials. I have worked in many teams across Hertfordshire, all without exception friendly and welcoming. There is an ethos of peer support and encouragement & sharing learning; everyone works hard but there is a sense of belonging and always time for a quick chat and plenty of laughs. I feel valued here and I value my lovely colleagues and the fabulous children & young people we work with.

If you have any questions at all or you would like to come and visit us, please do contact us - we are only too happy to help and would love to tell you more about our Service.

Applicants wanting to work full time or part time will be considered. A full valid driving licence and access to a car to use regularly for business purposes is essential (unless you have a disability as defined by the Equality Act 2010).

Interview dates are set for 30th October 2025

Person Specification

Qualifications

• Degree in Occupational Therapy
• Registered to practice with Health and Care Professionals Council (HCPC)
• Describe relevant post graduate training or experience relevant to working with as a children's occupational therapist
• Describe what relevant continuing professional development undertaken to maintain and develop own specialist knowledge and expertise.
• Membership of RCOT Special Interest Group

Other

• Hold a full, valid, UK driving licence and have access to a car to use for business purposes (unless you have a disability as defined by the Equality Act 2010).

Knowledge and Experience

• Knowledge of Children's Occupational Therapy assessments and interventions related to working with children and an understanding of the theoretical framework underpinning these.
• Awareness of typical child development
• The ability to analyse assessment results to formulate treatment plans, including the use of "SMART" targets, recommend suitable equipment, taking into consideration client, social and environmental factors.
• Good multi-disciplinary/agency working skills
• Involves patients in decision making around their care and treatment planning and ensure that the care provided is safe
• Experience of supporting student OTs on placement
• Experience of training the wider children's workforce, parents and carers and junior colleagues.
• Understanding of the Special Educational Needs Assessment process related to supporting children within special and mainstream schools and contributing to their Education, Health and Care Plans.

Skills and Abilities

• Excellent communication skills both oral and written, including the ability to liaise and negotiate.
• Ability to communicate effectively at all levels across organisations and with a range of audiences.
• Work flexibly to meet the needs of the service and the service users.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

£31,049 to £46,580 a yearpro rata per annum