Children's Occupational Therapist (South)

NHS; Torquay; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 35,000; Full time

Job summary

A healthcare organization in South Devon seeks a qualified Children's Occupational Therapist. The role involves providing tailored therapy for children aged 0-18, collaborating closely with other professionals. Applicants must possess a degree in Occupational Therapy and relevant experience. Opportunities for professional development and support are provided.

Benefits

Career development opportunities

Structured supervision and support

Qualifications

• HCPC registration required.
• Experience working with children/young people and families.
• Knowledge of legislation affecting clinical practice.

Responsibilities

• Deliver occupational therapy interventions for children and young people.
• Carry a clinical caseload and perform assessments.
• Support training and group work for service users.

Skills

Excellent communication skills

Empathy

Negotiation skills

Planning and organizational skills

Education

Degree in Occupational Therapy

Tools

Occupational Therapy assessment tools

Job description

Go back Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust

Children's Occupational Therapist (South)

The closing date is 01 October 2025

This post is based in South Devon, close to the stunning coastline, Dartmoor and beautiful South Hams region. Children and Family Health Devon (CFHD) are developing an innovative, integrated model of children's community services and looking for enthusiastic individuals to join our dedicated locality and county-wide professional teams.

The role allows for close joint working with both with other Occupational Therapists' and with the wider multi-disciplinary team. Within our Physical and sensory Pathway team there are opportunities for close joint working with physiotherapists and speech and language therapists. We are an innovative, dedicated and friendly service with both development andCPD opportunities.

We are excited to be able to offer this new post for an Occupational Therapist Band 5 to be based within the South locality (Torbay and Dartington base). Regular robust supervision processes are in place, as well as a band 5 support group and informal support from the team. The caseload will be with 0-18 year olds with a variety of conditions. You will be expected to have core Occupational therapy skills, and some experience working with children and families. With relevant support, the successful applicant will hold a varied caseload, working across the different environments such as home, schools and clinics.

Main duties of the job

• Deliver occupational therapy advice and interventions to a client group of children and young people experiencing a range of difficulties in completing activities for daily living
• To carry a clinical caseload, and provide assessment, and interventions within a designated geographical area, within own level of competence and capability
• Part of the role will include statutory assessment and intervention for the local authority such as specialist equipment and environmental adaptations
• Using a strength-based approach; ensure clinical effectiveness through the use of evidence-based interventions, goal-based, collaborative practice and routine outcome measures
• Support the delivery of training and group work to service users, parents and colleagues in the wider workforce as part of a team
• Participate in the provision of student placements as appropriate according to skills and experience
• To promote and support participation of service users across the service
• Work under designated supervisor, who will be a senior member of staff, to provide assessment, diagnosis and treatment for a caseload within capability and competency
• Have a named mentor who will provide regular support throughout the probationary year
• Expect to achieve autonomy by the end of the first year

About us

Children and Family Health Devon is a system-wide service that delivers an integrated, coordinated support model which wraps around the child, young person and family. It has been specifically designed to respond to all elements of the commissioner's strategy and specification along with the vision and strategic direction of the Integrated Care System for Devon. It builds on our strong relationships across education, health, social care and voluntary sector services in Devon, and, most importantly, it has been developed and refined in partnership with children, young people and their families/carers.

"We would like the people who work for Children and Family Health Devon to be understanding, patient and respectful. They should be trustworthy and make us feel safe and comfortable. It is important that they use their skills and experience to listen carefully in a non-patronising and non-judgemental way. When staff are positive and friendly, they help to create an environment that is informal and without pressure".

Why work with us

Job responsibilities

Please see the job description for more details regarding the post.

Communication and Working Relationships

To communicate complex condition-related information from assessment to children/young people and families, carers and members of the multidisciplinary team/other professions in a way that is accessible and easily understood. This will include facilitating strategies for people with communication disorders where barriers to understanding may exist

To demonstrate empathy with children/young people and families, carers and colleagues, ensuring that effective communication is achieved, particularly where barriers to communication exist, or sensitive issues are being dealt with. Children/young people and families and carers will frequently have difficulty accepting the information provided

To develop and demonstrate negotiation skills in the management of conflict across a range of situations e.g. differences in professional opinion, differing views within families, with the support from colleagues as needed

To form productive relationships with others who may be under stress and/or have challenging communication difficulties

To employ good presentation skills to promote multi-disciplinary and interagency liaison and collaborative practice to a broad range of audiences including other professionals and users

To write reports reflecting knowledge of children that can be accessible to both lay and professional people

To contribute to clinical pathways both multi and uni-professional by discussing own and others input around children/young people and families needs, ensuring a well-coordinated care plan

To deal with initial complaints sensitively, avoiding escalation where possible

To demonstrate good negotiation skills across a range of issues To be empathetic and reassuring in all communications

Analytical and Judgement Skills

To demonstrate developing knowledge across a range of therapeutic interventions

To reflect on auditory, visual and kinaesthetic aspects of a children/young persons communication and to identify appropriate strategies to facilitate and enhance communicative effectiveness

To use knowledge and experience to inform sound clinical judgement/decision making for case management

To integrate evidence from a variety of sources to make a differential diagnosis, seeking advice as appropriate

To demonstrate the ability to reflect on practice with peers and mentors and identify own strengths and development needs

Planning and Organisation Skills

To manage and prioritise own caseload/workload with support as required.

To be responsible for organising and planning own caseload to meet service and children/young people and familys priorities. Readjusting plans as situations change/arise

To plan and organise intervention programmes continually monitoring them where appropriate

Responsibility for Patient/Client Care, Treatment and Therapy

To ensure care plans are written in an understandable format for the child/young person and their family/carer

To provide appropriate intervention including 1:1/group therapy, parent- based interventions and consultancy/coaching mentoring to home/education or other community setting and evaluate outcomes

To demonstrate clinical effectiveness by use of evidence-based practice and outcome measures

To provide a range of brief/light touch interventions across the clinical pathways such as positive behaviour support, sleep or feeding

To ensure that all documentation and records are kept safe to ensure confidentiality, as per the Royal College of Occupational Therapy and HCPC standards

To promote self-advocacy and to act as an advocate for children/young people and their families

To always consider safeguarding and child protection issues, following relevant policies and procedures and receiving safeguarding supervision as required

To produce reports on children/young people in a timely manner, that convey the key findings of assessment and formulation and treatment outcome in a way that is understandable to the recipients of the reports, including children/young people and their families and referrers

Responsibility for Policy and Service Development Implementation

To provide children/young people with the opportunity to express their views in an age appropriate way, to have their opinions taken into account and to be able to influence the shaping of services

To assist in the implementation of local and national policies and procedures affecting the development of services for children/young people

To follow their Employers policies, procedures and guidance as well as professional standards and guidelines

Responsibility for Finance, Equipment and Other Resources

To work to the financial policies and procedures as laid down by the Employer

The post holder will take appropriate care of equipment entrusted to them for use

The post holder is responsible for maintaining a clear desk policy and protecting all confidential information in accordance with the organisations policies and procedures

The post holder will be required to act responsibly in terms of providing best value practice and protecting service resources

To take responsibility for any specific materials you are required to use, maintaining their general standard and ensuring that adequate supplies are maintained

Ensure all equipment used is maintained to the required standard to ensure children/young people and families and staff safety

Maintain stock control, ordering supplies in a timely manner through the agreed process

Responsibility for Human Resources, e.g. Supervision, Training, HR Advice and Management

Support the delivery of a range of training opportunities, as appropriate using a broad range of technology to develop and deliver

Supervise the work of occupational therapy clinical support workers or integrated therapy assistants where necessary.

Access clinical supervision at the frequency determined by the organisation

To demonstrate the developing ability to target training (formal and informal) appropriately to the needs of course participants, reflecting and evaluating training provided

To participate in the organisations appraisal process

Responsibility for Information Resources and Administrative Duties

To be responsible for accurate and timely inputting of data into relevant data collection system to ensure workload is accurately reflected

To be responsible for the inputting of accurate and contemporaneous case notes on the relevant clinical systems in line with professional and organisational standards

To have a sound knowledge of IT

To be computer literate

To ensure all Employers policies, procedures and guidelines are followed To complete all statutory and mandatory training as required by the Employer

To identify and manage risks through incident reporting when appropriate To take part in activities designed to improve service delivery or quality of care such as staff surveys, participation and service development

Responsibility for Research and Development

Participates in clinical audit

Freedom to Act

To be responsible for undertaking a range of formal and informal occupational assessments and negotiating functional goals with parents and educational staff; providing demonstrations to enable successful implementation of programmes within various settings and home

To use routine outcome measures and a goals-based approach, collaboratively with service users, in ways that inform treatment and clinical care

To work closely with children/young people and families and carers agreeing decision making relevant to the children/young people and families management

To co-produce clear care plans based on best practice with children/young people and their families/carers

Please also contact us to discuss the position or if you would like to visit us.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• oDegree in Occupational Therapy
• oHCPC registration
• oEvidence of significant and relevant CPD
• oGood written and verbal communication skills
• oMember of professional Body (RCOT)

Experience

• oTo work within trust clinical guidelines and Royal College of OT and HCPC standards. To have working knowledge of national and local standards and monitor own quality and safety of practice
• oKnowledge of Occupational Therapy models of practice and how they can be implemented
• oKnowledge of a wide range of Occupational Therapy assessment tools relevant to a broad range of identified needs in the paediatric population
• oKnowledge and use of Occupational Therapy evidence-based practice and outcome measures
• oKnowledge of legislation affecting clinical practice e.g. SEND
• oKnowledge of normal child development and a broad range of paediatric conditions
• oCommunity based Occupational Therapy experience
• oExperience of working with children/young people and families
• oEvidence of working as an autonomous practitioner
• oExperience of working with individuals and families with communication needs

Specific

• oExcellent communication and interaction skills
• oAbility to maintain sensitivity at all times to children/young people and families and carers
• oExcellent interpersonal skills - including observation, listening and empathy skills
• oDeveloping presentation skills, both written and verbal
• oEvidence of negotiation and problem-solving skills
• oAbility to keep accurate and legible children/young people and families clinical notes in line with RCOT and HCPC guidance
• oEvidence of good analytical and reflection skills
• oEvidence of developing auditory and perceptual skills
• oEvidence of a developing ability to work on own initiative in a community setting
• oEvidence of ability to make decisions under pressure and in stressful situations
• oAbility to demonstrate clinical reasoning skills
• oAbility to plan organise and prioritise effectively
• oEvidence of developing negotiation and problem-solving skills
• oAbility to organise and prioritise workload

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.

Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust