Children's Occupational Therapy Assistant

Gateshead Health; Gateshead; Hybrid; GBP 21,000 - 27,000; Full time

Job summary

Gateshead Health seeks a Children's Occupational Therapy Assistant to join the team at Bensham Hospital in Gateshead. You will assist in delivering therapy interventions to children, visit children in schools or homes, and help run motor skills groups under supervision.

The role includes equipment setup, administrative duties, and close collaboration with the MDT. The post requires GCSEs in English and Maths, a UK driving licence, and 2+ years of experience with children.

Qualifications

• GCSEs in English and Maths required.
• Clean valid UK driving licence with access to a car.
• 2+ years working with children and young people.
• Experience as a team member.
• Knowledge of disability and working with CYP.
• Awareness of child development and complex disability.
• Good communication and IT skills.
• Ability to work independently and as part of the MDT.
• Practical/dexterous and comfortable at floor level.

Responsibilities

• To work directly with children individually or in group sessions, to carry out interventions delegated by qualified Occupational Therapy staff.
• To visit children in pre-school settings, Special Schools, Mainstream Schools, or child's home jointly with or without qualified Occupational Therapy staff where applicable.
• Setting up and clearing up after group or clinic sessions and ensuring appropriate equipment levels, cleaning and storage.
• To assist with the running of Occupational Therapy groups including Motor skills groups, and where applicable run these groups in the absence of qualified Occupational Therapy staff.
• To assist with the setting up and handing over specialist equipment where appropriate.
• To carry out essential team administration/clerical and domestic duties within the Team.

Skills

GCSE English & Maths

Excellent communication

IT skills

Education

Maths and English GCSE or equivalent

Tools

NHS electronic systems

UK driving licence

Job description

Children's Occupational Therapy Assistant

We have an exciting new opportunity to welcome a new staff member to our Children's Occupational Therapy Team. We are a small team of Occupational Therapists, admin and therapy assistant. We are advertising for an additional therapy assistant to join us. Children's Occupational Therapy is concerned with the promotion of independence for young people. Children's Occupational Therapists work with children who are experiencing difficulties withfunctional skills. This is where difficulties are impacting on their ability to complete daily activities/tasks. For example dressing, bathing, etc. We would like to welcome a therapy assistant to assist in delivering therapy interventions to children across Gateshead and support our OTs with their assessments.

Main duties of the job

To work directly with children individually or in group sessions, to carry out interventions delegated by qualified Occupational Therapy staff.

To visit children in pre-school settings, Special Schools, Mainstream Schools, or child's home jointly with or without qualified Occupational Therapy staff where applicable.

Setting up and clearing up after group or clinic sessions and ensuring appropriate equipment levels, cleaning and storage.

To assist with the running of Occupational Therapy groups including Motor skills groups, and where applicable run these groups in the absence of qualified Occupational Therapy staff.

To assist with the setting up and handing over specialist equipment where appropriate.

To carry out essential team administration/clerical and domestic duties within the Team.

About us

Based in the North East of England we provide a range of hospital and community health services from our leading facilities, including the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Blaydon urgent care centre and Bensham Hospital, all within Gateshead.

Established in 2005, we were one of the first foundation trusts in the country and since then have consistently achieved the highest levels of care for patients.

We now employ around 4,800 staff and currently provide 444 hospital beds across the Gateshead region.

Our values should be the 'golden thread' which runs through everything we do - they are the core of who we are. Our five values can easily be remembered by the simple acronymICORE; Innovation, Care, Openness, Respect, Engagement.

We have a number of staff networks including the Global Ethnic Majority (GEM) network, D-Ability network, LGBTQ+ Network and the Women's Network, to challenge us and help us to constantly improve. Our Armed Forces network is one of our emerging networks.

The health and wellbeing of our staff is one of our highest priorities, and we offer a range of support and initiatives as part of our 'Balance' programme balancegateshead.com to cater for our diverse workforce, so that your individual needs can be supported, allowing you a happy and healthy working experience with us.

Job responsibilities

As above

• Good general education to GCSE level or equivalent, including English and Maths at Grade 5
• Clean valid UK driving licence / car driver with access to a car.
• 2 years demonstrable, recent and relevant experience of working with children and young people.
• Experience of working as a member of a team.
• Good knowledge of people with disabilities.
• Some knowledge of the roles of professionals working with CYP
• Awareness of child development
• Awareness of complex disability
• Ability to learn new techniques and to understand a wide range of medical terms.
• Excellent communication skills. The ability to converse at ease and provide advice in accurate spoken English is essential for the post
• Good organisational skills.
• Good time management. Ability to prioritise workload and work to deadlines
• Ability to work on own initiative.
• IT Skills
• Ability to develop good working relationships with a range of professionals, carers and children and young people.
• Practical/dexterous and comfortable to work at floor level.
• Ability to work in isolation and as part of the MDT

Person Specification

• 2 years or more working with children
• NHS experience for min 1 year working with children
• UK driving licence
• Experience with NHS electronic systems
• Experience working in OT, PT, SALT for min 1 year

Qualifications

• Maths and English GCSE or equivalent

interview

• experience working with children
• Experience working as a TA in children's

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.

Children's Occupational Therapy, Bensham Hospital

Children's Occupational Therapy Team Lead

Children's Occupational Therapy, Bensham Hospital