Childrens Occupational Therapist (SEN Post)

Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust; Enfield; On-site; GBP 53,000 - 61,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading NHS Trust in the UK is seeking a motivated Children's Occupational Therapist to handle a specialized caseload of children with diverse needs. This role involves working closely with parents, schools, and multi-disciplinary teams to provide evidence-based interventions and develop individual care plans. The ideal candidate will have strong communication skills, relevant qualifications, and experience in child-focused settings. Opportunities for professional development and a supportive work environment are provided, with a competitive salary of £53,751 to £60,651 per annum.

Qualifications

• Extensive postgraduate clinical experience of Occupational Therapy.
• Experience in Children's Occupational Therapy and Education Health Care Assessments.
• Good knowledge of current best practice in Occupational Therapy.

Responsibilities

• Manage the SEN OT caseload of children and young people with complex needs.
• Act as expert advisor in Children's OT.
• Develop and maintain specialist knowledge of the EHCP process.

Skills

Organizational skills

Analytical skills

Presentation skills

Team leadership

Critical appraisal skills

Education

Dip. COT or BSc OT or equivalent

HPC Registered OT

Member of BAOT

Job description

Childrens Occupational Therapist (SEN Post)

Looking for a smaller OT caseload of children you can get to know well? Want to work on an ongoing basis with specific students across mainstream and special school provision? Well our SEN OT post may be just for you!

This is an exciting opportunity for a highly motivated Occupational Therapist who wishes to develop specialist SEN OT skills within a dynamic team. We are looking for a creative, friendly and enthusiastic OT to join our established Children's Team. We are located near Enfield Town, with easy commuter links from central London/Hertfordshire.

We are a friendly, supportive, OT team who report high levels of job satisfaction. We offer a professionally led service with direct support from an OT Clinical Lead Specialist, good working relationships with the MDT, monthly in-service team training, effective supervision and External Training opportunities through the Trust.

The service is committed to evidence-based input and offer CO-OP, M-CIMT, Parent Coaching & Community leisure groups within our community pathways of care.

Part time, job share, or term time only will also be considered.

For an informal chat or to arrange a visit please contact: Fiona Kingsley 0204 553 7704

[e-mail]

Main duties of the job

To manage the SEN OT caseload of children and young people with a range of needs including those with complex disabilities, providing occupationally focused assessment and intervention.

To act as an expert advisor and practitioner in Children's OT providing secondopinions if OT provision in an EHCP is contested.

Be the Lead OT for SEND appeals and tribunal legal processes, with specialist knowledge of complex cases within an educational context.

To work closely with the SEN Team by contributing to appeals as a an expert witness where OT provision is contested.

To develop and maintain specialist knowledge of the EHCP process and appropriate legislation, to become the lead on EHCPs and the SEND Code of Practice within the OT team.

To work with the Clinical Lead OT on quality assurance regarding OT input into EHCPs. Specifically developing the quality of the OT team's EHCP assessments and reports.

Be the point of contact for the SEN Team for OT queries and advice in relation to OT provision in EHCPs.

Upon agreement with the Local Authority and OT clinical lead, to hold a community caseload to ensure continuation of CPD for the SEN Post holder; at these times, part of the SEN OT caseload will be covered by NHS OT.

Provision of highly specialist advice and intervention for a client group with complex physical, social, mental health and cognitive disabilities.

About us

The North Middlesex University Hospital, Royal Free NHS Foundation Trust is a medium-sized acute and community trust with over 525 beds and over 600 community staff, serving more than 600,000 people living across Enfield and Haringey and the surrounding areas, including Barnet and Waltham Forest.

In the year ending 31 March 2022, the Trust reported a turnover of £419.7m and employed almost 4,000 staff. Following the transfer of Enfield Community Services on 1st April 2023, this has increased as we have welcomed over 600 new staff including District Nurses, Community Matrons, Community Physiotherapists, Psychologists and many more across a wide range of adult and children's community services in Enfield.

In January 2025 we joined the Royal Free group: it is an exciting time to join North Mid as we continue our journey to become an integrated care organisation to deliver high quality, seamless care in our local communities, with a focus on tackling health inequalities.

North Mid is part of North Central London integrated care system - consisting of the NHS and Local authority organisations in Camden, Islington, Barnet, Enfield and Haringey. As with other ICSs, we are working increasingly closely with partners and indeed many of our financial and performance objectives are measured at this system level. Whilst all organisations remain as standalone statutory bodies, we have an ICA infrastructure for making shared decisions and agreeing shared approaches.

Job responsibilities

To set occupationally focused intervention goals with children and/or their parents/carers and schools that are child centred and agreed by the child and/or their parents/carers and school staff.

To set and maintain high standards of clinical practice, which is evidence-based, and includes outcome measures to monitor achievement of person-centred goals.

To work within an occupational frame of reference.

To demonstrate the ability to analyse the interplay of the child, environment and activity when assessing the child's level of functioning and identifying appropriate strategies and intervention to facilitate and enhance participation in self-care, school and play/leisure.

To devise and manage a specialised treatment plan individual to a child's presenting condition through: occupationally focused intervention, school equipment provision (as appropriate), school and parental support & training, advice & strategies and programmes.

To form productive relationships with parents/carers who may be under stress.

To advise and teach parents/carers and school staff of children with additional needs on appropriate on-going Occupational Therapy management programmes.

To develop integrated support plans with schools, multidisciplinary teams and external agencies to ensure effective management in achieving the best care for the child.

To work as part of the core OT service in the delivery of training and workshop programmes to educational establishments, to best help children achieve outcomes within inclusive facilities.

Person Specification

Values

• Demonstrable ability to meet the Trust Values

Education & professional Qualifications

• Dip. COT or BSc OT or international equivalent
• HPC Registered OT
• Evidence of Continued Professional Development
• Member of BAOT
• Fieldwork Education Certificate
• C.P.R.

Experience and Knowledge

• Extensive postgraduate clinical experience of Occupational Therapy.
• Extensive relative experience and practise in Children's Occupational Therapy
• Extensive experience in completing Education Health Care Assessments (EHCP) and writing good quality EHCP reports.
• Good knowledge of current best practice in Occupational Therapy
• Experience in high level clinical audit.
• Good Knowledge CMOP-E and COPM
• Experience of working within a Special school.

Skills and Abilities

• Ability to organise & respond effectively to complex information
• Excellent analytical and critical appraisal skills.
• OT expertise in the management of service users with highly complex/special needs, utilizing advanced assessment and clinical reasoning skills to plan treatment
• Ability to laterally think and problem solve.
• Excellent presentation & training skills
• Team leadership skills
• Demonstrate a strong commitment to family centred care and co-production.

Other requirements

• Clean driving licence, Vehicle owner.

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.

£53,751 to £60,651 a year per annum inclusive of HCAs