Highly Specialist Paediatric Occupational Therapist

NELFT NHS Foundation Trust; Barking; Remote; GBP 36,000 - 48,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

High Cost Area Supplement

Professional development opportunities

Job summary

NELFT NHS Foundation Trust in Barking and Dagenham is recruiting Speech and Language Therapists and Occupational Therapists to join the Experts at Hand service, a pioneering SEND model delivering early intervention and integrated support across health, education and social care.

You will work with schools, families and professionals to provide timely advice and intervention for children aged 0–25 with SEND, contributing to improved access to therapy and inclusive practice across LBBD.

Qualifications

• Qualified Speech and Language Therapist or Occupational Therapist with appropriate registration.
• Experience in SEND or paediatric assessment and intervention is desirable.
• Ability to work collaboratively across health, education and social care.

Responsibilities

• Provide early advice, consultation and intervention for children and young people with SEND.
• Support schools and settings to build confidence and capability in meeting needs inclusively.
• Deliver individual, group and whole-setting approaches.
• Work as part of an integrated multidisciplinary team alongside education professionals, therapists, psychologists and family support services.
• Contribute to reducing waiting times and improving access to specialist support.

Skills

Speech and Language Therapist

Occupational Therapist

Job description

Job overview

Join the Experts at Hand (EaH) Team in Barking and Dagenham - Speech and Language Therapists & Occupational Therapists with the North East London NHS Foundation Trust (NELFT) and London Borough of Barking & Dagenham (LBBD)

Are you passionate about making a meaningful difference to children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND)? Do you want to work at the forefront of integrated health, education and care, shaping a new model of early intervention and inclusion?

North East London NHS Foundation Trust (NELFT), working in partnership with the London Borough of Barking & Dagenham (LBBD) and North East London Integrated Care Board (NEL ICB), are recruiting Speech and Language Therapists and Occupational Therapists to join our new Experts at Hand (EaH) service. This innovative programme forms a central part of the local SEND Reform Plan and will transform how specialist support is accessed by children, families and educational settings.

About Experts at Hand

Experts at Hand is a pioneering multidisciplinary model designed to provide timely access to specialist expertise, helping schools, early years settings and families access support earlier and more effectively. The service aims to strengthen inclusion, reduce unnecessary escalation into statutory pathways and improve outcomes for children and young people aged 0–25 with SEND.

Working across health, education and local authority services, the EaH team will:

• Provide early advice, consultation and intervention for children and young people with SEND.
• Support schools and settings to build confidence and capability in meeting needs inclusively.
• Deliver individual, group and whole-setting approaches.
• Work as part of an integrated multidisciplinary team alongside education professionals, therapists, psychologists, family support services and other partners.
• Contribute to reducing waiting times and improving access to specialist support.
• Help develop innovative pathways that enable children and young people to thrive within their local communities.

Why Join NELFT in Barking and Dagenham?

As a member of the Experts at Hand team, you will have the opportunity to:

Shape the Future of SEND Services

Play a leading role in delivering a new model of support that is becoming central to local and national SEND reform ambitions.

Work Across Systems

Develop your expertise by working closely with colleagues from health, education, social care and the local authority, gaining a unique understanding of integrated services and population health approaches.

Develop Your Career

NELFT is committed to supporting professional growth through:

• Structured supervision and mentoring.
• Leadership and quality improvement opportunities.
• Service development and innovation projects.
• Access to training and continuing professional development.
• Opportunities to progress into advanced clinical, specialist and operational leadership roles.
• Experience of working within system-wide transformation programmes alongside NHS and Local Authority leaders.

Make a Lasting Impact

Be part of a team dedicated to improving:

• Early intervention.
• Educational inclusion.
• Family experience and confidence.
• Access to therapy services.
• Long-term outcomes and readiness for adulthood for children and young people with SEND.

Who We Are Looking For

We welcome applications from enthusiastic and forward-thinking:

• Speech and Language Therapists
• Occupational Therapists

who are passionate about:

• Early intervention and prevention.
• Inclusive practice.
• Working collaboratively across organisational boundaries.
• Empowering families, schools and communities.
• Innovation and service transformation.

Whether you are an experienced clinician seeking a new challenge or an emerging therapist looking to develop your skills in a supportive and ambitious environment, we would love to hear from you.

About Barking & Dagenham

Barking & Dagenham is ambitious for every child and young person to achieve their full potential. The borough has a strong commitment to inclusive education and partnership working, supported by innovative neighbourhood and family hub approaches and a growing investment in SEND transformation. The Experts at Hand programme is a key part of this vision, bringing together the expertise of NELFT, the Local Authority and wider system partners to create a more joined-up and responsive service for children and families.

Be Part of Something Different

If you want to be part of an ambitious partnership that is redefining, how SEND support is delivered, improving outcomes for children and creating new opportunities for professional growth, then we invite you to join the Experts at Hand team.

Together, we can build a more inclusive future for children and young people across Barking & Dagenham.

Working for Us

Joining #TeamNELFT means you’ll become part of a welcoming and supportive working environment. We’re CQC rated Good, and we want you to join us on the journey towards an Outstanding rating. NELFT has sites across North East London and Essex. We provide community and mental healthcare services to adults and children within these areas.

The Trust has award-winning equality and diversity initiatives, along with staff health and wellbeing activities. We invest significantly in your development because when you feel valued and supported, we can deliver the highest quality care to our patients. We are a Level 3 Disability Confident Leader, have been recognised in the Working Families Top 10 Employers benchmark for five consecutive years, and hold a Carers UK Level 1 Accreditation. Through our staff networks and training opportunities, we strive to foster a just and compassionate culture at NELFT.

Our Values 2025 - 2030

Working with our colleagues, patients and carers we have co-produced three new values that we aim to embed within our culture here at NELFT. They are:

• We are kind.
• We are respectful.
• We work together with our communities.

These three values help us to strive to provide the best care by

Starting with NELFT

NELFT place a great deal of importance on new starters being properly welcomed and inducted into the Trust. All new starters will join the Trust on the first Monday of each month and will undertake a comprehensive induction of up to two weeks which will include mandatory training, systems training and the allocation of equipment. As part of the process new starters will have the opportunity to also meet the executive team, senior managers and attend a number of drop-in sessions focusing on engagement, health and wellbeing and key processes. The induction will be held at our head office in Rainham, Essex.

High Cost Area Supplement - Outer London (B&D, Redbridge, Havering and Waltham Forest, CEME)

This post also attracts payment for High Cost Area Supplement of 15% of the basic salary (with a minimum of £4,870 to a maximum of £6,137 p.a. pro rata for part time).

Probationary Period

This post will be subject to a probationary period.

Certificates of Sponsorship

Although we are a registered sponsor organisation, we are unable to offer sponsorship for all job roles. Please check your eligibility under the UKVI points-based system. When calculating the basic salary for sponsorship, HCAS (High-Cost Area Supplement) is not included to ensure fairness and consistency within our Trust.

Use of AI

We value applications that genuinely reflect each candidate’s own skills, experience and motivations. We therefore strongly discourage the use of AI-generated content in applications.

Applications should be written in your own words and accurately represent your knowledge, skills and experience.

We reserve the right to reject an application where we reasonably believe AI has been used to generate or materially contribute to its content.

Please see the attached job description and person specification for more information about this role and working at North East London NHS Foundation Trust. We encourage you to refer to this when completing your application.

For further discussions please contact in confidence:

Ronan Fox – Head of Service Children’s Integrated Care NELFT in B&D; [e-mail]; Mobile: [phone]

Narelle Jacobs – Interim Speech Therapy lead, Barking and Dagenham Child and Family Centre; [e-mail]; Mobile number: 07927588501

Mohammed Alauddin – Clinical Lead Paediatric Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy, Barking and Dagenham Child and Family Centre; [e-mail]

NOTE: NELFT are transitioning to nhs.net emails, please do use mobile numbers initially for any discussions or contact.