Occupational Therapist (Band 5/6)

Whole Child Therapy; Greater London; On-site; GBP 35,000 - 48,000; Full time

Job summary

Whole Child Therapy in London is recruiting an Occupational Therapist to join a multidisciplinary team. You will assess and treat children (0–25 years) across clinics, schools, and homes, manage a varied caseload, and help develop therapy programmes and services.

You will document care, communicate with families and partners, and contribute to MDT plans for transition and discharge as part of a collaborative care approach.

Responsibilities

• To work as part of the multi-disciplinary team to provide a comprehensive and co-ordinated range of specialist occupational therapy diagnostic, therapeutic and preventative services.
• Manage a caseload of individuals (0-25 years) with various needs and disabilities.
• Devise and participate in creation of product lines and services including training and therapy programmes.
• Carry out assessments and treatment in clinics, schools or homes.
• Develop and implement treatment plans including group or individual sessions.
• Maintain accurate clinical records and provide OT reports for inter-agency use.
• Communicate with parents/carers and professionals to support the child’s OT needs.

Skills

Caseload management

Multidisciplinary teamwork

Clinical reasoning

Client-centred practice

Job description

Responsible to: Clinical Lead
Working with: Multi-disciplinary team
Hours per week: 37.5 hours per week (or pro-rata)
Hourly rate: TBC
Annual leave: 30 days per annum (or pro-rata)
Job Category: Occupational Therapy
Job Location: London

Main Roles and Responsibilities

• To work as part of the multi-disciplinary team to provide a comprehensive and co-ordinated range of specialist occupational therapy diagnostic, therapeutic and preventative services in a variety of settings including the clinic, schools and children’s centres, which improve or maintain the health, function, learning potentials, independence and quality of life of the children.
• With support, manage a caseload of individuals (usually aged 0-25 years) with a range of needs and disabilities. This will involve specialist treatment of children with neurological difficulties, co-ordination difficulties, sensory processing problems and attention and behavioural deficits and maintaining associated clinical records.
• To devise and participate in the creation of product lines and services, including but not limited to training services, group and individual therapy programmes, and professional development for the Organisation.

1. Clinical – Assessment and Treatment Planning

• 1.1 To carry and prioritise a caseload and other ongoing tasks.
• 1.2 To carry out assessments and treatment in the most appropriate setting for the individual’s needs, whether this is in the clinic, school or the individual’s residential home.
• 1.3 To perform specialist occupational therapy assessment of children with diverse and complex presentations using advanced clinical reasoning skills and knowledge of typical child development.
• 1.4 To use specialist OT assessment tools to assess the individual’s function in relation to: self-care, development, physical, sensory, sensory processing, gross and fine motor skills.
• 1.5 To analyse and interpret complex assessment results in order to provide an accurate judgment of the individual’s condition and identify OT goals as part of an overall care plan.
• 1.6 To develop and implement treatment and management plans for each individual incorporating individual or group therapy sessions and programmes for use in care and/or in education settings.
• 1.7 To re-evaluate and progress/adapt treatment programmes at established intervals depending on the needs of each individual and the outcomes expected and to authorise discharge when appropriate.

2. Clinical – Interventions and Treatments

• 2.1 To plan and implement a range of specialist child centred individual and/or group interventions.
• 2.2 To re-evaluate and progress/adapt treatment programmes at established intervals depending on the needs of each child and the outcomes expected and to authorise discharge when appropriate.
• 2.3 To identify and implement appropriate treatment approaches and techniques during therapy based on sound knowledge of evidence based practice and best practice guidelines.
• 2.4 To monitor the effectiveness of intervention.

3. Clinical – Analytical / Judgmental Skills

• 3.1 To analyse and interpret complex assessment results to provide an accurate judgment of the individual’s condition where appropriate, or to contribute to the individual’s diagnosis by communicating assessment findings to the other involved professionals.
• 3.2 To identify OT goals as part of an overall care plan.
• 3.3 To identify and implement appropriate treatment approaches and techniques based on sound knowledge of evidence based practice and best practice guidelines.
• 3.4 To monitor the effectiveness of intervention.
• 3.5 To make referrals to other professionals and agencies if required to address the individual’s global needs.

4. Clinical – Communication

• 4.1 To provide support and advice for the individual’s parents, carers and/or school about all aspects of their care that relate to their OT needs, adjusting your use of language to allow for their level of comprehension to understand.
• 4.2 To adjust your communication according to the age and comprehension level of the child/family and use non-verbal communication, sign and augmentative communication aids as necessary.
• 4.3 To provide and receive complex and sensitive information with regard to a child’s difficulties and expectations.
• 4.4 To be able to demonstrate empathy and sensitivity in response to parents and children.
• 4.5 To work sensitively with parents who are themselves dealing with anger, grief and frustration as they come to terms with the impact of their child’s condition.
• 4.6 To communicate effectively with parents/carers, team members, colleagues and other agencies, including health and educational staff using written and verbal communication skills.
• 4.7 To attend meetings where requested in order to provide specialist advice about the functional needs of the individual.
• 4.8 To arrange these meetings when appropriate. This may include the development of comprehensive MDT plans for transition and discharge.
• 4.9 To act appropriately when exposed to children who may be wet, soiled, sick, have saliva control issues etc.
• 4.10 To provide specialist OT reports for use within inter-agencies, e.g. education, and documentation relevant to the setting, standards and guidelines.
• 4.11 To maintain accurate, legible and complete clinical records of all patient related interventions in accordance with professional and service standards.
• 4.12 To provide programmes on a verbal or written basis, using pictorial representation as required, ensuring these programmes are carried over into daily life.

5. Human resources including personal and people development

• 5.1 To adhere to the Royal College of Occupational Therapy Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct and comply with local and national standards of practice.
• 5.2 To be professionally and legally accountable for all aspects of your own professional and clinical work.
• 5.3 To review and reflect on own practice and performance through the effective