Paediatric Occupational Therapy Assistant

NHS; Twickenham; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

A community interest company is seeking a Paediatric Occupational Therapy Assistant to support children and young people with developmental needs. The role involves working under a qualified Occupational Therapist and providing administrative support, engaging in therapy programmes, and collaborating within a multidisciplinary team. Candidates should have experience working with children and possess excellent communication skills. This position is in Twickenham, UK, offering the opportunity to make a positive impact in various settings.

Qualifications

• Experience in a healthcare or childcare environment with transferable skills.
• Understanding of the role of an Occupational Therapist.
• Attendance at training courses relevant to post.

Responsibilities

• Assist with planning and implementing advice and therapy programmes.
• Support children with developmental needs under supervision.
• Admin tasks such as arranging appointments and creating resources.

Skills

Experience working with children or young people with disabilities

Excellent written and oral communication skills

Ability to prioritize workload effectively

Ability to work in a multi-disciplinary team

Education

GCSE level or above

Job description

Paediatric Occupational Therapy Assistant

As an Occupational Therapy Assistant (Band 4) you will be part of the Paediatric Occupational Therapy service and work in a range of settings including the community, schools and in clinics with children and young people who have a range of developmental needs and/or neurological disorders.

You would be part of a welcoming Occupational Therapy team with a range of clinical and community expertise and experience. We are a friendly and sociable team who have close links with a number of other interdisciplinary services including; Social Care Occupational Therapists, Physiotherapists, Speech and Language Therapists and Paediatricians.

Main duties of the job

The role of the Occupational Therapy Assistant is to:

• Plan, provide and implement occupational therapy programmes tailored to the needs of children and young people within the framework recommended by the OT
• Work as part of a multidisciplinary team, with families, carers and other professionals to maintain a holistic view of the child or young person.
• To provide advice and support jointly with other relevant professionals
• To support the occupational therapy team with admin tasks such as arranging appointments, cataloguing and ordering equipment.

About us

Achieving for Children is a Community Interest Company that has a public sector ethos, combined with the freedom to innovate enabling us to do things differently. As a not-for-profit social enterprise owned by three local authorities (Windsor & Maidenhead, Kingston and Richmond), we offer the freedoms of a social enterprise with the employment benefits of local government.

The Paediatric Occupational Therapy Service at AfC is part of the Integrated Team for Children with Disabilities Service based at the Moor Lane Centre in Chessington, funded jointly by the Royal Borough of Kingston and NHS Kingston. The team provides a service to children and young people, aged 0 - 19, experiencing functional difficulties as a result of neurological or developmental difficulties. The team works across a number of settings including, family homes, mainstream and special schools, and the dedicated clinical space at Moor Lane ofchildren to support and advise health colleagues, teaching professionals, parents and carers.

Achieving for Children is going through an exciting period of growth and we plan to rapidly increase Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) referrals to the service and becomethe provider of choice in the area of SEND

Job responsibilities

As part of the Paediatric Occupational Therapy team you will work with children, young people and their families to support their development and participation in activities of daily living under the supervision of a HCPC registered, qualified Occupational Therapist.

You will assist with planning and implementing advice and therapy programmes to support children and young peoples learning and development as well as support with setting up clinics. In addition to supporting clinical work, you will be involved in admin tasks such as arranging appointments, creating resources and placing orders.

You will cover work across schools, the Moor Lane clinic and families homes. It is expected that you will work collaboratively within a multidisciplinary team to support children with complete health needs, social and communication difficulties aged 0-18 years old.

Person Specification

Experience

• Experience of working with children or young people with disabilities.
• Experience of working in a multi-disciplinary team
• Excellent written and oral communication skills
• Ability to maintain accurate record keeping
• Experience of working in a healthcare or childcare environment which brings relevant transferable skills.
• Ability to prioritise workload effectively and work independently
• Understanding of basic principles of different Therapy professions e.g.; Speech and Language Therapy /Occupational Therapy /Physiotherapy.
• Understanding of the role of an Occupational Therapist when working with children and young people

Qualifications

• Educated to GCSE level or above with good written and spoken English as well as good basic numeracy.
• Attendance at training courses relevant to post e.g. First aid, Lifesaving, Makaton course, BTEC or equivalent in Child Development

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.