Specialist Occupational Therapist - CAMHS

NELFT NHS Foundation Trust; Wood Street; On-site; GBP 37,000; Full time

Job summary

A healthcare trust in the UK is seeking an innovative therapist to work with the CAMHS team, conducting assessments and providing support for children with conditions like ASD and ADHD. Ideal candidates will hold a degree or diploma in Occupational Therapy and have HCPC registration along with at least 3 years of pediatric experience. This position promotes teamwork, excellent communication skills, and effective time management, offering a supportive work environment with flexible arrangements and comprehensive training.

Benefits

Proactive health and wellbeing support

Flexible working opportunities

Award-winning equality and diversity initiatives

Qualifications

• HCPC registered with 3 years of experience in pediatric settings.
• Experience in advising and training junior staff and students.
• Comprehensive knowledge of pediatric occupational therapy best practices.

Responsibilities

• Conduct neurodevelopmental assessments for children and young people.
• Provide occupational focus on assessments and deliver advice to parents.
• Manage caseload and complete post-assessment reports.

Skills

HCPC Registration

3 years paediatric experience

Advanced knowledge of childhood occupations

Excellent communication skills

Good time management

Education

Degree / Diploma in Occupational Therapy

Job description

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, Essex, Kent and Medway. We provide community and mental healthcare services to adults and children within these areas.

The Trust has award winning equality and diversity initiatives and staff health and wellbeing activities. We invest heavily in your development, because when you are valued and supported, we provide the best care to our patients. We are a Level 3 Disability Confident Leader, have been featured in the Working Families Top 10 Employers benchmark for five consecutive years, and we have achieved a Carers UK Level 1 Accreditation. Along with our staff networks and training opportunities, we work hard to embed a just and compassionate culture here at NELFT.

Find out more about NELFT careers and what makes our Trust a great place to work, in this video.

Job overview

Are you enthusiastic about enabling children and young people to participate in all areas of life as best they can? Do you have Band 6 or 7 experience of working in children's community services or CAMHS? Then we would love to hear from you!

We are looking for an innovative therapist, to work with the CAMHS team.

Main duties of the job

The successful candidate will work jointly with CAMHS clinicians including psychiatrists, psychologists, nurses and speech therapist to complete neurodevelopmental assessments for children and young people who may have conditions such as ASD and ADHD.

You will bring an occupational focus to the assessments, help identify how sensory differences, and other factors may be affecting the child or young person’s activities of daily living. You will provide advice to parents, school and young people to help them understand this and support the young person.

You will hold a caseload, including completing post assessment reports, referrals and potentially run a post diagnosis group, CYGNET, jointly with a speech therapist.

You will need to demonstrate excellent clinical knowledge, ability to provide highly specialist assessment and advanced therapeutic skills as well as high standards of time management and organisational skills. You will have excellent communication skills and thrive on working as part of a team.

Probationary Period

This post will be subject to a probationary period.

Starting with Us

NELFT places great importance on new starters being properly welcomed into the Trust. All new starters will join the Trust on the first Monday of each month and undertake a comprehensive induction of up to two weeks, including mandatory training, systems training and the allocation of equipment. As part of the process, new starters will also have the opportunity to meet the executive team, senior managers, and attend several 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

This post also attracts payment for a High Cost Area Supplement of 15% of the basic salary (with a minimum of £4,313 to a maximum of £5,436 pro rata for part time).

High Cost Area Supplement – Fringe

This post also attracts payment for a High Cost Area Supplement of 5% of the basic salary (with a minimum of £1,192 to a maximum of £2,011 pro rata for part time).

Working for our organization

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.

• 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 the best people.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

See attached JD.

Person specification

Degree / Diploma in OT.

Essential criteria

• HCPC Registration.
• 3 years paediatric experience.
• Advice, training, and support of more junior staff, students.
• Demonstrates knowledge of best practice, evidence base in paediatric OT.
• Advanced knowledge of childhood occupations, development and impact of conditions on these.
• Knowledge of working in occupational frame of reference.
• Must be up to date.

Desirable criteria

• Prior CAMHS experience.
• Able to carry out complex assessments on a range of children.
• Excellent communication skills.
• CPD.
• Able to work flexibly, adapt to change.
• Excellent time management and organisational skills.
• Have an interest in developing team members.

Benefits

We believe in bringing your authentic and best self to work, in order to deliver the best care to our patients. We are committed to supporting our employees holistically. Here is a snapshot of what is on offer at NELFT:

• A long‑standing and award‑winning approach to equality and diversity with supportive networks for ethnic minority staff, staff with disabilities or long term / chronic conditions and LGBT staff.
• A commitment to supporting colleagues to achieve a work life balance, through flexible working opportunities and our efforts to support our working parents and carers. This has resulted in us being recognised as a ‘Top 10 Family Friendly Employer’ from the Working Families Charity.
• Proactive health and wellbeing support, including access to our employee assistance programme, staff psychological support, individual wellbeing conversations and a network of health and wellbeing ambassadors.
• Detailed information about our wellbeing and benefits offer can be found in this link.

As a flexible working friendly organisation, we want to be sure that you can work in a way that is best for us and for our patients, and for you. Speak to us about how we might be able to accommodate a flexible working arrangement whether that’s a job share, part time hours or another flexible pattern.