Advanced Practitioner Assistive Technology, Band 7, School

Job responsibilities

Clinical Skills and Responsibilities

Lead the provision of high quality, evidence based assistive technology interventions, for children and young people attending The Childrens Trust School and receiving in-patient neurorehabilitation.

Provide clinical leadership to the Assistive Technology Team, identifying service priorities, service delivery methods and standards of practice.

Provide assessments for complex augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) systems

Identify service needs for AAC and selection of appropriate hardware, software, access, and mounting options, as per organisational policies and procedures.

Understanding of mainstream technologies in specialist support, assistive technology, and computer access.

Knowledge of environmental control and powered mobility.

Lead in the design and implementation of communication and technology resources.

Maintain and disseminate specialist knowledge of eye-gaze control and the use of eye-tracking, within clinical assessment and management.

Develop therapy goals, plans and methods, in collaboration with the child and family/carers, as well as the Multidisciplinary and Education teams, founded upon evidence-based practice.

Be an autonomous Practitioner, with responsibility and overview for Assistive Technology interventions, and maintaining relevant records and reports.

Work closely with all members of the Multidisciplinary Team, as well as the child and family, to provide a fully integrated approach to the overall management of the child. This will include any home/school visits, professional child related meetings and/ or appointments, as required.

Identify and utilise specialist assessments and relevant outcome measures, for children/young people receiving assistive technology interventions.

Work flexibly across site as needed e.g. with the team in the Childrens Trust School

Work flexibly in terms of hours, in order to meet the needs of the service, including an early evening (weekly) and one weekend day, per calendar month.

Represent the Therapy Team and The Childrens Trust when appropriate, deputising for the Team as required.

Undertake specialist assessments, externally responding to national and international requests.

Act as the Lead Professional for complex case management and coordination, as and when required.

Actively participate in, support and Chair relevant Multidisciplinary Team meetings, as and when required.

Undertake other or additional duties that are within your skills and abilities, as the organisation may reasonably require from time to time.

Communication

Communicate effectively with children/young people, applying the principles of consistent communication.

Embed effective communication guidelines across site and communication standards for children and young people with PMLD.

Facilitate effective communication with families and members of the Multidisciplinary Team.

Recognise barriers to communication and be able to reduce these as appropriate.

Communicate regularly and effectively with the Heads of Therapy.

Maintain clear and concise documents and records, in accordance with The Childrens Trust polices.

Ensure documents are managed confidentially at all times.

Attends regular meetings with the Multidisciplinary Team to discuss individual children/young people and service development in general, as required e.g. reviews, case conferences, parents evenings, clinics, etc.

Manage informal complaints, in line with The Childrens Trust polices and contribute to the resolution of written complaints and as they occur, taking immediate action where necessary.

Develop and promote relationships with external networks, including professionals, stakeholders, and specialist centres, in order to ensure excellence of care, whilst representing the organisation and reflecting The Childrens Trust core values.

Be able to discuss challenging and emotive subjects with families and children/young people, regarding long-term needs and possible outcomes.

Management of Self and Others

Provide day-to-day leadership, support and supervision for junior staff, technicians, volunteers, and students, within area of responsibility, providing direction, motivation, and support to achieve key objectives.

Participate in the annual Performance Development Review and monthly supervision sessions, as required by The Childrens Trust, both as Appraiser and Appraisee.

Advise the Head of Therapy, regarding resources and equipment needs, including shortfalls.

Manage time effectively, prioritising, and delegating work, as required.

Governance

Read and implement all policies, procedures, and risk assessments, pertinent to working practice and keep up to date with changes as and when they occur.

Critically evaluate practice through clinical audits and by appraisal of the information gained, in combination with current knowledge of evidence-based practice; identify opportunities for service improvement and development.

Recognise and critically appraise situations where the effectiveness, efficiency and quality of the service are compromised and take appropriate action to resolve the situation.

Critically reflect on own performance and that of other staff; use this evaluation to enhance the effectiveness, efficiency, and quality of future practice.

Actively participate in local clinical governance activities.

Professionalism

Meet relevant HCPC and professional body standards, with respect to professionalism and to keep up to date with any changes.

Be responsible for maintaining registration with HCPC and other relevant Professional Bodies.

Takes action and raises concerns.

Adhere to the policies and procedures of The Childrens Trust.

Maintain professional boundaries and professionalism at all times.

Committed to demonstrating the organisations values and behaviours at all times.

Career Long Learning, Education and Research

Undertake all mandatory training, in line with The Childrens Trust policy.

Prepare appropriately for Performance Development Reviews; identifying learning objectives and setting targets, as well as opportunities for professional development, in order to meet Continuous Professional Development requirements.

Independently advance personal knowledge, understanding and skills, in line with identified learning needs, by making appropriate use of a variety of learning and development resources and opportunities, e.g. by attending courses/ lectures, contact and involvement with relevant special interest groups, and/ or visiting other departments.

Lead the Continuous Professional Development in area of specialism and key responsibilities.

Active membership role in The Children's Trust Research Committee, contributing to research priorities.

Take an overview of assistive technology research priorities and projects.

Submit research Abstracts/ Posters to both local and national conferences, disseminating the work of the assistive technology team externally.

Continuously update knowledge surrounding external practice environments and highlight any issues that may impact upon existing service delivery, policies, and procedures.

Participate in and co-design in-service competency training programmes and teaching sessions, as appropriate.

Design and deliver external training in the specialism of Assistive Technology, on behalf of The Childrens Trust.

Limits of Authority and Problem Solving

Make day-to-day decisions regarding case load and consultations.

Sign-off items within agreed budget amount.

Formal, monthly supervision of junior colleagues.

Support the Heads of Therapy in the delivery of an effective Therapy Service.

Deputise for Heads of Therapy, as and when required.

Support recruitment processes (as requested by the Head of Therapy) and ensure Succession Planning for the service.

Any other duties, as required and deemed appropriate.

Health and Safety

Adheres to all Health and Safety guidelines, principles, and regulations to perform your role and comply with The Childrens Trust policies and procedures.

Provide evidence of all vaccinations (or medical exemption) required for the post.

Adhere to manual handling procedures and complete mandatory manual handling training.

Promotes the health and safety of others.

Uses the incident reporting and risk assessment system (IRAR), to identify and report risks and incidents/actions if directed.

Responsible for identifying and mitigating risk within the work environment.

Wellbeing and Emotional Resilience

Maintains a positive approach and outlook when dealing with change and overcoming challenges and problems.

Recognises own limitations, develops realistic goals, and uses support network resource when or if necessary.

Treats challenges and problems as a learning experience.

Remains organised and focused when under pressure.

Responds appropriately and effectively to all constructive feedback.

Motivates self and others.

Qualifications

Essential

• Degree in relevant Therapy Discipline.
• HCPC Registration.
• Member of Professional Body.
• Maintained portfolio of Continuous Professional Development, in-line with regulatory body standards.

Desirable

• Postgraduate Diploma or Masters (or currently enrolled/ near to completion)

Experience

Essential

• Minimum of five years clinical experience post qualification.
• Experience of working with children/young people with acquired brain injury/ neuro-disability with associated physical, cognitive, learning, and/or sensory deficits.
• Experience of working as part of a multidisciplinary team.
• Experience of working with families.

Skills & Abilities

Essential

• Clinical assessment and intervention skills, relevant to children and young people with neurodisabilities, in the area of Assistive Technology and AAC.
• Analytical and creative problem-solving skills in unpredictable situations (synthesising a variety of evidence) and presenting this in a relevant and appropriate format e.g. reports / presentations.
• Workload management, including delegation of tasks and day-to-day team leadership.
• Ability to supervise/manage others and enable development of their skills.
• Competent IT skills, in order to collect and interpret data, present reports and compile presentations in a range of contexts.
• Ability to work flexibly, in order to meet the needs of the service, including an early evening (weekly) and one weekend day, per calendar month (N.B. there is no On Call service required).
• Advanced verbal, non-verbal and written communication skills, including communicating complex or potentially distressing information to parents/carers and managing conflict when appropriate.
• Risk assessment skills.
• Reflective Practice skills able to give clear and effective feedback and support others in their development.
• Ability to take an oversight and leadership of clinical audits, within specialist clinical area.

Knowledge

Essential

• In-depth knowledge of mainstream technology, AAC, eye-gaze, powered mobility, and environmental control.
• Selection of appropriate devices, software, techniques, or strategies to support communication, access to the curriculum, play and leisure.
• Knowledge and understanding of safeguarding children and young people with complex disabilities.
• Competent skills in Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
• Knowledge of current research, clinical audit, and service evaluation methods.
• Knowledge of service improvement and change management.

Personal Qualities

Essential

• Ability to cope with working in a demanding environment.
• Flexible and can do attitude towards competing workload commitments.
• Highly motivated and reliable.
• Commitment to the vision and values of The Childrens Trust.

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.

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).