Job summary
CSH Surrey are looking for enthusiastic, compassionate and dedicated Occupational Therapy assistantsto join our team.Experience
of working with children, young people and families with or without
disabilities is desirable but not essential, so if you are looking for a new career path we recognise that your transferable skills are a valuable
asset.
This
post will offers the opportunity to work alongside our
supportive team of therapists and assistants in providing a high
quality occupation based provision to children aged 0-19 years,who experience a variety of challenges in their everyday living across home, school and the community.
You will carry out essential roles within the Occupational Therapy
process, including EHCP and Health provision delivery, equipment needs monitoring, advice and training,
group and workshop facilitation.
We are a proactive
service responsive to best practice evidence, we deliver services targeted at
the whole population supporting early years settings, schools and parents to
meet needs pre- referral.
Due
to the community nature of this post the candidates will need to be able to
work independently, have excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to work
as part of the multidisciplinary team.
We
can offer flexible working, training and development opportunities, a
supportive supervision structure and much, much more.
Therapy assistants are highly valued and we offer the benefits of high cost area allowance, expenses and the NHS pension scheme.
Main duties of the job
The role of Occupational Therapy assistant is exciting and varied. As an integral member of the therapy team the role involves working in collaboration with the child / young person, parents, carers and educational setting to enable the child / young person to achieve their best outcomes in relation to every day functioning and daily occupations. Your role involves facilitating the support network of the child / young person to enable their independence through working closely with them using a range of approaches and resources.
As part of the role of Occupational Therapy assistant you will work across a variety of settings including clinics, schools, nurseries and specialist settings. It will be part of your role to effectively plan and organise your daily tasks and manage a caseload with the support of the therapists.
It will be part of your role to contribute to the team through team meetings and service development. As part of your responsibility to ongoing professional development you will develop knowledge and skills in the application of the OT role.
Due to the community nature of this role, you will be required to be proactive in your communication with the team and use initiative and creativity to support the delivery of the service.
About us
CSH Surrey are part of the NHS and are Surreys largest and longest
established NHS community services provider, so our 1500+ employees get
NHS pay and pensions, and also receive the Fringe High-Cost Allowance of
5%.
Our staff enjoy excellent training and development opportunities, including the
care certificate, apprenticeships, numeracy and literacy courses, access to
the Nursing Associate programme, and a wide variety of management and
leadership courses and programmes.
We CARE about our staff though through our values of Compassion,
Accountability, Respect and Excellence. Our active employee council called
The Voice, elect employee representatives to ensure colleagues' voices are
heard at Board level.
CSH is a diverse organisation, if you are a passionate, person-focused
individual then apply to join CSH Surrey today!
We welcome candidates from
all backgrounds who meet the essential criteria of the job you are applying for
and if you require any reasonable adjustments, please contact the named
individual for this advert, or our recruitment team.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Principal duties to include:
1. Under the guidance of the qualified occupational therapist, provide support and advice for
the childs family and parents about aspects of their care that relate to their therapy needs,
adjusting your use of language to allow for their level of comprehension to understand.
2. To provide and receive complex and sensitive information with regard to a childs difficulties
and expectations.
3. To attend meetings where requested in order to provide feedback about therapy sessions
and relay information from the therapist.
4. To be able to demonstrate empathy and sensitivity in response to parents and children.
5. To work closely with parents who are themselves dealing with anger, grief and frustration
as they come to terms with the impact of their childs condition.
6. To contribute to the assessment process and provide feedback to the therapist.
7. To contribute to reports of therapists for use within inter-agencies, e.g. educational
documentation relevant to the practice setting, standards and guidelines
8. To ensure that up to date written electronic records and activity are maintained in
accordance with the professional and organisation standards
9. To make referrals to other professionals and agencies if required following discussion with
the appropriate therapist to address the childs global needs.
10. To provide training to parents/carers and educational staff
11. To participate in the delivery of the therapy development plan and to contribute to specific
projects within the team.
12. To demonstrate on going personal development through participation in internal and
external development opportunities.
13. To assist the occupational therapist as required.
14. To effectively plan the daily management of a caseload of children.
15. To respond to urgent referrals/ requests and occasionally unpredictable work patterns
16. To prioritise clinical work and balance other patient related and professional activities as
the department requires e.g. statutory and mandatory training
17. To assess clients, carers and other professionals understanding of treatment proposals,
gain valid consent and have the capacity to work within a legal framework with clients who
lack capacity to consent to treatment.
18. To implement therapy plans for each child incorporating individual or group interventions for
use at home and/or in education settings under the guidance of an Occupational Therapist
19. To contribute to the re-evaluation and progress of therapy programmes depending on the
needs of each child and the outcomes expected in conjunction with the occupational
therapist.
20. To use investigative and analytical skills, and where unsure to seek guidance from senior
team members.
21. To implement a range of routine child centred individual and/ or group interventions using
clinical reasoning skills.
22. To ensure that clinical roles are maintained where appropriate training has been given and
competencies have been assessed.
23. To advise therapist of any therapeutic equipment/materials needed for the service
24. To be responsible for equipment used in carrying out occupational therapy duties and to
adhere to departmental policies and guidelines to ensure safe use of equipment by self and
others.
25. To share responsibility for departmental tidiness, maintenance and administration
This job description is not exhaustive and the post holder may be required to
undertake such other duties from time to time as are consistent with the
responsibility of the grade.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Principal duties to include:
1. Under the guidance of the qualified occupational therapist, provide support and advice for
the childs family and parents about aspects of their care that relate to their therapy needs,
adjusting your use of language to allow for their level of comprehension to understand.
2. To provide and receive complex and sensitive information with regard to a childs difficulties
and expectations.
3. To attend meetings where requested in order to provide feedback about therapy sessions
and relay information from the therapist.
4. To be able to demonstrate empathy and sensitivity in response to parents and children.
5. To work closely with parents who are themselves dealing with anger, grief and frustration
as they come to terms with the impact of their childs condition.
6. To contribute to the assessment process and provide feedback to the therapist.
7. To contribute to reports of therapists for use within inter-agencies, e.g. educational
documentation relevant to the practice setting, standards and guidelines
8. To ensure that up to date written electronic records and activity are maintained in
accordance with the professional and organisation standards
9. To make referrals to other professionals and agencies if required following discussion with
the appropriate therapist to address the childs global needs.
10. To provide training to parents/carers and educational staff
11. To participate in the delivery of the therapy development plan and to contribute to specific
projects within the team.
12. To demonstrate on going personal development through participation in internal and
external development opportunities.
13. To assist the occupational therapist as required.
14. To effectively plan the daily management of a caseload of children.
15. To respond to urgent referrals/ requests and occasionally unpredictable work patterns
16. To prioritise clinical work and balance other patient related and professional activities as
the department requires e.g. statutory and mandatory training
17. To assess clients, carers and other professionals understanding of treatment proposals,
gain valid consent and have the capacity to work within a legal framework with clients who
lack capacity to consent to treatment.
18. To implement therapy plans for each child incorporating individual or group interventions for
use at home and/or in education settings under the guidance of an Occupational Therapist
19. To contribute to the re-evaluation and progress of therapy programmes depending on the
needs of each child and the outcomes expected in conjunction with the occupational
therapist.
20. To use investigative and analytical skills, and where unsure to seek guidance from senior
team members.
21. To implement a range of routine child centred individual and/ or group interventions using
clinical reasoning skills.
22. To ensure that clinical roles are maintained where appropriate training has been given and
competencies have been assessed.
23. To advise therapist of any therapeutic equipment/materials needed for the service
24. To be responsible for equipment used in carrying out occupational therapy duties and to
adhere to departmental policies and guidelines to ensure safe use of equipment by self and
others.
25. To share responsibility for departmental tidiness, maintenance and administration
This job description is not exhaustive and the post holder may be required to
undertake such other duties from time to time as are consistent with the
responsibility of the grade.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- GCSE English Grade C or above (or equivalent)
- Relevant qualification e.g. B Tech or NVQ level 3.
- Evidence of Personal Development
Desirable
- Paid or voluntary work with relevant care/client group
- Evidence of specific knowledge relating to client group/ profession
- Knowledge of report writing (clinical)
Experience
Essential
- To work independently
- To problem solve
- Good written and verbal communication skills
- The ability to learn
- To be flexible in approach and be responsive to changing demands
- Able to prioritise/time manage
- Ability to generate ideas and develop these
- To self-evaluate performance, completing set programmes independently and seek advice as appropriate
- To gather, analyse and evaluate clinical information with supervision
- To identify risk and how to minimise its effects upon individuals safety
- Ability to form judgements
- Contribute effectively to training sessions
- Car owner/driver
- Able to work as a team member
- Flexible worker
- Punctual and reliable
- Able to deal with difficulties involving colleagues / clients
Desirable
- Understanding of the range of Occupational Therapy offered for children and the role of the OT assistant within the NHS and Education settings
- Experience of working with a multi-disciplinary Team
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- GCSE English Grade C or above (or equivalent)
- Relevant qualification e.g. B Tech or NVQ level 3.
- Evidence of Personal Development
Desirable
- Paid or voluntary work with relevant care/client group
- Evidence of specific knowledge relating to client group/ profession
- Knowledge of report writing (clinical)
Experience
Essential
- To work independently
- To problem solve
- Good written and verbal communication skills
- The ability to learn
- To be flexible in approach and be responsive to changing demands
- Able to prioritise/time manage
- Ability to generate ideas and develop these
- To self-evaluate performance, completing set programmes independently and seek advice as appropriate
- To gather, analyse and evaluate clinical information with supervision
- To identify risk and how to minimise its effects upon individuals safety
- Ability to form judgements
- Contribute effectively to training sessions
- Car owner/driver
- Able to work as a team member
- Flexible worker
- Punctual and reliable
- Able to deal with difficulties involving colleagues / clients
Desirable
- Understanding of the range of Occupational Therapy offered for children and the role of the OT assistant within the NHS and Education settings
- Experience of working with a multi-disciplinary Team
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.
