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Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust

Senior Occupational Therapist - Specialist Learning Disability Service

The closing date is 02 November 2025

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Job summary

We are excited to be advertising for an enthusiastic, creative and passionate Senior Occupational Therapist for the country wide Specialist Learning Disability Service.

The Specialist Learning Disability Service is a Specialist service consisting of Learning Disability Nurses. Clinical Psychologists, Occupational Therapists & Assistant Practitioners who offer a range of services for children and adolescents with a diagnosed Learning Disability and Autism from assessment and intervention to consultation, liaison and training for other agencies.

The service can support Children & Adolescents with a moderate to profound Learning Disability, in conjunction with complex behavioural, health or Sleep issues related to this diagnosis.

The Specialist Learning Disability Service provides care to children and young people across the county via a hybrid working approach of remote/virtual professional consultations, face to face, online workshops and training sessions.

Main duties of the job

This is a an exciting opportunity for you to work closely with the Specialist Occupational Therapist to design and development of this emerging and innovative role within Children and Family Health Devon. You will hold a caseload working across the different environments such as homes, schools, virtual consultations/workshops and clinics across the county (some consideration will be given to locality working please contact us with any queries).

We provide training in Positive Behaviour Support, Specialist Sleep Training, FAIT (Frankish Assessment on the Impact of Trauma) and Talking Mats . Bespoke training is also considered if required for the role.

We work closely with our AHP colleagues across the wider Children and Family Health Devon service to provide specialist support and advice for complex cases with a moderate, severe or profound learning disability.

This role will have links with the wider OT teams within CFHD to ensure best practices, sharing of OT specific resource sharing and maintenance of professional standards for Occupational Therapy practice, conduct and ethics.

We invite discussions with all individuals interested in this role, and we're open to exploring shared positions with part-time hours. Rest assured, we offer a supportive induction package to ensure your smooth transition into our team. We also nurture continuous growth within CFHD with our active encouragement of training and CPD

About us

Why Work With Us

Children and Family Health Devon (CFHD) comprises an Alliance of NHS organisations working together to improve health outcomes for children and young people in Devon.

CFHD provides integrated care and treatment for children and young people across physical and mental health which are provided by Torbay and South Devon Foundation Trust and Devon Partnership Trust. We are working closely with other organisations and providers to ensure we deliver locality and county-wide based integrated access to all of our services, based on the i-Thrive Framework, in response to consultation with our service users and communities.

CFHD works closely with our local universities of Plymouth, Exeter & the Peninsula Medical School where we support students in clinical training placements and in addition support our own staff to undertake post graduate training.

Our integrated care and treatment has been developed and refined in partnership with children, young people and their families/carers.

Our vision is to be a successful, vibrant, partnership that benefits the communities we serve.

Details

Date posted

17 October 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 6

Salary

£38,682 to £46,580 a year per annum pro rata

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Part-time

Reference number

388-7538669-CFHD

Job locations

Devon Wide post - base to be confirmed.

Bittern Road

Exeter

EX2 7FW


Job description

Job responsibilities

  • Hold responsibility for the assessment, diagnosis and treatment of a case load within a designated geographical area, within own level of competence and capability
  • Using a strengths-based approach; ensure clinical effectiveness through the use of evidence-based interventions, goal-based, collaborative practice and Routine Outcome Measures
  • Deliver specialist occupational therapy advice, assessment and interventions to children and young people with moderate, severe and profound learning disability and/or neuro developmental and/or genetic conditions who are experiencing a range of difficulties in maximising their occupational performance within different settings.
  • Interventions may include direct therapy, coaching or training to caregivers and education providers and occasionally provision of recommendations for suitable adaptive equipment where this is a statutory provision and provide specialist guidance and recommendations for home or school adaptations
  • Provide a range of early help/light touch interventions across pathways such as sleep, communication issues, positive behavioural support
  • Support Community Learning Disability Support Workers
  • Mentor/clinically supervise newly qualified Occupational Therapists and Band 4/5 staff as required
  • Participate in the provision of student placements
  • To promote and support participation of children and young people across the Specialist Learning Disability service
  • To work across other geographical areas as required to support colleagues and children and young people with moderate, severe and profound learning disability and/or neuro developmental and/or genetic conditions according to need and demands.

Job description

Job responsibilities

  • Hold responsibility for the assessment, diagnosis and treatment of a case load within a designated geographical area, within own level of competence and capability
  • Using a strengths-based approach; ensure clinical effectiveness through the use of evidence-based interventions, goal-based, collaborative practice and Routine Outcome Measures
  • Deliver specialist occupational therapy advice, assessment and interventions to children and young people with moderate, severe and profound learning disability and/or neuro developmental and/or genetic conditions who are experiencing a range of difficulties in maximising their occupational performance within different settings.
  • Interventions may include direct therapy, coaching or training to caregivers and education providers and occasionally provision of recommendations for suitable adaptive equipment where this is a statutory provision and provide specialist guidance and recommendations for home or school adaptations
  • Provide a range of early help/light touch interventions across pathways such as sleep, communication issues, positive behavioural support
  • Support Community Learning Disability Support Workers
  • Mentor/clinically supervise newly qualified Occupational Therapists and Band 4/5 staff as required
  • Participate in the provision of student placements
  • To promote and support participation of children and young people across the Specialist Learning Disability service
  • To work across other geographical areas as required to support colleagues and children and young people with moderate, severe and profound learning disability and/or neuro developmental and/or genetic conditions according to need and demands.

Person Specification

Essential

Essential

  • Degree in Occupational Therapy
  • HCPC registration

Desirable

  • Post -graduate certified courses specific to children's needs
  • Experience and knowledge of working with young people with a Learning Disability
Person Specification

Essential

Essential

  • Degree in Occupational Therapy
  • HCPC registration

Desirable

  • Post -graduate certified courses specific to children's needs
  • Experience and knowledge of working with young people with a Learning Disability

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).

Additional information

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).

Employer details

Employer name

Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Devon Wide post - base to be confirmed.

Bittern Road

Exeter

EX2 7FW


Employer's website

https://www.torbayandsouthdevon.nhs.uk (Opens in a new tab)

Employer details

Employer name

Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Devon Wide post - base to be confirmed.

Bittern Road

Exeter

EX2 7FW


Employer's website

https://www.torbayandsouthdevon.nhs.uk (Opens in a new tab)

Employer contact details

For questions about the job, contact:

Specialist Occupational Therapist

Martha Hocking

martha.hocking1@nhs.net

07971247863

Details

Date posted

17 October 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 6

Salary

£38,682 to £46,580 a year per annum pro rata

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Part-time

Reference number

388-7538669-CFHD

Job locations

Devon Wide post - base to be confirmed.

Bittern Road

Exeter

EX2 7FW


Supporting documents

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