Job summary
An exciting opportunity has arisen to join a new service for West Yorkshire and Barnsley delivering inpatient care for people with a learning disability. Bradford District Care NHS Foundation Trust and South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust have partnered to provide specialist inpatient services from two units: the Horizon Centre in Wakefield and a new Assessment and Treatment Unit (ATU) at Lynfield Mount Hospital in Bradford.
Leeds and York Partnership Foundation Trust will support governance and assurance, ensuring the arrangement works for people in Leeds.
Our ambition is to create a West Yorkshire Centre of Excellence across these units, offering high-quality care through a collaborative approach. We want this to be a great place to work - and we need you!
We are recruiting 3 Occupational Therapy Support Workers who are kind, caring, compassionate, and motivated to make a real difference. You'll help us deliver specialist care close to home for people across West Yorkshire and Barnsley.
We promote inclusivity, diversity, and continuous improvement. Flexible working, job share, and part-time options are available where possible. We welcome applications from all backgrounds, including ethnic minority communities and people with disabilities.
Join a friendly team that values work-life balance and celebrates success. We'd love to hear about your talent!
Closing Date: 17th December 2025
Shortlisting Date: 18th December 2025
Interview Date: TBC
Main duties of the job
- Support registered Occupational Therapists in delivering high-quality, person-centred therapeutic interventions for adults with learning disabilities in an inpatient setting.
- Assist service users in developing daily living skills (personal care, cooking, cleaning, leisure, and community engagement) to promote independence and quality of life.
- Implement individual and group treatment programmes tailored to each service user's needs and goals.
- Use positive behaviour support approaches to enable participation and manage challenging behaviours safely and respectfully.
- Carry out delegated observations or activity-based assessments and report outcomes to the supervising Occupational Therapist.
- Prepare and adapt activity materials and environments to support therapeutic interventions.
- Encourage service users to engage in meaningful occupation, promoting choice, inclusion, and routine.
- Maintain accurate, timely, and confidential clinical records in line with Trust policies.
- Communicate effectively with service users, families, carers, and the multidisciplinary team.
- Support with service audits, data collection, and evaluation of therapeutic programmes.
- Follow all health and safety, infection control, and safeguarding policies and procedures.
- Participate in supervision, training, and service development initiatives.
About us
Everything we do is underpinned by our core values: -
We Care- We act with respect and empathy, and always value difference
We Listen- We understand people's views and respond to their individual needs
We Deliver- We develop and provide excellent services and support our partners
We will consider a variety of flexible working arrangements to enable staff to balance their work and home lives and support staff by offering a fantastic range of benefits including :
Increase mileage rates for > 3500
A wide range of health and wellbeing support packages
A range of internal and external development and learning opportunities
Plus many more.
We are also proud to pledge our support to the Armed Forces and hold a Bronze Award in the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme.
BDCFT is dedicated to environmental and social sustainability by delivering on the commitments within our Green Plan. All staff are actively encouraged and supported to participate in training and to identify and implement sustainable quality improvement across all service areas and activities.
Please note that the Trust reserves the right to close the vacancy before the closing date if a sufficient number of applications are received. It is in the candidate's best interest to apply as soon as possible
Job description
Job responsibilities
Please read the attached Job description and person specification for further details about this role.
Right to Work in the UK
Prior to your appointment you will be asked to provide confirmation of your right to work and reside in the UK. During your continued employment with the Trust, you have a personal responsibility to notify your manager as soon as possible should there be any changes to your right to work status.Regrettably, if the role is not eligible for sponsorship under the Trusts eligibility criteria, the Trust are unable to extend your employment beyond the expiration of your current visa. The Trust is not responsible or liable for ensuring that your employment continues after this period.
As a condition of continuous employment, it essential you maintain the legal right to work in the United Kingdom throughout the duration of your employment with Bradford District Care NHS Foundation Trust (BDCFT).
Any change in your right-to-work status, including but not limited to visa expiration, revocation, or denial of renewal, may impact your eligibility for employment with the Trust. It is your responsibility to promptly inform your Line Manager of any changes in your right-to-work status immediately and to provide necessary documentation for verification purposes. Failure to obtain or renew your visa in a timely manner is a breach of employment conditions and will result in termination of your employment. We appreciate your attention to this matter and your commitment to fulfilling this requirement promptly
Job description
Job responsibilities
Please read the attached Job description and person specification for further details about this role.
Right to Work in the UK
Prior to your appointment you will be asked to provide confirmation of your right to work and reside in the UK. During your continued employment with the Trust, you have a personal responsibility to notify your manager as soon as possible should there be any changes to your right to work status.Regrettably, if the role is not eligible for sponsorship under the Trusts eligibility criteria, the Trust are unable to extend your employment beyond the expiration of your current visa. The Trust is not responsible or liable for ensuring that your employment continues after this period.
As a condition of continuous employment, it essential you maintain the legal right to work in the United Kingdom throughout the duration of your employment with Bradford District Care NHS Foundation Trust (BDCFT).
Any change in your right-to-work status, including but not limited to visa expiration, revocation, or denial of renewal, may impact your eligibility for employment with the Trust. It is your responsibility to promptly inform your Line Manager of any changes in your right-to-work status immediately and to provide necessary documentation for verification purposes. Failure to obtain or renew your visa in a timely manner is a breach of employment conditions and will result in termination of your employment. We appreciate your attention to this matter and your commitment to fulfilling this requirement promptly
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- GCSEs (or equivalent) in English and Maths.
- NVQ Level 3 in Health and Social Care (or equivalent)
Desirable
- Evidence of further academic achievement relevant to working with people with learning disability and challenging behaviour
Training
Essential
- Basic IT skills for recording and reporting information.
- Willing and able to undertake all Trust mandatory training requirements
- Willingness to undergo job development and training
Desirable
- Positive Behavioural Support
Experience
Essential
- Experience working with adults with learning disabilities, autism, or complex behavioural/mental health needs.
- Experience of running activities/implementing activities programmes with the same or a similar client group
Desirable
- Experience working in an inpatient or residential care environment.
Skills
Essential
- Has effective written communication skills with the ability to write/document service user progress notes, complete appropriate forms etc.
- Good communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to adapt communication methods
- Ability to work effectively within a multidisciplinary team.
Knowledge
Essential
- Awareness of sensory integration, cognitive approaches, or positive behaviour support.
- Understanding of the role of occupational therapy in learning disability services.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- GCSEs (or equivalent) in English and Maths.
- NVQ Level 3 in Health and Social Care (or equivalent)
Desirable
- Evidence of further academic achievement relevant to working with people with learning disability and challenging behaviour
Training
Essential
- Basic IT skills for recording and reporting information.
- Willing and able to undertake all Trust mandatory training requirements
- Willingness to undergo job development and training
Desirable
- Positive Behavioural Support
Experience
Essential
- Experience working with adults with learning disabilities, autism, or complex behavioural/mental health needs.
- Experience of running activities/implementing activities programmes with the same or a similar client group
Desirable
- Experience working in an inpatient or residential care environment.
Skills
Essential
- Has effective written communication skills with the ability to write/document service user progress notes, complete appropriate forms etc.
- Good communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to adapt communication methods
- Ability to work effectively within a multidisciplinary team.
Knowledge
Essential
- Awareness of sensory integration, cognitive approaches, or positive behaviour support.
- Understanding of the role of occupational therapy in learning disability services.
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.
