Job responsibilities
A great opportunity to join the Suffolk County Council's Learning Disability and Autism Service as anOccupational Therapist.
- Are you looking for an exciting new challenge?
- Do you want to join a thriving, enthusiastic and creative service?
You will help us develop the OT (Occupational Therapy) offer for people with a Learning Disability and/or Autism living in Suffolk.
Due to the nature of the role and geographical demand, we are anticipating that this will be a countywide role therefore you will need to be willing and able to work flexibly and to travel across the county as required.
Whilst we are currently offering a hybrid model, which includes working from home, there will also be the opportunity for you to negotiate your preferred work base from the five offices across the county, to support your work life balance.
As a learningdisability occupational therapist you will:
- have a passion for improving the lives of adults with learning disabilities and for developing your own skills and those of your colleagues
- be co-located with social work colleagues and work closely in partnership with them, as well as with families, paid carers and the wider systems that support people
- use your specialist skills and understanding of the relationship between the individual, their environment and their occupations to support people with complex health needs to live well
- provide specialist occupational therapy assessments of physical, psychological and environmental needs within the statutory obligations of the Directorate (undertaking mental capacity assessments where relevant) for people referred to the service, as well as contributing to the core tasks of the team. This will happen in a variety of community settings including family homes, residential and supported living services, day services and community facilities. We have an advanced digital care offer and will be keen that you explore this support alongside other technology
- collaborate with other Occupational Therapists across the service and help develop the service offer, especially in the area of sensory assessment and support.
We promote personalisation through our practice model, SLCC (Supporting Lives and Connecting Communities), and have adopted the Signs of Safety model throughout ACS (Adult and Community Services). Partnership working is strong and through joint care planning, we strive for a person-centred approach that supports people to be independent, resilient, and having choice and control.
Appointing youas an OT at either:
- Newly Qualified(Grade 5) level at£32,909per annum*(rising to experienced after completion of the Assessed and Supported Year in Employment (ASYE)
- Experienced(Grade 5) level at£33,820- £36,298per annum*
- Senior(Grade 6) level at£36,298- £42,380per annum* (*pro rata if part time)
You will need:
- a relevant Occupational Therapy qualification
- an HCPC registration
The Service
In Learning Disabilities and Autism, we operate as a countywide service with offices in Ipswich, Bury St Edmunds, Stowmarket and Beccles.
Our teams consists of:
- Team Manager
- Senior Practitioner
- Occupational Therapists
- Social Workers
- Independence and Wellbeing Practitioners
- Business and Finance Officers.
In addition to four locality teams, we have two specialist teams: Specialist Support team and our Review and Audit team, and they are both based in Ipswich.Our Professional Advisors also sit within our service, with a strong link to Suffolk County Councils Quality Assurance team and this means that they are available to support our frontline social work teams, in terms of joining up practice and legislative duties and responsibilities. We are committed to co-production of solutions and the Learning Disability strategy, vision and test, which keeps our purpose grounded.
This is an exciting time to join the service as an Occupational Therapist as we are looking to develop the OT offer to ensure Occupational Therapy plays a key role in progression planning and the development of enablement and longer-term care and support plans that maximise meaningful occupation, activity, and independence.
In this role you will work closely with all the teams, the digital lead, care providers, and colleagues to improve the lives of people with learning disabilities who are amongst the most socially isolated and vulnerable groups in society. We are moving towards integration with our health colleagues and you will be required to attend multidisciplinary meetings and represent the profession in forums to assist with this.
Broad categories and approaches of intervention will include:
- moving and handling
- environmental adaptation
- sensory integration
- skill development for activities of daily living,leisure,education,employment and parenting.
We would want you to use your knowledge to offer interventions to those whose behaviour is described as challenging or distressed. In addition, your input will be particularly valued during times of transition, for example moving from one environment to another or moving from child to adult services. Specifically, we would welcome applications from candidates with a qualification in Sensory Integration or an interest in Sensory Integration Theory and Practice.
We have a stable and experienced senior management team and the Learning Disability and Autism service is currently set up as a corporate transformation programme to ensure delivery of transformation, in line with both national and local objectives. Colleagues within Service Development and Contract Management sit alongside our operational service and helps us to create a joined-up programme of work and innovative thinking. The service is closely aligned with Mental Health; integration with Health is a key priority, as is Transforming Care and the development of a Housing strategy. Signs of Safety has been adopted as our practice model.
Travelling requirements for your roleWe positively encourage the use of technology to communicate, but in this role, you will need to travel to locations away from your contractual base, so you must either hold a full and current driving licence and have access to personal transport or meet the mobility requirements of the role through other reasonable and suitable means. If you require a reasonable adjustment due to a disability to meet the travel requirements of this role, please speak with the contact detailed below.
This role supports hybrid working, a broadly even balance between working from home and working from an office base. Please speak with the contact detailed below if you wish to discuss how that might impact your working arrangements. #LI-Hybrid
To find out more
For an informal discussion about this role, please contactJames Boutlebycalling07355 029332orCatherine Scoreby emailingcatherine.score@suffolk.gov.uk
How to apply
Please read therelevantJob and Person Profile (JPP)below before applying for this job opportunity.
- Occupational Therapist Grade 5 JPP (docx)
- Senior Occupational Therapist Grade 6 JPP (docx)
Upload your CV (Curriculum Vitae)and complete the short online application form.
Closing date: 11.30pm, 31 August 2023.
