Children's Occupational Therapist Experts at Hand Clinical Lead

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an experienced and motivated Occupational Therapist to take a leading role in delivering Bromley's Experts at Hand (EaH) model, supporting system-wide SEND reform and strengthening universal and targeted provision across education and early-years settings. As a locality lead within a tiered service delivery model, you will drive early identification, inclusive practice and workforce capability building. Working as part of a wider multidisciplinary team, you will shape whole-school approaches, lead consultation and coaching, and embed evidence-based OT strategies across diverse educational environments.

Day-to-day practice includes coaching and modelling OT strategies in context, delivering targeted interventions, supporting staff training, and responding flexibly to emerging needs within your locality. Alongside these system-level responsibilities, you will maintain a small targeted-plus and specialist caseload, providing assessment, intervention and collaborative problem-solving for children with more complex occupational performance needs.

The Children’s Occupational Therapy Service provides high-quality occupational therapy to children and young people 0-18 years old, with difficulties in play, self-care and/or school occupations due to a variety of conditions. Occupational Therapists within the service work autonomously, seeing children in a variety of community healthcare and educational settings including clients' homes, clinics, schools, nurseries and specialist educational settings. Children and young people referred to the service may have multiple and complex conditions.

As an experienced practitioner, the Highly Specialist Children’s Occupational Therapist will manage a team of occupational therapists who will work to build capacity in mainstream schools through universal and targeted work, while also holding a complex clinical caseload of specialist cases. The Occupational Therapy lead will be expected to oversee as well as support the team in managing the offer for schools and early year settings while ensuring children who need specialist care get timely assessments. The postholder will also offer specialist support and education to healthcare colleagues and other agencies involved in the child's care.

The Highly Specialist Children’s Occupational Therapist will provide leadership and line management within the service, including recruitment and retention, appraisal and performance/absence management.

Job Responsibilities:

• To provide occupational therapy consultation, advice, and support to schools through the Experts at Hand service delivery model, working collaboratively with education settings, families, and professionals to build capacity, promote early identification, inclusion, participation, and support the implementation of evidence-based strategies that meet the functional needs of children and young people.
• Manage a complex clinical caseload, using evidence-based practice and client centred care, undertaking assessment, interpretation of assessment results, evaluation, meaningful goals, treatment, and advice.
• To use advanced clinical reasoning skills to analyse and interpret complex assessment findings, from both standardised and non-standardised assessments in order to help contribute and formulate uni-disciplinary and multi-disciplinary outcomes and goals in collaboration with the children and/or family whenever possible.
• Develop, plan and implement specialist Occupational Therapy treatment programme and strategies to enhance the child's ability to perform everyday activities and participate in multiple environments through verbal and written advice and recommendations, written advice sheets, individual treatment and/or group therapy.

Person Specification:

• Educated to diploma or degree level in Occupational Therapy or equivalent training/study.
• HCPC registration.
• Evidence of Continuing Professional Development, including post registration training/qualifications in relevant specialist areas e.g. sensory integration levels 1 and 2, CO-OP approach, neurodevelopment and complex needs.
• Post registration training/qualification in leadership and management, or equivalent experience.
• Comprehensive training in assessment and treatment of children with complex functional needs.
• Field Work Educator Course, or equivalent training/experience.

Desirable:

• Training specific to EHC process, including report writing and giving evidence at tribunals/hearings.

Specific Skills:

• Ability to autonomously manage a complex caseload within a community paediatric setting.
• Significant, current and relevant clinical skills - either developed in children's OT or transferable - demonstrating evidence informed practice with an occupation-based focus.
• Excellent working knowledge of child development and varying conditions and the implication for Occupational Therapy.
• Ability to assess the need for, prescribe/recommend and advise on the use of specialist equipment.
• Ability to assess and analyse a child's functional abilities using standardised and non-standardised methods, in line with best practice.
• Proven leadership and management skills, with the ability to empower others in practice and a sound understanding of accountability, delegation and escalation in a clinical setting.
• Excellent written communication skills, including detailed reports and contemporaneous note taking.

Experience:

• Significant post registration experience within paediatrics.
• Experience of working in a community setting.
• Experience of complex caseload management.
• Interventions - including moving and handling and specialist equipment use - for children with a range of difficulties e.g. physical disabilities, multiple and complex conditions, displaying challenging behaviour, coordination or sensory processing difficulties.
• Significant experience in the assessment and provision of EHC reports.
• Excellent understanding of the SEND Code of Practice, EHC plans and related legislation.
• Established knowledge of national policies, procedures and legislation relevant to Children's OT, including safeguarding.
• Experience of leadership and management, including appraisal and performance/absence management.

Desirable:

• Experience of attending EHC panels.
• Experience in providing specialist OT school provision.
• Experience of leading policy and/or service development.

Information Technology and Information Governance:

• Solid IT skills, including use of mobile phone, laptop etc and programmes for service delivery and line management e.g. Microsoft office, internet, email.
• Knowledge and experience of using electronic patient/clinical systems, including ordering clinical equipment.
• Experience of electronic diaries and/or rosters.

Desirable:

• Experience of using EMIS.
• Experience of using eRoster.

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. Applicants must have current UK professional registration.