Specialist Children’s Occupational Therapist

At Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust, we aim to reflect our values in everything we do – Kindness, Integrity, Teamwork and Equality. So if you’re looking for an interesting and rewarding career in the NHS, where you can make a real difference to patients’ lives, Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust is the place for you.

We are committed to providing the best possible levels of healthcare and we can only do this with the help of our incredible colleagues. We have a Strategy that is designed to empower, excite and mobilise everyone in the Trust behind a common purpose and that supports our cultural values of Kindness, Integrity, Teamwork and Equality.

Specialist Children’s Occupational Therapist

NHS AfC: Band 6

Main area: Occupational therapy
Grade: NHS AfC: Band 6
Contract: Fixed term: 12 months (Candidate must be able to work in both localities across HDFT)
Hours: Full time, 37.5 hours per week
Flexible working available
Job ref: 421-PSC-1862R

Site: Harrogate District Hospital and Northallerton Child Development Centre
Town: Harrogate
Salary: £37,338 – £44,962 per annum pro rata
Salary period: Yearly
Closing: 18/02/2025 23:59

Job overview

Working with our Principal Occupational Therapist and the children’s occupational therapy team, you will assist to further develop our ‘one team’ approach across both localities. You will demonstrate highly developed skills and competence in this clinical area and understanding of evidence informed approaches. You will demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the EHCP process. You will hold a varied clinical caseload of children with complex health needs.

This post can be based at either Child Development Centre at Harrogate or Northallerton; however, you will provide clinical support across both localities.

Main duties of the job

• To work as part of an interdisciplinary team in providing and contributing to the development of children’s occupational needs.
• To be autonomously responsible for a caseload of children with complex and multiple needs.
• To provide occupational therapy assessment, intervention and evaluation for children requiring inpatient care, or within clinic or community settings and within local authority targeted provisions.
• To undertake complex clinic, community and school-based assessments with intervention programmes that have a focus on improving occupational performance and maximising participation.
• To work within allocated special schools that serve children with complex health and care needs and complete postural and functional assessments to maximise the child’s occupational performance and participation.
• To work closely with children, families, carers and colleagues in partnership agencies, to identify individualised and meaningful goals that are measurable and achievable.
• To plan and implement individual and/or group interventions in collaboration with everyone involved, but with the child’s health and well-being needs and wishes at the forefront.
• To advise on and prescribe specialist, assistive equipment at home, school and community settings to support the child and improve or maintain occupational performance.

Working for our organisation

The Planned, Surgical & Children’s Directorate at Harrogate & District NHS Foundation Trust provides a service for the community living in the Hambleton and Richmondshire and Harrogate and Rural localities. This post is based at one of our Child Development Centres in either Northallerton or Harrogate and will be required to work across both localities.

The Children’s Occupational Therapy Service is part of Specialist Children’s Services, comprising a team of over 90 members of staff, including administrative support, the autism assessment service, community paediatrics, clinical psychology, occupational therapy, physiotherapy, specialist nursing and speech and language therapy.

We are a specialist health service for children and young people aged 0-19 years with mainly physical, communication, learning and developmental difficulties, affecting their health and well-being. The occupational therapist provides skilled assessment, advice and interventions for children and young people and offers support and guidance to families and carers.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Please see attached job description and person specification. For further information, please contact Eleanor Jones on eleanor.jones42@nhs.net

Person specification

• Registration with Health Care Professional Council
• Diploma/BSc (Hons) in Occupational Therapy
• Evidence of ongoing professional development in area of specialism
• UK driving licence
• Evidence of CPD portfolio
• Paediatric occupational therapy practice experience
• Practice placement education experience in a related OT clinical speciality e.g. learning disability, physical disability, social services, etc., with the ability to transfer OT core skills to the OT process with children & young people
• Experience of working within a community setting and/or a multi-disciplinary team
• Car driver / ability to travel within locality
• Membership of the British Association of Occupational Therapy
• Introductory/speciality short courses/study attended
• Introductory knowledge/experience of current paediatric practice including specialist assessments, postural assessment, child development, outcome measures, treatment approaches & models of intervention
• Direct work experience with children e.g. youth worker, voluntary work, nursery experience
• Delegation of work to support staff
• Previous experience working as a band 6 within a paediatric setting

Employer certification / accreditation badges

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

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