Occupational Therapist (Croydon, SEN Schools, PT)

Occupational Therapist - Working across 5 SEN schools in the Croydon/Sutton area.

Part Time 3 days pw, Term Time only, 38 weeks per year.

Location: Croydon, Sutton based schools.

Hours: PT TT only.

Driving licence and access to a car required (travel expenses paid from home address).

Bright Futures, Inspired By You. There’s nothing more rewarding than helping someone believe in themselves and have the confidence to celebrate their own uniqueness and achieve success that is personal to them.

At Horizon, we live up to our values, and we value our people. We are proud to be one of the most innovative providers of young people's residential care and education in the UK.

We are seeking a passionate and dedicated Occupational Therapist to join our team, delivering evidence-based, therapeutic care in line with Horizons SHINE Therapeutic Model of Care. You will work across multiple schools as part of a Multidisciplinary team supporting Young People with social, emotional and Mental Health needs as well as Neurodiverse conditions such as ASD. In addition, you will provide advice, modelling and support to our education teams.

You must hold a full driving licence and have a relevant Degree Qualification in Occupational Therapy to be considered.

• To deliver evidence based therapeutic and psychologically informed care which conforms to their own ethical standards and is in line with Horizons Values and SHINE Therapeutic Model of Care.
• To undertake OT assessments of young people to identify individual needs and develop and provide the delivery of individualised and group-based intervention programmes.
• To provide specialist OT advice and guidance to young people’s plans including behaviour plans, teaching plans, risk assessments and EHCPs.
• To develop and contribute to the development, delivery, and evaluation of therapeutic training to all staff in the organisation.
• To use outcome and evaluation tools to measure the effectiveness of services and to report this data back to the Head of SEND.
• To provide specialist knowledge of OT principles and techniques through consultation and guidance to other colleagues within Horizon.
• To attend regular team meetings and CPD days with other colleagues.

Why work for us?

• Access to Tastecard, Bluelight card and MyGym discounts!
• Real Living Wage employer.
• Competitive pay rates.
• Christmas bonus.
• Generous Refer a Friend Scheme.
• Financial wellbeing service.
• Life Assurance.
• Ongoing training and professional development plus High quality CPD opportunities.
• Comprehensive induction programme including face-to-face training, online modules, shadowing, and local induction period.
• Face-to-face therapeutic training and support for all colleagues via our SHINE programme.
• Employee assistance programme free, confidential support.
• Looking after your wellbeing - supporting your need to feel good about what you do. We’re in this together.
• Supportive management and senior leaders.

• To manage a caseload for individual intervention, providing specialist OT input to young people and teams in educational settings.
• To contribute to the development of a therapeutically informed service across education teams.
• To liaise with external agencies (e.g., Local Authorities, voluntary agencies, CAMHS) to ensure that the needs of the young person are recognised and intervention(s) that are being undertaken are the most appropriate plans for the young person.
• To engage flexibly with children/young people and colleagues to promote constructive working relationships.
• To provide consultation, support, and guidance to colleagues to develop therapeutically informed relationships with young people and to develop appropriate behaviour support and care planning strategies.
• To carry out intervention with young people in line with ethical standards including gaining valid informed consent from young people.
• To continually evaluate progress against agreed goals, to review and adapt the intervention plans if needed.
• To utilise relevant Standardised assessments to inform intervention, ensuring that feedback is provided for young people and the wider team on the outcomes of any measures used.
• To provide therapeutic feedback at relevant meetings (e.g., review meetings, MDT meetings) to ensure the delivery of a co-ordinated MDT approach and integrated therapeutic service.
• To be responsible for maintaining own competency to practice through CPD activities and supervision.
• To ensure CPD records are kept up to date to evidence ongoing development.
• To participate in discussions regarding referrals.
• To write and share appropriate reports regarding intervention that has been undertaken.
• To support Education colleagues through observation of young people in classrooms, explanations of behaviours and modelling therapeutic engagement to support the embedding of a wider therapeutic approach.
• To provide supports, training, and supervision to assistant practitioners and/or volunteer students when required.

• To maintain open and straightforward communication with colleagues and provide information within the time and format required.
• To provide regular feedback to the team regarding service delivery.
• To provide a therapeutic perspective in the development of organisational policies, strategies, and decisions.
• To adhere to Horizon Policies and Procedures.

• To maintain proper clinical records and provide KPI data returns as required.
• To be involved in monitoring and evaluation of Therapy within the organisation.
• To maintain expenses and other organisational records as required.
• To maintain confidentiality for and with young people (individual and organisational).

• To undertake research in areas relevant to clinical work and organisational development, this may be undertaken in collaboration with other professionals, where appropriate.

Occupational Therapy Values

• Compassionate - We listen, care and support with sincerity, empathy, and kindness.
• Inspiring - We promote a culture which is high in expectation, enabling our young people and colleagues to achieve their potential.
• Dependable - We are reliable and trustworthy, creating safe environments where young people can flourish and colleagues can grow, and we always keep our word.
• Collaborative - We value our partnerships and work together to create innovative and sustainable solutions for young people.
• Knowledge of working with SEN aged 5-16.

• Caring and compassionate - Able to relate honestly to young people and colleagues. Shows respect for individual differences and perspectives amongst colleagues and young people.
• Efficiency - Effectively manages their time, resources, and relationships to ensure that work is completed efficiently.
• Communication skills - Clearly and concisely conveys information and ideas that engage others in written and verbal formats.
• Resilience - Remains calm in uncertain or challenging situations & consistently behaves in a manner that is acceptable to others.
• Personal Growth - Takes responsibility for one’s own personal impact and development, focusing on increasing self-awareness as well as identifying new areas for learning and professional development and creating learning opportunities.

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.

£19,140 a year TT Only. 38 Weeks per year.

Contract: Permanent.