Enabling Independence Officer in Sutton

The London Borough of Sutton is situated less than 30 minutes by train from Central London, with direct connections to London Victoria and London Bridge. Found in zone 5 with good transport links in and out of London, Sutton boasts award-winning parks and open spaces, low crime rates, affordable housing and great schools. As well as high levels of resident engagement and satisfaction, providing quality services and success in addressing our financial challenges, whilst involving residents in key issues and high street changes. Sutton is continuously investing in the health, wellbeing and education of our residents and the future generation, as set out in the "Ambitious for Sutton" corporate plan.

We are seeking Enabling Independence Officers (EIO) to join our Occupational Therapy Team at Sutton Adult Social Care. The role is based in the Occupational Therapy Hub (OT Hub), primarily completing occupational therapy assessments and reviews. Our goal is to empower adults to live as independently as possible, and we are looking for individuals with the necessary skills to help us achieve this mission.

Your duties will include:

• Conducting assessments with our residents to ascertain their occupational therapy needs.
• Ensuring the provision of effective advice and guidance following assessments.
• Providing appropriate equipment and minor adaptations to enable our residents' independence.
• Making recommendations for simple major adaptations.
• Collaborating with social workers, healthcare providers, and the NHS to ensure that our service users receive the best possible care in accordance with the Care Act.

With the guidance and support of Occupational Therapists and OT Managers within the OT Hub, you will be responsible for managing a caseload of residents with occupational therapy needs, and compiling support plans to inform your interventions. Your role will be vital in enhancing our residents' quality of life and wellbeing.

If you are passionate about making a difference, have strong interpersonal skills to build effective relationships and can show empathy and sensitivity towards individuals facing difficult circumstances, we want to hear from you.

We expect the successful candidate to have:

• Trusted Assessor Level 3 training and/or experience - we offer the opportunity to train and reach Assessor Level 4.
• Prior experience in conducting assessments in an occupational therapy setting.
• Knowledge of relevant legislation and policies pertaining to social care and occupational therapy.
• Ability to work collaboratively in a multidisciplinary team.
• Excellent communication skills to effectively interact with residents, their families, and relevant professionals.
• An understanding of issues related to safeguarding and protection of adults.
• Continuous professional development to stay updated on best practices in the field of social care and occupational therapy.

Learning and development will be supported by your supervisor and the wider management team. You will receive regular supervision to encourage reflective practice in identifying areas of improvement.

As a Borough, we are committed to building a workforce that is empowered with knowledge to work autonomously and provide the valuable care service to the residents of our community. We want you to be a part of our journey.

As an organisation that values and nurtures talent, we are committed to helping you fulfil your potential and will offer you a supportive, friendly and collaborative environment to grow and develop your career and skills. Employees have access to a wide range of benefits to enable staff to achieve a work-life balance, some of which include:

• A generous annual leave entitlement of 26-31 days plus bank holidays (pro-rata if part-time working hours apply) depending on service and grade.
• Enhanced maternity, paternity, shared parental, adoption and dependents leave.
• Two volunteering days per year.
• Flexible Working - Smarter Working Scheme (dependent on the role).
• Adjustable and agile working arrangements using Google Chromebooks.
• Learning and development portal offering a range of courses.
• Discounts on a range of local shops, restaurants, gyms and leisure centres.
• Interest-free season ticket loans.
• Local Government Pension Scheme.
• Bicycle loan facilities and cycle to work scheme.
• Zip car scheme.
• Confidential health & wellbeing and counselling support.

Apply online outlining what skills, abilities and experience you can bring which makes you an ideal candidate for this role. Please refer to the requirements outlined in the job profile when completing your application and check your CV details have been uploaded correctly in the relevant sections. The closing date is given as a guide. We reserve the right to close this vacancy once a sufficient number of applications has been received.

We are proud to be a diverse and welcoming Borough and we strive to create a workforce which reflects the community we serve, and instil a sense of belonging in our staff. We celebrate and respect differences and appreciate the value of having a diverse workforce, therefore we welcome applications from underrepresented groups.