Lead Occupational Therapist in Tadworth

We are looking for a highly motivated Lead Occupational Therapist to join our dynamic and friendly school and Senior Leadership Teams. Working term time, this exciting opportunity is for a Band 7 Occupational Therapist to influence and lead the strategic development of the Schools Occupational Therapy provision and keep the school abreast of best practice. We will support and encourage your continuing professional development and regular supervision, and training opportunities will be provided. Benefits include working term time only and a pension scheme. If you are enthusiastic, creative and interested in working in the field of autism we would be delighted to hear from you!

Main duties of the job

The role is varied and will involve working as part of an integrated multi-disciplinary team, as well as an integral member of the schools Senior Leadership Team. As the Lead OT you will carry a clinical caseload of highly complex pupils with the responsibility of assessment, intervention planning and treatment of the pupils. Interventions will be child centred and evidence-based with the aim to promote functional independence to enable pupils to participate in activities of daily living to their fullest potential, within the school environment, community and at home.

About us

Papillon House School is a special school for autistic children and young people aged 4-19 years. Set in extensive woodlands in Tadworth, Surrey, Papillon House School provides a relaxed and caring environment for all children. We understand the important role that families play in their children's lives and at Papillon House School we have created an atmosphere whereby all members of the family feel welcomed and valued. We are committed to enabling every child pupil to experience success by developing their strengths, celebrating their achievements and acknowledging their unique personalities. The therapy department consists of Occupational Therapists, Speech & Language Therapists, Art Therapy, and therapy assistants. The department is led by our Head of Behaviour and Therapy who is also a Clinical Psychologist. Supported by our Head of Behaviour and Therapy, you will lead a small team of Occupational Therapists and Occupational Therapy Assistants.

Job responsibilities

Job Purpose: To influence and lead the strategic development of the Schools Occupational therapy and keep the School abreast of best practice in line with the schools therapy ethos of providing flexible, creative and functional therapy at the point of need. The Lead for Occupational Therapy will promote the highest standards of conduct, competencies and continuing professional development in line with the Health and Care Professionals Council (HCPC) and Royal College of Occupational Therapists (RCOT) within the occupational therapy team and will contribute to the continuous improvement of Occupational Therapy within the school and ensure the most effective use of therapy resources.

The role will involve working as part of an integrated multi-disciplinary team and being responsible for the assessment, diagnosis and, treatment of the pupils. Interventions will be child centred and evidence-based and aim to promote functional independence to enable pupils to participate in daily life to their fullest potential.

Leadership:

• To lead, organise and promote the provision of occupational therapy through the school
• To provide support, advice and guidance regarding occupational therapy
• To provide supervision and line management for members of the occupational therapy team
• As required by the Head of Therapy, Plan and contribute towards the school development plan alongside the Lead Speech & Language Therapist.
• Develop and implement new initiatives, therapy policies and procedures relating to the occupational therapy provision at Papillon House School alongside the Lead Speech & Language therapist.
• Be a member of the Schools Senior Leadership Team and maintain a visible and professional profile within the school
• Attend training courses and special interest groups as part of CPD and use the information, knowledge and experience gained to drive the continued development of the occupational therapy team
• As appropriate and in conjunction with the Lead Speech & Language Therapist to make decisions and provide support to the therapy team in the absence of the Head of Therapy.

Knowledge, Skills and Experience

• Highly specialist knowledge and experience of assessment tools for children with ASD
• Highly specialist knowledge and experience of a range of occupational therapy therapeutic interventions relevant to ASD underpinned by evidence-based practice
• Experience of working within an MDT
• Experience and knowledge of the health system
• Knowledge and experience of receiving clinical supervision and the ability to engage with others in reflective practice
• Knowledge and experience of providing clinical supervision and appraisals and the ability to engage others in reflective practice
• Highly skilled in motivating clients to engage in the therapeutic process
• Experience of working in a school environment
• Experience of the EHCP process
• Specialist knowledge and awareness of relevant procedures and legal frameworks
• Experience of working with people with challenging behaviours

Communication and Relationship Skills

• To liaise, work in partnership with and be proactive with all members of the school staff team, pupils, parents/carers and other relevant professionals
• To work closely with the Head of Therapy and Lead Speech and Language Therapist to provide outstanding therapy for the pupils of Papillon House School.
• To use a range of written, verbal and nonverbal communication tools to communicate complex assessment outcomes, treatment approaches, advice and professional opinion effectively with pupils, carers, school staff and external professionals / agencies
• To attend and contribute in staff meetings and in-service training as necessary
• To maintain accurate, legible and complete clinical records of all client related interventions in accordance with professional standards
• To support, advise and train school staff to incorporate therapy into the school environment.
• To be able to act as a source of expertise and be a highly specialised resource for the school and parents
• To be able to train/teach others how to implement specialist therapy programmes
• To represent occupational therapy as required

Analytical and Judgemental Skills

• To hold a complex clinical caseload where necessary using advanced specialist knowledge from theoretical, reflective and practical experience
• To use highly specialist clinical reasoning skills in order to make professional judgements and clinical decisions based on assessment findings
• To formulate highly specialist, specific management / treatment plans including the setting of goals and timescales
• To develop and advise on highly specialist programmes of care based on best practice for intervention to be implemented by the therapist or others (individual, group, direct and indirect interventions)
• To monitor the effectiveness of intervention of all occupational therapy provided
• To make referrals to other professionals and agencies if required to address the child's global needs
• To review and reflect on own practice and performance through the effective use of professional and clinical supervision and appraisal.
• To attend and provide information on OT assessments and treatment at Annual Educational Review (EHCPs) meetings where necessary.
• Ability to recognise own professional boundaries and knowledge limitations and access supervision, advice and support when necessary
• To maintain a portfolio, which reflects personal and professional development
• To advise and support the Teaching Staff, Head of Therapy, Headteacher, Business Manager and Director on issues related to occupational therapy
• To assess, make effective decisions and problem solve on a range of clinical, service delivery and development issues

Planning and Organisational Skills

• Working alongside the Head of Therapy to organise provision of occupational therapy in accordance to specified therapy in EHCPs and in accordance of need.
• Independently manage own time
• Independently prioritise and manage own caseload

Responsibility for Policy / Service Development

• To support the Head of Therapy in policy development in occupational therapy
• In conjunction with the Head of Therapy, to initiate, develop, set up and review / audit the occupational therapy service for the school
• To take a lead role in the highly specialist OT assessment and treatment of the children at Papillon House School
• To use specialist knowledge to support the Head of Therapy to inform and comment on proposed service / policy developments
• To support the Head of Therapy on the responsibilities for the setting and monitoring of standards and policies with the support from senior therapists
• To set and maintain a high standard of clinical care using evidence based practice
• To maintain professional knowledge of clinical developments, analyse current research and participate in discussion and implementation on changes in clinical practice relevant to occupational therapy

Responsibility for Financial and Physical Resources

• To monitor levels of stock and request new equipment when required in discussion with the Head of Therapy
• To ensure the occupational therapy staff have the means to provide care and maintenance of equipment ensuring standards of infection control and safety are maintained.

Responsibility for Human Resources

• To adhere to the RCOT code of ethics and professional conduct
• To be professional and legally responsible and accountable for all aspects of professional activities working within the codes of practice and professional guidelines
• To be responsible for the supervision and written assessment of OT students and junior staff where necessary
• To identify training and development needs of the occupational therapy team required for specialist practice
• To engage in continuous self-directed learning that promotes professional development and quality of practice
• To seek a range of opportunities through the appropriate channels for meeting learning needs
• To provide opportunities for colleagues to learn about OT
• To provide opportunities for OT students
• To participate and lead in team discussions
• Provide clinical supervision to all OTs
• Organises the departmental running of the occupational therapy team for example, provision, space allocation.

Responsibility for Research and Development

• To contribute towards and lead where appropriate in the shared responsibility for the setting, monitoring and evaluation of standards and policies
• To support the Lead Speech & Language Therapist and the Head of Therapy in departmental clinical audits

Freedom to Act

• To be professionally and legally responsible and accountable for all aspects of your professional activities working within the codes of practice and professional guidelines
• To close periods of treatment appropriately, agreeing a point of closure with the carers and other professionals involved

Records management

The post holder has a responsibility to maintain timely and accurate record keeping in accordance with professional guidelines.

Confidentiality

To maintain client confidentiality and obtain informed consent.

This is not intended to be a comprehensive description of the duties of this post. The post holder may be required to undertake other related duties in line with the nature and duties of this post which are not specifically mentioned above.

Person Specification

Skills, knowledge and abilities

• Specialist knowledge and experience of assessment tools for autistic children
• Specialist knowledge and experience of a range of therapeutic interventions relevant to ASD underpinned by evidence based practice
• Knowledge and understanding of normal child development
• Experience of teaching and delivering specialist training
• Knowledge and understanding of ASD and associated difficulties / challenges
• Specialist knowledge and experience of clinical supervision and the ability to engage with others in reflective practice
• Skills in motivating challenging clients to engage in the therapeutic process
• Previous experience / training of working with people with challenging behaviours
• Knowledge and awareness of relevant procedures and legal frameworks e.g. safeguarding children
• Experience of the Education Health and Care Plans
• Experience of providing consultation and advice
• Excellent observational skills
• Experience of working in a school environment
• Knowledge / training of Makaton
• Previous experience of leading a team

Qualifications

• Recognised Occupational Therapy Degree qualification or equivalent
• Evidence of successful completion of relevant post qualification courses
• Health and Care Professionals Council (HCPC) registration
• Royal College of Occupational Therapists (RCOT) registration
• MSc or training to the equivalent of MSc eg SI
• Knowledge and experience / training of SCERTS
• Module 1, 2, 3 Sensory Integration training or equivalent

Experience

• To hold a minimum of 4 years post graduate experience
• Experience of working in the field of ASD

Personal attributes

• Excellent interpersonal skills
• Excellent communication skills both written and verbal
• Able to demonstrate experience of working effectively as a team member
• Excellent organisational skills
• The ability to work as a confident autonomous practitioner

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

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.