Mainstream Lead Occupational Therapist

Barnet Children’s Integrated Therapies are delighted to offer an exciting opportunity for an enthusiastic, innovative and self‑motivated Occupational Therapist to join our service. The successful candidate will lead the delivery of the Occupational Therapy Service for children and young people in mainstream schools, while managing a varied and rewarding clinical caseload across the community. This Band 7 role is ideal for an experienced clinician skilled in interdisciplinary working who is ready to take on greater leadership responsibility, including providing high‑quality clinical supervision, oversight and day to day support to junior OTs.

Main duties of the job include:

• Working with children and young people aged 4–19 years across a range of settings, including mainstream schools and clinic environments, supporting those with needs from mild to more complex.
• Independently managing your own clinical caseload while being part of a friendly, open, supportive and experienced therapy team.
• Developing the mainstream schools service by working closely with key stakeholders and the Local Authority to drive high quality Occupational Therapy support in schools.
• Providing clinical leadership in supporting children with motor based needs and physical disabilities, ensuring best‑practice assessment, intervention and service development in this area.

Working for our organisation includes:

• Outer London Pay weighting, worth up to £4,967.
• Informal networking across the 4 Boroughs where Whittington Health provides services for Children and Young People: Islington, Haringey, Camden and Barnet.
• Commitment to excellence in practice.
• Strong and supportive supervision and direct line management.
• Agile working in the community using mobile technology.
• Flexible working hours and arrangements.
• Shadowing opportunities.
• Service and Trust Induction Packages.
• Specialist advice and second opinions.
• Team Meetings.
• Support to develop your own clinical interests.
• Team projects co-working with other colleagues.

Person specification includes:

• Diploma or Degree in Occupational Therapy.
• HPC Registration.
• NVQ level 2 or equivalent standard of literacy and numeracy.
• Evidence of continued Professional Development related to the post.
• Clinical educator training.
• Masters level modules or further training courses in speciality.
• Member of RCOT.

Experience required:

• Knowledge of the appropriate assessment tools for this client group, e.g., upper limb monitoring.
• Experience supporting children and young people with physical disabilities.
• Day to day clinical supervision and oversight to junior team members.
• Current issues in the delivery of community based services.
• Involvement in the development of pathways/service improvement work as part of a service.
• Experience supporting children with postural management needs and assessment and provision of specialist seating.
• Previous NHS experience.
• Experience of the development and implementation of training programmes for staff/parents.

Skills & Abilities:

• Advanced knowledge of the current evidence base relating to specialist area.
• Excellent therapy assessment and treatment skills in specialist field utilizing a range of approaches, e.g., COOP/CIMT.
• Able to independently manage own clinical caseload and prioritise as required.
• Demonstrates effective communication skills with all disciplines and agencies, including clear, concise verbal and written reporting skills.
• IT skills including word processing and excel.
• Excellent presentation skills of complex information.
• Knowledge of a broad range of clinical conditions in children and young people.
• Documented evidence of continuous professional development showing progression of learning and future learning objectives.
• Ability to identify professional training needs, and evidence of updating clinical skills.

Personal Qualities:

• Able to respond to pressure appropriately.
• Professional manner.
• Commitment to equal opportunities.
• Demonstrate trust values: innovative, compassionate, accountable, respectful, excellent.
• Commitment to Continuing Professional Development.

Safeguarding:

To comply with the Trust’s Safeguarding Children and Adults policies, procedures and protocols. All individual members of staff (paid or unpaid) have a duty to safeguard and promote the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. This will require you to:

• Ensure you are familiar with and comply with the London Child Protection Procedures and protocols for promoting and safeguarding the welfare of children and young people.
• Ensure you are familiar and comply with the London Multi Agency Safeguarding Vulnerable Adults Pan London Procedures.
• Ensure you are familiar and comply with local protocols and systems for information sharing.
• Know the appropriate contact numbers and required reporting lines.
• Participate in required training and supervision.
• Comply with required professional boundaries and codes of conduct.

We are committed to equal opportunities.