Senior Occupational Therapist

Job Title: Senior Occupational Therapist

Salary: PO3 £42,839 - £46,142 per annum (pro rata)

Hours: 18.5 Hours

Contract: Temporary part-time to cover maternity leave

Location: Tech North LS7

Do you want to be part of the Children’s Occupational Therapy team working in the Child Health and Disability Service in Leeds?

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a motivated and enthusiastic Occupational Therapist to join the Child Health & Disability Team. You will play a key role in reducing the barriers experienced by Children and Young People with a Disability in their own homes.

Leeds City Council is one of the largest employers in the region with over 14,000 employees. We seek to recruit and develop talented individuals who embody our council values and ambitions.

About You
As a Senior Occupational Therapist, you will bring to the role:

• A degree or diploma in Occupational Therapy and be registered with the HCPC. A special interest in Paediatrics and experience working with children and families would be an advantage. Experience in the provision of specialist equipment, major adaptations, and moving and handling is essential.
• Problem-solving skills, the ability to develop positive relationships and make sound judgments, excellent interpersonal skills, and being a team player.
• Confidence in communication with a can-do approach. You will be motivated and a critical thinker with the ability to understand the needs of children and families.
• Supportiveness and ambition with excellent organisational skills. You will be keen to share your knowledge and skills to develop others.
• Commitment to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people, supporting our Child Friendly vision for Leeds to be the best city in the UK and the best city for children and young people to grow up in.

About The Role
You will play a key role in reducing the barriers experienced by Children and Young People with health and disability needs in their own homes. You will be joining a highly motivated and committed team working with Social Workers and multi-agency colleagues. We will offer supervision and support for continuous professional development.

As Child Friendly Leeds, our vision is for Leeds to be the best city in the UK and the best city for children and young people to grow up in. Through our vision and obsessions, we invest in children and young people to help build an increasingly prosperous and successful city. We aim to improve outcomes for all our children whilst recognising the need for outcomes to improve faster for children and young people from vulnerable and deprived backgrounds.

Children’s Occupational therapy in Leeds is underpinned by a culture of restorative practice and working with our children and families.

What We Offer You
We take pride in offering the best employee experience, with benefits including:

• A competitive salary and annual leave entitlement plus statutory holidays.
• Membership of the West Yorkshire Pension Fund with generous employer contributions.
• Flexible and hybrid working arrangements subject to service requirements.
• A clear career pathway and continuing professional development opportunities.
• A range of staff benefits to help you boost your wellbeing and make your money go further.

Job Purpose:
Under the general direction of a Team Manager, provide a high-quality and comprehensive Occupational Therapy service to disabled adults, children and young people, carers, and the community in accordance with the organisational needs, policy, and practices of the Directorate and within statutory guidelines.

The post holder must carry out responsibilities within the City Council’s Policies and Procedures, particularly the Council Policies on Equality and Diversity, Health and Safety, and within the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) Code of Practice.

This is an experienced Occupational Therapy role with specific responsibilities for managing a caseload of higher levels of challenge and complexity, which will include assessment and management of risk and providing casework advice, support, and guidance to other team members.

Core Responsibilities

• To undertake a range of complex Occupational Therapy assessments with an occupational focus to reduce barriers to inclusion.
• To manage and monitor a workload of complex and diverse cases while safeguarding and promoting the welfare of individuals, families, and carers.
• To develop, implement, and review outcome-focused Occupational Therapy intervention to meet assessed needs and promote independent well-being and inclusion.
• To provide written and verbal reports that are concise and based on analysis of complex evidence.
• To carry out complex moving and handling assessments and provide subsequent advice and training.
• To lead for the enhanced screening of new referrals and to provide comprehensive knowledge of specialist equipment and complex adaptations to users and less experienced team members.
• To develop and maintain effective relationships with disabled people, their families, and carers while promoting independence and early intervention.
• To contribute to safeguarding investigations and implement strategies for responding to concerns about practice or procedures.
• To actively promote and support Leeds City Council’s and Directorate policies on Equality and Diversity.

Qualifications:

• Appropriate professional qualification Degree/Diploma in Occupational Therapy, registration with the Health & Care Professions Council (HCPC) upon commencement of the post, and maintain yearly registration.

PERSONAL SPECIFICATION ESSENTIAL REQUIREMENTS:
Candidates must demonstrate the following criteria for the post within the context of the specific role duties and responsibilities:

• Ability to use a range of Occupational Therapy interventions.
• Ability to effectively plan, prioritise, and manage a complex workload.
• High level of effective written and verbal communication.
• Ability to innovate and problem-solve to promote positive change.
• Ability to assess the needs of individuals and groups using a person-centred approach.
• Ability to exercise individual judgement and consult when necessary.
• Ability to be flexible, creative, and use own initiative.
• Competence in the use of IT systems including Microsoft Office, Internet, and Email.
• Ability to maintain accurate service user records and follow policy and procedure.

PERSONAL SPECIFICATION DESIRABLE REQUIREMENTS:
It is desirable that candidates demonstrate the following criteria:

• Ability to contribute to service planning.
• Knowledge of the range of services available to users, families, and carers.
• Experience of working with a wide range of user groups.