Occupational Therapist

Working Relationships 1. The students at St Catherines have barriers to understanding/communicating which require the post-holder to have excellent communication skills. 2. The post-holder will be keen and enthusiastic to work intensively as part of a multi-disciplinary team. 3. In addition, the post-holder will be required to communicate complex condition-related and general professional information with: students; parents/carers; health professionals; education professionals; social services; voluntary services; the public; and all other relevant stakeholders. 4.

This will frequently involve

negotiation skills, e.g. in the management of conflict; motivating skills, e.g. supporting students under stress or who have challenging communication difficulties; and the use of empathy in working with distressed students and/or parents/carers. Financial and Physical Resources 1. To monitor stock levels in own service area and request new equipment as appropriate. 2. To be responsible for the security, care and maintenance of equipment. Working Conditions 1. The post-holder will be required to maintain intense concentration in student assessment and therapy for prolonged periods on a daily basis. 2. To be flexible to meet the competing demands of the caseload, e.g. urgent reports, class-based working, etc. 3. The post-holder may be required to deal with situations of a potentially distressing nature as part of the school/sixth form team. 4. To be involved in frequent moderate physical effort, carrying equipment and facilitating the movement of students when applicable. Duties and Responsibilities Clinical Practice 1. To assess, plan, deliver and evaluate occupational therapy interventions for students with a range of sensory, motor and functional needs, taking a holistic perspective of students needs. 2. To ensure student involvement in goal setting and understanding of difficulties. 3. To apply and develop knowledge to inform sound clinical judgements for case management. 4. To provide and evaluate appropriate occupational therapy interventions based on clinical reasoning. 5. To work collaboratively with education and care staff to ensure the integration of occupational therapy aims with education and care aims. 6. To work collaboratively with education staff to ensure access for all students to the curriculum. 7. To demonstrate clinical effectiveness by use of evidence-based practice and outcome measures, thereby ensuring that practice is continually updated. 8. To adapt practice to meet individual students circumstances, including due regard for cultural and linguistic differences. 9. To be accountable for own professional action and recognise own professional boundaries, seeking advice as appropriate. 10. To work within defined departmental and national protocols/policies and professional code of conduct to ensure quality of care. 11. To demonstrate a developing ability to reflect on different aspects of students motor, sensory and visual perceptual needs and to identify appropriate strategies to facilitate and enhance effectiveness in activities of daily living. 12. To provide detailed written reports as necessary to meet statutory regulation. 13. To work as part of a multi-disciplinary team. 14. To provide advice to parents and carers regarding students progress and carry over to the home environment. Leadership 1. To supervise the work of Occupational Therapy Assistants, students and volunteers, providing guidance and support to ensure effective delivery of interventions. 2. To manage and prioritise own workload independently, seeking support as appropriate, and to contribute to the effective organisation of the Occupational Therapy service. 3. To contribute to the development of others through informal support, modelling good practice and participation in supervision processes where appropriate. 4. To explain the role of Occupational Therapy to visitors, students, volunteers and other stakeholders. 5. To support student placements, including providing observation opportunities and contributing to their learning experience. Professional Development 1. To identify personal/professional development evidenced by Personal Development Plan/ Professional Portfolio developed within an appraisal framework with specific reference to any competency frameworks developed by RCOT for new and developing Occupational Therapists. 2. To actively participate in clinical/management supervision. 3. To attend relevant training and development in order to develop skills and knowledge required of a therapist working in the field of Paediatric Occupational Therapy and special educational needs and maintain up to date HCPC and RCOT registration. 4. To fulfil specific objectives relating to clinical area, set at appraisal. 5. To demonstrate an increasing ability to reflect on practice with peers/supervisor and identify own strengths and development needs. Teaching/Training/Research 1. To participate in departmental audit and research projects. 2. To participate in the development and delivery of training to others in areas of practice related to Occupational Therapy. Policy and Service Development 1. To be aware of, and adhere to, national and local policies particularly with regard to SEN, safeguarding children and other legal frameworks. 2. To adhere to the policies and procedures of the school including health & safety guidance and child protection. 3. To comment on proposed service/policy developments with a solution focused mind-set. 4. To participate in innovations in areas of risk management, quality standards setting and clinical effectiveness. Admin/Monitoring/Auditing 1. To maintain up to date and accurate case notes in line with HCPC/RCOT professional standards and school policies. 2. To share information with others, observing data protection guidelines. 3. To gather activity data accurately and regularly, ensuring the provision of such information promptly within school guidelines. 4. To manage and prioritise a defined caseload, seeking support as appropriate. 5. To participate in surveys and audits as necessary in order to enable the school to meet its statutory requirements. 6. To undertake any other duties at the request of the line manager, which are commensurate with the role, including project work, internal job rotation and absence cover.