Joining #TeamNELFT means you’ll become part of a welcoming and supportive working environment. We’re CQC rated Good, and we want you to join us on the journey towards an Outstanding rating. NELFT has sites across North East London, Essex, Kent and Medway. We provide community and mental healthcare services to adults and children within these areas.
The Trust has award winning equality and diversity initiatives and staff health and wellbeing activities. We invest heavily in your development, because when you are valued and supported, we provide the best care to our patients. We are a Level 3 Disability Confident Leader, have been featured in the Working Families Top 10 Employers benchmark for five consecutive years, and we have achieved a Carers UK Level 1 Accreditation. Along with our staff networks and training opportunities, we work hard to embed a just and compassionate culture here at NELFT.
Find out more about NELFT careers and what makes our Trust a great place to work, in this video
Job overview
An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Band 5 Children’s Occupational Therapist in Barking and Dagenham as part of the Children’s Integrated Targeted Health Services. The post is a permanent, full time role ( hours per week).
You will join a small, innovative and supportive team, providing assessment and intervention for children and young people aged 0-19 who have functional difficulties attributable to a wide range of special needs or disabilities. Assessment and intervention is delivered within the clinic but also in the child’s home, school, nursery or community settings. Opportunities exist to developing and running groups.
The Children’s Occupational Therapy Team is based in a purpose-built centre, co-located with many other health services. Therapists have good access to clinical space as well as close working relations with the multi-disciplinary teams. The successful applicants would be expected to work closely with colleagues in Health, Education and Social Services.
Main duties of the job
The responsibilities of the post include managing your own caseload, working without direct supervision; providing functional assessment of children with special needs and disabilities, focusing on childhood occupations; delivering family-centered and evidence based occupational therapy intervention and contributing to the planning, co-ordination, delivery and evaluation of the Occupational Therapy service.
The successful applicants will thrive on working as part of a team and will demonstrate excellent and time management skills communication skills.
The role will entail both one to one intervention and facilitation of groups for children and young people and parents.
Working for our organisation
Our Values 2025 - 2030
Working with our colleagues, patients and carers we have co-produced three new values that we aim to embed within our culture here at NELFT.
They are:
We are kind.
We are respectful.
We work together with our communities.
These three values help us to strive to provide the best care by the best people.
Starting with NELFT
NELFT place a great deal of importance on new starters being properly welcomed and inducted into the Trust. All new starters will join the Trust on the first Monday of each month and will undertake a comprehensive induction of up to two weeks which will include mandatory training, systems training and the allocation of equipment. As part of the process new starters will have the opportunity to also meet the executive team, senior managers, and attend a number of drop-in sessions focusing on engagement, health and wellbeing and key processes. The induction will be held at our head office in Rainham, Essex.
Probationary Period
This post will be subject to a probationary period.
High Cost Area Supplement - Outer London
This post also attracts payment for High Cost Area Supplement of 15%of the basic salary (minimum payment of £4,714 and a maximum payment of £5,941 - per annum, pro rata for part time).
Use of AI
Please see attached document regarding acceptable use of AI
during the recruitment process.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
The responsibilities of the post include managing your own caseload, working without direct supervision; providing functional assessment of children with special needs and disabilities, focusing on childhood occupations; delivering family-centered and evidence based occupational therapy intervention and contributing to the planning, co-ordination, delivery and evaluation of the Occupational Therapy service.
The successful applicants will thrive on working as part of a team and will demonstrate excellent and time management skills communication skills.
The role will entail both one to one intervention and facilitation of groups for children and young people and parents
Please see the attached job description and person specification for more information about this role and working at North East London NHS Foundation Trust. We encourage you to refer to this when completing your application.
Certificates of Sponsorship
Although we are a registered sponsor organisation, we are unable to offer sponsorship for all job roles. Please check your eligibility under the UKVI points-based system. When calculating the basic salary for sponsorship, HCAS (High-Cost Area Supplement) is not included to ensure fairness and consistency within our Trust.
Person specification
Experience
Essential criteria
1. Strong desire to work in Occupational therapy with minimum of six months experience
2. Experience of working with children either as a student, therapist or in a voluntary basis
Desirable criteria
3. Knowledge of paediatric conditions
Qualifications
Essential criteria
4. Occupational Therapy degree
5. Relevant courses related to children
6. HCPC registration
Desirable criteria
7. RCOT registration
Skills
Essential criteria
8. Basic IT skills
9. Ability to assess and provide treatment related to the child/person's goals
Desirable criteria
10. Facilitation of groups
Knowledge
Essential criteria
11. Basic knowledge of child development and its application to occupational therapy
Desirable criteria
12. Basic knowledge of some assessments used with children
Benefits
We believe in bringing your authentic and best self to work, in order to deliver the best care to our patients. We are committed to supporting our employees holistically. Here is a snapshot of what is on offer at NELFT:
13. A long-standing and award-winning approach to equality and diversity with supportive networks for ethnic minority staff, staff with disabilities or long term/chronic conditions and LGBT staff.
14. A commitment to supporting colleagues to achieve a work life balance, through flexible working opportunities and our effortsto support our working parents and carers. This has resulted in us being recognised as a ‘Top 10 Family Friendly Employer’ from the Working Families Charity.
15. Proactive health and wellbeing support, including access to our employee assistance programme, staff psychological support, individual wellbeing conversations and a network of health and wellbeing ambassadors.
16. Detailed information about our wellbeing and benefits offer can be found in this link.
As a flexible working friendly organisation, we want to be sure that you can work in a way that is best for us and for our patients, and for you. Speak to us about how we might be able to accommodate a flexible working arrangement whether that’s a job share, part time hours or another flexible pattern.