Clinical Specialist Occupational Therapist Band 8A - FTC to April 2026
An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Clinical Specialist Occupational Therapist Band 8A to join our Rehabilitation services team. You will provide occupational therapy clinical expertise to children and young people with acquired brain injury and neurodisabilityaccessing inpatient neurorehabilitation, long term disability management placements and short breaks.
Main duties of the job
The role of Clinical Specialist OccupationalTherapistBand 8A is to provide occupational therapy clinical expertise tochildren and young people with acquired brain injury and neurodisabilityaccessinginpatient neurorehabilitation, long term disability management placements andshort breaks. Our service aims to promote outcome focussed interventions, safetherapy and care, function, and participation, of children and young peopleaccessing home, school, and community life.
You willprovide high quality advanced practical and theoretical knowledge,evidence-based teaching, consultation, assessment, treatment planning andinterventions. You will provide an expert level of occupational therapyleadership to the rehabilitation occupational therapy team, offeringsupervision and clinical support to drive quality and effectiveness of servicedelivery. You will work collaboratively across the multi-disciplinary team,ensuring all children receive personalised, intensive, and high-qualityoccupational therapy interventions.
You willwork closely with the community rehabilitation team to support flexibledelivery of provision across inpatient and outpatient services. You will carryyour own specialist caseload and you will lead on clinical audit, qualityimprovement and research. There will be an opportunity to further develop anarea of occupational therapy clinical expertise in childrens rehabilitation,with the organisation offering CPD and training opportunities.
About us
About Us
The Childrens Trust isthe UKs leading charity for children with acquired brain injury, providingexpert rehabilitation, education, therapy, and care at our national specialistcentre in Tadworth, and to children and their families across the UK, via ourBrain Injury Community Service.
Boasting a beautiful 24-acre site in Surrey, weare located just outside of London, close to the M25 (accessible via Junction8, A217 to Tadworth) and easily accessible via National Rail, by way of:Clapham Junction, Sutton, and Epsom.
The work we do ishighly rewarding, and in addition to an attractive salary, we offer a valuablerange of benefits, including, adoption pay, time off for fertility treatment,enhanced paternity leave, paid carers leave, time out days for thoseexperiencing menopause symptoms, time off for gender reassignment.
We also offeradditional annual leave days for those with long service, with entitlementsranging from 35 to 41 days (including bank holidays) depending on your lengthof service.
Other benefits includefree on-site parking; a staff shuttle service from Epsom and Sutton trainstations to Tadworth Court, subsidised cafeteria, on-site staff accommodation(subject to availability), the ability to retain your NHS pension (whereapplicable) or the opportunity to join an alternative scheme, and theopportunity to develop your career in a supportive and collaborativeenvironment.
Job responsibilities
ClinicalResponsibilities
Tobe an occupational therapy clinical expert in the management of children andyoung people with acquired brain injury and neurodisability.
Provideleadership to the occupational therapy team, providing innovative, high qualityandevidence based, occupation focussed interventions.
Touse expert knowledge and advanced clinical reasoning skills to provide highlyspecialist support and advice to the paediatric occupational therapy team inrehabilitation.
Developand lead on an identified area of occupational therapy clinicalspecialism.
Toassess for, plan, deliver and evaluate interventions for children within amultidisciplinary team setting.
Toproduce functional and participation-based goals in collaboration with thechild / young person, family, and MDT.
Leadon and undertake specialist upper limb assessments of children with highlycomplex needs e.g., multiple co-morbidities, neurodisabilities, throughstandardised and non-standardised assessments and clinical observations.
Leadon upper limb rehabilitation and postural care, supporting implementation ofthe organisations upper limb pathway and evidence based upper limbrehabilitation interventions.
Offeradvanced knowledge and skills in the management of children with rehabilitationneeds.
Ensurethe team offer occupation and participation focussed interventions as part ofpersonalised treatment planning.
Leadon and deliver specialist occupational therapy interventions, e.g., OPC,COOP.
Toassess for and implement use of neurotechnology within therapy sessionse.g., virtual reality, anti-gravity devices.
Towork collaboratively with families to maximise engagement in therapy sessions,support management of their childs needs and promote confidence in meetingtheir childs needs.
Tokeep appropriate and accurate intervention records which fulfil legal,professional and the requirements of The Childrens Trust.
Tocontribute to child related reports as required and assist with the collationof these as required in a timely manner.
Toprovide clinical cover across the service during episodes of staffshortage/heavy workload to ensure effective service delivery.
Undertakeother or additional duties that are within your skills and abilities, as theorganisation may reasonably require from time to time.
Communication
Tocommunicate effectively with children, families and colleagues using effective,professional, and appropriate strategies.
Todemonstrate a commitment to involvement and collaboration with children andfamilies across the service. This will include involving the child or youngperson, as well as parents and carers, in the decision-making process regardingoccupational therapy needs. This includes the need for discussion ofchallenging and emotive subjects with families and children regarding long termneeds and possible outcomes.
Tolead occupational therapy staff meetings and other meetings when appropriate,as directed by the Head of Rehabilitation Therapies.
Leadon and manage formal complaints, in line with The Childrens Trust polices andcontribute to the resolution of written complaints.
Managementof Self and Others
Participatein the overall day-to-day leadership and development of thephysiotherapy service,to ensure an efficient and safe service for all.
Ensureall physiotherapy services meet NHS England service specifications andcontractual obligations.
Toprovide supervision and clinical support to the occupational therapy team inrehabilitation and students to meet individual and service needs.
Representthe Therapy Team on behalf of the Head of Rehabilitation Therapies, asrequested.
Participatein the annual Performance Development Review and monthly supervision sessions,as required by The Childrens Trust, both as appraiser and appraise.
Advisethe Head of Rehabilitation Therapies regarding resources and equipment needs,including shortfalls.
Managetime effectively, prioritising, and delegating work, as required.
Organiseand deliver an occupational therapy CPD programme, offering training anddevelopment opportunities for the team.
Leadon talks, workshops, presentations and lectures at internal and externaltraining sessions, conferences etc.
Beaware of a range of research methodologies in order to design, plan and conductevaluation and research projects to address issues arising from practice, andto critically evaluate the research of others.
Havethe ability to submit an abstract or poster to local or national conferenceswith support as needed.
Governance
Readand implements all policies, procedures, and risk assessments, pertinent toworking practice and keeps up to date with policy change as they occur.
Criticallyevaluate new intervention methods and implement where appropriate.
Activelyparticipate in clinical governance meetings as required.
Criticallyevaluate practice through clinical audits and by appraisal of the informationgained, in combination with current knowledge of evidence-based practice;identify opportunities for service improvement and development.
Professionalism
Meetcurrent HCPC and RCOT standards with respect to professionalism and to keep upto date with any changes.
Understandwhat is required of therapy professionals by HCPC with respect to Fitness toPractice.
Beresponsible for maintaining registration with HCPC and RCOT.
Adhereto the policies and procedures of The Childrens Trust.
Inaddition to The Childrens Trust policies, the Clinical Specialist OccupationalTherapist is governed by, and should adhere to the Health and Care ProfessionsCouncil (HCPC) Standards of Proficiency for Occupational Therapists and theRoyal College of Occupational Therapists standards.
Responsiblefor day-to-day time management and prioritisation of workload, taking intoaccount the needs of the whole service.
Monthlyformal supervision ensuring reflection and documentation.
Supportrecruitment processes, as requested by the Head of RehabilitationTherapies.
Maintainprofessional boundaries and professionalism at all times.
Committedto demonstrating the organisations values and behaviours at all times.
Healthand Safety
Adheresto all Health and Safety guidelines, principles, and regulations to performyour role and comply with The Childrens Trust policies and procedures.
Provideevidence of all vaccinations (or medical exemption) required for the post.
Adhereto manual handling procedures and complete mandatory manual handling training.
Promotesthe health and safety of others.
Uses the incident reporting and risk assessmentsystem (IRAR), to identify and report risks and incidents/actions if directed.
Responsible for identifying and mitigating riskwithin the work environment.
Wellbeingand Emotional Resilience
Maintainsa positive approach and outlook when dealing with change and overcomingchallenges and problems.
Recognisesown limitations, develops realistic goals, and uses support network resourcewhen or if necessary.
Treatschallenges and problems as a learning experience.
Remainsorganised and focused when under pressure.
Respondsappropriately and effectively to all constructive feedback.
Motivatesself and other.
Person Specification
Skills & Abilities
* Workload management including delegation of tasks.
* Excellent verbal, non-verbal and written communication skills including communicating complex or potentially distressing information to parents/carers and managing conflict when appropriate.
* Analytical and creative problem-solving skills in unpredictable situations, synthesising a variety of evidence and presenting this in a relevant format e.g., report; presentation.
* Workload management including delegation of tasks and day-to-day team leadership.
* Reflective practice skills able to give clear and effective feedback and support others to develop.
* Clinical assessment and intervention skills relevant to children and young people with ABI/ neurodisability.
Personal Qualities
* Commitment to the vision and values of The Childrens Trust.
* Flexible and can do attitude to competing commitments in workload.
* Highly motivated and reliable.
* Ability to cope working in a demanding environment.
Qualifications
* Degree/Diploma Occupational Therapy
* HCPC registration
* Continuous Professional Development above the regulatory body standards
* Willing to undertake training if requested including upper limb & coaching
* Member of Royal College of Occupational Therapist
* Post graduate Diploma or Masters or studied at that level
* Evidence of successful completion of post-basic training or courses
Knowledge
* Knowledge of current research in acute brain injury in paediatrics.
* Knowledge of relevant outcome measures relating to acute brain injury and/ or paediatric neurology.
* Knowledge of current research and evidence-base, clinical audit, and service evaluation methods.
* Formal and informal clinical assessment and intervention skills relevant to children and/or adults with ABI/ neurodisability.
* Knowledge and understanding of safeguarding children and young people with complex disabilities.
* Flexible, can do, solution focused attitude to competing commitments in workload.
* Understanding of physical, communication, behavioural and emotional changes, and long-term impact of acquired brain injury (ABI).
Experience
* Minimum of five years clinical experience post basic qualification.
* Experience in neuro rehabilitation; adults or paediatric.
* Experience of assessment and delivery of upper limb rehabilitation.
* Experience of service development and quality improvement.
* Experience of working with children/young people and/or acquired brain injury/ neurodisability.
* Experience of undertaking complex postural assessments.
* Experience of leading a team.
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.
£60,085 to £66,901 a yeardependent upon experience and inclusive of London Weighting
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