About this role
Job summary
Are you passionate about supporting children and young people with disabilities and special educational needs? We are seeking a compassionate, motivated, and proactive Therapy Assistant Practitioner to join our multidisciplinary team.
This role is based across both special and mainstream school settings, working under the direction of qualified Speech & Language Therapists and Occupational Therapists. You will support children and young people with a wide range of needs, including speech, language and communication needs, severe learning disabilities, physical disabilities, and social communication differences, including autism.
We are looking for someone who demonstrates empathy, respect, and a genuine commitment to improving outcomes for children, families, and education staff. You should be confident using technology to support both administrative and clinical tasks, and able to manage your workload effectively--working independently as well as under the guidance of therapists.
You will be an important link between families, schools, and healthcare professionals, requiring strong communication skills and the ability to build positive working relationships.
Main duties of the job
Work will include:
Review status of children/young people under specialist guidance, create resources and train school staff to provide specialist therapy and occupational therapy approaches such as colourful semantics, Lego Therapy , intensive interaction, supporting sensory strategies healthy hands and clever fingers.
To support staff and children to use a wide variety of alternative and augmentative communication including communication books, high tech communication systems including use of eye gaze technology and iPads with communication/assistive technology apps and complete administrative tasks such as programming.
To complete administrative work including clinical note writing, ordering equipment, signposting referrals, clinic bookings, and liaison with school staff.
There is an expectation you will complete role related training including level 5 apprenticeship such us Assistant Practitioner Apprenticeship course
About us
Please refer to the Applicant Guide via the link below for key information:- Applying to LGT Guide - Key Information for Applicants
Our people are our greatest asset. When we feel supported and happy at work, this positivity reaches those very people we are here for, the patients. Engaged employees perform at their best and our Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) initiatives contribute to cultivate a culture of engagement. We have four staff networks, a corporate EDI Team and a suite of programmes and events which aim to insert the 5 aspirations:
Improving representation at senior levels of staff with disabilities, from black, Asian, and ethnic minorities background, identify as LGBTQ+ and women, through improved recruitment and leadership development Widening access (anchor institution) and employability Improving the experience of staff with disability Improving the EDI literacy and confidence of trust staff through training and development Making equalities mainstream
Job description Job responsibilities
To work independently as a Therapy Assistant Practitioner, undertaking observations, informal/formal assessments/therapeutic interventions on an individual and group basis for children seen by the team, under the guidance of qualified therapists.
To provide a range of technical clinical support to the service, taking responsibility for specific areas of work as delegated, such as taking photographs and video, programming and supporting the use of specialist assistive technology such as communication aids or switches, and producing resources for therapy and/or training.
To help provide clinical support to the service when necessary, including non-direct and direct work with children and their families/carers and school staff and making and maintaining resources to support clinical interventions
To assist in the provision of high quality clinical administrative support to the therapy Team, being competent to carry out all the basic admin tasks whilst taking responsibility for specific areas of work which align themselves with the clinical work undertaken.
Person Specification
Experience Essential
Experience of direct work with children Experience of working in a school environment Experience of dealing with the public and handling sensitive and confidential information. Experience of working in public sector / voluntary sector customer services role or equivalent. To demonstrate competent knowledge of team administrative skills needed to support clinical practice Experience of team working
Desirable
Ability to take on role of teaching specific ways of carrying out activities with children, families &/or school staff Experience of working with children with additional /special needs
Knowledge Essential
GCSE including Maths and English level 4 (c) or above or equivalent Demonstrable knowledge of computer software packages e.g. Word, Excel, Powerpoint or equivalent etc.
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.
Employer details Employer name Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust
Address Kaleidoscope
32 Rushey Green
London
SE6 4JF
United Kingdom
Employer's website https://www.lewishamandgreenwich.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)