About this role
Job summary
An exciting opportunity has arisen to join the Forensic Autism Service as an Allied Health Professional Therapy Assistant. This role involves working with a caseload of Autistic individuals with complex and/or additional needs who present with a significant forensic risk. The team looks at addressing a wide range of health issues and vulnerabilities and aim to help reduce offending behaviours through specific interventions, risk assessment and management. We do this by working collaboratively with the individual and working closely with other agencies who are also involved in their care. These services include; Social Care, Probation, Mental Health Teams and Child Youth Services.
Main duties of the job
The post holder will support the work of the Occupational Therapist and Speech and Language Therapist in working with autistic adults in both LSCFT community settings and some inpatient and occasionally prison settings.
Working under the direction of a qualified Occupational Therapist and Speech and Language Therapist, the therapy assistant will carry out specific observation and informal assessments and some targeted support work under the supervision of and devised by the therapist. The post holder will work in a range of environments e.g. person's home, community settings, trust sites and some specialist settings e.g. inpatient or prison. The therapy assistant may be working both on an individual or joint basis with individuals or facilitating online sessions and supporting the delivery of training by the Forensic Autism Service.
The post holder will work jointly with experienced Therapist(s) and the MDT to develop their skills, through regular contact and supervision with the teams AHP's. The post holder will work between the core hours of 9am and 5pm with some flexibility to meet service needs.
About us
LSCFT values diversity and inclusion, recognising that talent from varied backgrounds creates a flexible, creative, and effective workforce. We actively challenge discrimination and welcome applications from all, regardless of age, disability (including those with experience of accessing or caring for someone who has accessed mental health or learning disability services), ethnicity, gender, religion, belief, or sexual orientation.
Our aim is to reflect the communities we serve, so we particularly encourage applications from under-represented groups. If you'd like to discuss your application, please ask.
We also welcome individuals with lived experience relevant to the role or service area, as your insight brings authenticity to our services.
LSCFT support flexible working, we believe that a positive work/life balance benefits NHS employees through improved health and wellbeing. We would consider working patterns such as term time, part time, compressed hours and flexi-time.
The wellbeing of our people is at the heart of everything we do. We offer a wide range of resources, tools and support to help you thrive both in and out of work.
Explore our full wellbeing offer here: Keeping our workforce well
Job description Job responsibilities
For more information about this vacancy please review the attached job description and person specification.
Person Specification
Qualifications Essential
Qualification in health or care e.g. NVQ Level 4 Training to Diploma or foundation level Assistant practitioner qualification
Knowledge Essential
Working knowledge of key issues in autism Sound working knowledge of professional issues e/.g. confidentiality Good working knowledge of therapy techniques relevant to role
Experience Essential
Experience of carrying out therapeutic work with autistic adults/adolescents Experience of working with people with complex needs Experience of contributing to speech therapy/ occupational therapy assessments
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 Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust
Address Parlick Centre, Guild Lodge, Guild Park
Whittingham Lane
Preston
PR3 2JH
United Kingdom
Employer's website https://www.lscft.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)