About this role
Job summary
Band 4 Children's Occupational Therapy Assistant
We arelooking for an experienced, dynamic and highly motivated therapy assistant with previous experience of supporting therapy for children.
Islington Additional Needs and Disability Children's Service provides a multi-agency team approach to working with babies, children and young people who present with additional needs and complex disability. Within this service are teams providing assessment, diagnostic and therapy services to children in early years settings, special schools and mainstream schools.
The Therapy Assistant will support the therapists working in mainstream schools in Islington (school aged children and young people) and will be based at the Northern health centre, Holloway Road.
The Therapy Assistant will be responsible for carrying out individualised support and care to children and young people undergoing assessment and/or receiving interventions in clinic, schools and homes under supervision of qualified staff. She/ he will also undertake administrative and clinical duties to support the team including booking clinics, organising workshops, data collation and liaising with parents/carers.
We will offer you excellent training opportunities with a strong emphasis on individual performance appraisal and supervision.
We are a friendly and relaxed service which promotes equal opportunities and access for all. We support flexible working hours.
Main duties of the job
o To share information with team members as directed and appropriate, keeping confidentiality at all times.o Demonstrate ability to use basic computer systems, reports and input data.o Ensure that up-to-date written and electronic records are maintained in accordance with Trust standardso Respect the individuality, values, cultural and religious diversity of children and their families, and contribute to the provision of a service sensitive to these needs.o Assist team members with liaising with other agencies involved in the child's careo Form professional relationships with children, families and school staff and communicate with them in a way that respects their views, autonomy and culture.o To use a variety of verbal and non-verbal communication skills and tools to communicate with children who are non verbal, of a non English speaking background, requiring an interpreter, with a hearing impairment, with altered emotional states, with a cognitive/learning/behavioural disability.o Report verbally to school therapists on the child's development and performance in therapeutic and functional skills.o Liaise with relatives and carers and other agencies involved in the child's careo Report effectively any issues or concerns to supervisor/line managero Persuade and motivate children to participate in therapy activities and reassure if required.o Demonstrate effective communication over the telephone to parents/carers and external agencies
About us
We have an excellent reputation for being innovative, responsive and flexible to the changing clinical needs of the local population. We are treating more patients than ever before and are dedicated to improving services to deliver the best for our patients.Our missionHelping local people live longer, healthier lives.Our visionProvide safe, personal, co-ordinated care for the community we serve.Our goalsWe have developed six key strategic goals to make sure we continue to support people to live longer, healthier lives.
To secure the best possible health and wellbeing for all our community To integrate and coordinate care in person-centred teams To deliver consistent, high quality, safe services To support our patients and users in being active partners in their care To be recognised as a leader in the fields of medical and multi-professional education, and population-based clinical research To innovate and continuously improve the quality of our services to deliver the best outcomes for our local population
Job description Job responsibilities Clinical Responsibility: Undertake specific individual or group programmes as assessed and directed by trained staff members, observing general behaviour, ability and response of the children, recording the information as requested and reporting to a supervisor. Settings could include clinic, home or school. Engage children in therapeutic activities to promote independence, safety and well-being. Facilitate and participate in planned activities, seeking guidance if childs condition changes. Assist in the implementation of team member interventions including: o Assist in the running of therapy groups o Carry out therapy programmes as directed by therapists with children and young people o Under supervision of a therapist, provide a range of treatments; instructing and guiding children to support them in achieving identified goals. To work towards goals identified by the child, family/carers, the treating therapist, education professionals and the MDT o Implements therapy treatment plans o Organises transport and schedule visits or clinic appointments. o Assist team members with home and clinic assessments Adhere to the Trusts Policies and Procedures To assist in completing risk assessment of environment and safety under the guidance of senior team members following local and Trust policies Have a basic understanding of Moving and Handling Legislation and apply manual handling principles. Assist with transfers, standing and the application of braces, splints and other equipment such as seating with support as appropriate Ensure that toys and play materials are kept clean, safe and secure. To support staff in gathering evidence (including research database and website searches) and developing resources. Provide training and/or demonstrate activities and strategies to teachers/schools, with the support and guidance of therapists To assist therapists in making and preparing clinical resources such as visual timetables To be responsible for toy cleaning for the team on a termly basis Review and reflect own practice and performance through effective use of regular supervision and appraisal. Administrative Duties To keep up to date records on clients following Service Policy. To support the team with clinical administrative duties such as scanning and uploading to electronic records, sending letters to families, collating clinical data including feedback questionnaires, calling families to arrange appointments, supporting therapists to organise workshops, carrying out audits for team e.g toy cleaning audits and updating caseload spreadsheets and organising workshops. To attend relevant staff and service meetings. To provide cover for other general administrative duties such as answering the telephone, and photocopying when requested. Financial Responsibility Highlight stock issues to team members Ensure the security of stock and the safe use of equipment Responsibility for checking the condition of an area or equipment for the department Service Development and Improvement Implements the Policies and Procedures that have been determined by Islington Specialist Childrens Services. To undertake surveys or audits as directed by supervisor/line manager Ensure that work areas are well maintained are comply with Health and Safety Guidelines, ensuring the safe use of equipment, cleaning and storage of materials Responsibility for Dealing with Difficult Situations To regularly deal with emotional circumstances with children and families to promote achievement of goals with close guidance and support To work with children and young people who may have complex emotional, social and behavioural difficulties. To identify and report concerns regarding Child Protection issues To be able to complete required work load within time frames and deadlines set by line manager/supervisor, which may be stressful at times To deal with children and their parents/carers with a variety of emotional conditions e.g. depression, anxiety, aggression, frustration, apathy, and cognitive/learning/behavioural disabilities and mental illness. To deal sensitively with clients and their carers who may be distressed. Physical Working Conditions and Environment Ability to work in occasionally unpleasant conditions with odours, occasional body fluids, home visits and confined areas Develop physical skills for assessment and manual treatment of children Working with children or parents/carers/family members who may display aggressive or abusive behaviour. Knowledge, Training and Education To take part in a structured induction programme, aimed at identifying learning needs and developing competencies in working with a wide range of therapists. Demonstrate a basic level of understanding of the effects of medical conditions on functioning Have a basic understanding of the Moving and Handling Legislation and apply manual handling principles in best practice Attend all mandatory training set by the trust and the department To demonstrate ongoing personal development through participation in internal and available development opportunities To ensure that mandatory training is kept current and up-to-date Undertake relevant activities to meet training objectives identified with supervisor OTHER To undertake any other duties as required by the service, which may include a change in workplace. Exercise good personal time management, punctuality and consistent reliable attendance and maintain professional standards of dress code and personal presentation Staff who deliver work into educational settings will need to take the bulk of their holiday time during school holidays
Person Specification
Education and qualifications Essential
Training or short courses relevant to the post, eg autism awareness, chid development, PECS Formal qualifications relevant to role eg: NVQ or degree in childcare, teaching, playwork, health
Skills and abilities Essential
Good written communication Excellent IT skills, with experience of using Microsoft office including Word and Excel
Desirable
Good working knowledge of patient data systems (RIO,)
Other Essential
Able to travel between clinics, schools, homes and community settings
Knowldege and experience Essential
Experience working in a clinical role as a teaching assistant, therapy assistant or co-worker. Experience working with school aged children Knowledge of some common childhood conditions e.g. autism, developmental co-ordination disorder
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.
Certificate of Sponsorship Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
Employer details Employer name Whittington Hospital NHS Trust
Address Northern Health Centre
580 Holloway Road
Islington
N7 6LB
United Kingdom
Employer's website https://www.whittington.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)