About this role
Job summary
St Catherine's is an exceptional place to work. We are based on the Isle of Wight in Ventnor, an eclectic town with a great community. We use our location as an additional tool to use outside the education environment on our students journeys towards independence.
Work in a multi-disciplinary team with speech and language therapists, teachers and other professionals to provide holistic support for students 9-19 years.
See your work come to fruition over the time the student spends with us and follow their journey towards independence.
Our Occupational Therapy team are integral to supporting our students - the team is hardworking and enthusiastic and this role offers an excellent opportunity for growth.
Visit our website and see who our teams are and the work we do.
www.stcatherines.org.uk
Main duties of the job
To work independently with students to provide intensive occupational therapy input.
Work collaboratively with education, residential and other therapists.
To hold responsibility for assessment, intervention planning and evaluation within own caseload.
To develop and maintain professional standards of service through CPD and other developmental activities.
To supervise the work of assistants.
Provide observation sessions for visiting professionals and students.
About us
St Catherines is a national charity working with children and young people with severe and lifelong speech, language and communication disabilities. Our residential centre in Ventnor on the Isle of Wight encompasses a specialist school and sixth form, Post 19 provision, intensive speech and language therapy and occupational therapy and residential facilities. Our holistic approach ensures each and every student has access to high quality learning and personal development opportunities relevant to their needs.
Job description Job responsibilities
Working Relationships
1. The students at St Catherines have barriers to understanding/communicating which require the post-holder to have excellent communication skills.
2. The post-holder will be keen and enthusiastic to work intensively as part of a multi-disciplinary team.
3. In addition, the post-holder will be required to communicate complex condition-related and general professional information with: students; parents/carers; health professionals; education professionals; social services; voluntary services; the public; and all other relevant stakeholders.
4. This will frequently involve: negotiation skills, e.g. in the management of conflict; motivating skills, e.g. supporting students under stress or who have challenging communication difficulties; and the use of empathy in working with distressed students and/or parents/carers.
Financial and Physical Resources
1. To monitor stock levels in own service area and request new equipment as appropriate.
2. To be responsible for the security, care and maintenance of equipment.
Working Conditions
1. The post-holder will be required to maintain intense concentration in student assessment and therapy for prolonged periods on a daily basis.
2. To be flexible to meet the competing demands of the caseload, e.g. urgent reports, class-based working, etc.
3. The post-holder may be required to deal with situations of a potentially distressing nature as part of the school/sixth form team.
4. To be involved in frequent moderate physical effort, carrying equipment and facilitating the movement of students when applicable.
Duties and Responsibilities
Clinical Practice
1. To assess, plan, deliver and evaluate occupational therapy interventions for students with a range of sensory, motor and functional needs, taking a holistic perspective of students needs.
2. To ensure student involvement in goal setting and understanding of difficulties.
3. To apply and develop knowledge to inform sound clinical judgements for case management.
4. To provide and evaluate appropriate occupational therapy interventions based on clinical reasoning.
5. To work collaboratively with education and care staff to ensure the integration of occupational therapy aims with education and care aims.
6. To work collaboratively with education staff to ensure access for all students to the curriculum.
7. To demonstrate clinical effectiveness by use of evidence-based practice and outcome measures, thereby ensuring that practice is continually updated.
8. To adapt practice to meet individual students circumstances, including due regard for cultural and linguistic differences.
9. To be accountable for own professional action and recognise own professional boundaries, seeking advice as appropriate.
10. To work within defined departmental and national protocols/policies and professional code of conduct to ensure quality of care.
11. To demonstrate a developing ability to reflect on different aspects of students motor, sensory and visual perceptual needs and to identify appropriate strategies to facilitate and enhance effectiveness in activities of daily living.
12. To provide detailed written reports as necessary to meet statutory regulation.
13. To work as part of a multi-disciplinary team.
14. To provide advice to parents and carers regarding students progress and carry over to the home environment.
Leadership
1. To supervise the work of Occupational Therapy Assistants, students and volunteers, providing guidance and support to ensure effective delivery of interventions.
2. To manage and prioritise own workload independently, seeking support as appropriate, and to contribute to the effective organisation of the Occupational Therapy service.
3. To contribute to the development of others through informal support, modelling good practice and participation in supervision processes where appropriate.
4. To explain the role of Occupational Therapy to visitors, students, volunteers and other stakeholders.
5. To support student placements, including providing observation opportunities and contributing to their learning experience.
Professional Development
1. To identify personal/professional development evidenced by Personal Development Plan/ Professional Portfolio developed within an appraisal framework with specific reference to any competency frameworks developed by RCOT for new and developing Occupational Therapists.
2. To actively participate in clinical/management supervision.
3. To attend relevant training and development in order to develop skills and knowledge required of a therapist working in the field of Paediatric Occupational Therapy and special educational needs and maintain up to date HCPC and RCOT registration.
4. To fulfil specific objectives relating to clinical area, set at appraisal.
5. To demonstrate an increasing ability to reflect on practice with peers/supervisor and identify own strengths and development needs.
Teaching/Training/Research
1. To participate in departmental audit and research projects.
2. To participate in the development and delivery of training to others in areas of practice related to Occupational Therapy.
Policy and Service Development
1. To be aware of, and adhere to, national and local policies particularly with regard to SEN, safeguarding children and other legal frameworks.
2. To adhere to the policies and procedures of the school including health & safety guidance and child protection.
3. To comment on proposed service/policy developments with a solution focused mind-set.
4. To participate in innovations in areas of risk management, quality standards setting and clinical effectiveness.
Admin/Monitoring/Auditing
1. To maintain up to date and accurate case notes in line with HCPC/RCOT professional standards and school policies.
2. To share information with others, observing data protection guidelines.
3. To gather activity data accurately and regularly, ensuring the provision of such information promptly within school guidelines.
4. To manage and prioritise a defined caseload, seeking support as appropriate.
5. To participate in surveys and audits as necessary in order to enable the school to meet its statutory requirements.
6. To undertake any other duties at the request of the line manager, which are commensurate with the role, including project work, internal job rotation and absence cover.
Person Specification
Qualifications Essential
You will have (or are nearing qualification) - A Recognised Occupational Therapy degree qualification or equivalent. - Be HCPC registered licence to practice. - Be a Registered Member of the Royal College of Occupational Therapists. - Be within the first 3 years post-qualification - Have undertaken paediatric placements - Evidence of knowledge of motor and sensory impairments and associated difficulties. - Have an understanding of working in partnership with parents and other professionals - Knowledge of common assessment tools & therapeutic interventions - Understanding of wider contexts of special education needs and policies related to clinical speciality - Excellent communication skills - Good organisational and time management skills - Good analytical and reflective skills
Desirable
- Experience of working in general paediatric occupational therapy - Membership of relevant special interest groups - Experience of working in an education setting - Good IT skills - Teamworking
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.
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
Employer details Employer name St Catherines School
Address St. Catherines School
Grove Road
Ventnor
Isle Of Wight
PO38 1TT
United Kingdom
Employer's website https://www.stcatherines.org.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)