Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Please see the full job description for more information

Key Tasks & Responsibilities:

1.     Communication:

·  To work as a member of the multidisciplinary/interagency team establishing effective communication with colleagues, children and families /carers.

·  Encourage children and their carers in an active approach to maintaining personal independence and developing motor and play skills. This requires empathy, sensitivity and good interpersonal skills, as there will often be significant barriers to understanding, i.e. learning disability, behavioural issues, sensory impairment, pain, fear, denial and unrealistic expectations.

·   To communicate complex and sensitive information, as agreed with the qualified therapist, to parent’s carers and children in order to gain co-operation during treatment sessions.

· Ensure on-going communication with the therapist regarding assessment and treatment of individual children, reporting any changes.

· To recognise any potential barriers and enable effective communication. Modify communication in response.

· To plan, discuss and maintain therapy management programmes/documentation for complex cases.

2. Clinical Duties:

·       To visit the child’s setting to review and set up complex equipment for postural management and moving and handling. To adjust equipment and inform carers how to use equipment safely e.g. seating, hoists and slings.

· Review and assess children’s progress, adapting programmes, ordering equipment as requested and reporting back accurately and fully to the Occupational Therapist.

·   Develop knowledge of specialist equipment and make suggestions for children and the application. To arrange electronic ordering and returns of equipment to Community Equipment Service.

·   To research new products and report back to Occupational Therapy staff.  This will also involve organising and liaising with company representatives who will demonstrate specialist equipment and to feedback to Occupational Therapists following visits.

·  To resource play and therapeutic activities to help complex children maximise their abilities and develop these resources for children.  Plan programmes and modify as necessary, reporting back fully to the Occupational Therapist.

· To undertake activities and manage the participation of children as delegated by an Occupational Therapist. To be responsible for modifying programmes based on observations and reviewing equipment as necessary, reporting back to the Occupational Therapist.

·  Assist children, their carers and education staff, providing direction and guidance on a range of therapy interventions and activities, as part of own clinical work, or as directed as necessary adapting to suit specific environmental factors.

·    Assist the therapists in the management and rehabilitation of complex children by establishing and maintaining postural management programmes.

·    To set up equipment in a range of settings, e.g. in special schools and child’s home. To be able to have the physical ability to transfer from the floor to standing with ease, to be able to move inanimate  objects, to hold positions for extended periods. 

·    To liaise with the therapists as necessary regarding and in particular highlighting any variations to expected outcomes from intervention programmes you help deliver.

·    To report any changes in condition, relevant observations, information and any variations of expected treatment outcomes regarding patients to the appropriate therapist.

3.Planning and organisational Skills:

·  Prioritise own workload and organise own work to meet these priorities and reduce risk.

·    Actively participate in own development and review in order to identify personal development plans and training needs.

·  Monitor and develop own performance, aiming to achieve and maintain a high standard.

·       To participate in regular supervision

·       Manage and prioritise own time and tasks to be done