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Job Information
Achieving for Children is a Community Interest Company that has a public sector ethos, combined with the freedom to innovate enabling us to do things differently. As a not-for-profit social enterprise owned by three local authorities (Windsor & Maidenhead, Kingston and Richmond), we offer the freedoms of a social enterprise with the employment benefits of local government. To find out more about us click here.
Paediatric Occupational Therapy Assistant
We're looking for an enthusiastic and motivated Paediatric Occupational Therapy Assistant (NHS Band 4 equivalent) to join our growing Occupational Therapy Service. This role attracts a health market supplement in addition to the advertised salary.
Working under the guidance of qualified Occupational Therapists, you'll support children and young people aged 0–19 with neurological and developmental needs, helping them to develop skills, increase independence and participate in everyday activities. Based within our Integrated Team for Children with Disabilities at the Moor Lane Centre in Chessington, you'll be part of a supportive and dedicated team committed to improving outcomes for children and families.
About the role
As an Occupational Therapy Assistant (Band 4), you will work within our Paediatric Occupational Therapy Service, supporting children and young people with developmental needs and neurological conditions across schools, clinics and community settings.
You'll join a friendly and experienced multidisciplinary team, working closely with Occupational Therapists, Physiotherapists, Speech and Language Therapists, Paediatricians and Social Care colleagues.
In this role, you will:
- Deliver occupational therapy programmes and interventions under the guidance of a qualified Occupational Therapist.
- Work collaboratively with children, families, carers and professionals to support positive outcomes and maintain a holistic approach.
- Provide advice and support alongside other professionals across education, health and social care.
- Support the smooth running of the service through activities such as arranging appointments, organising clinics, maintaining records and managing equipment.
Current opportunities are available within our Special Schools, Specialist Resource Provisions across Kingston and Richmond, and our community team supporting mainstream schools.
For further information about this role, please contact Katy Buche on Katherine.buche@achievingforchildren.org.uk for an informal discussion.
About you
You will need to have an interest in and/or prior experience in working in a childcare setting as well as the drive and determination to deliver high quality intervention to children and young people.
You will be passionate about making a positive difference to the lives of children and young people as well as demonstrating the following:
- The ability to work autonomously and to be responsible for a caseload under supervision of a HCPC registered Occupational Therapist.
- The ability to undertake therapeutic interventions that support children and young people to engage in occupations that promote their independence and skills development.
- The ability to implement activities devised by a qualified Occupational Therapist to achieve agreed goals and to contribute to the evaluation of their effectiveness.
- The ability to work within agreed protocols, facilitating and implementing individual or group work as directed by the supervising Occupational Therapist.
- The ability to monitor the child or young person’s progress, taking account of their environment and changing needs.
About our benefits
We are focused on creating a positive supportive environment, where you will have access to a really wide range of resources, as well as a competitive salary and all the perks to enable hybrid working. In AfC you will also have access to:
- 29 days annual leave, increasing to 33 days after 2 years and 35 days after 4 years with an additional day off in your birthday month (Or for term-time workers, your leave entitlement consists of the non-working periods in your contract)
- Tailored induction sessions commencing on the date you start working for AfC
- Local Government salary and pension scheme (LGPS or Teachers Pension)
- Flexible working options - helping to keep a good work life balance
- A comprehensive Employee Assistance Programme
- A range of staff benefits and discounts
- An excellent learning and development offer to support your career pathway
To find out about all of the breadth of benefits of working for Achieving for Children click here. For our social work offer click here. For our Recruitment Journey, click here.
Important Information
Start dates: Achieving for Children have set start dates meaning successful candidates join on a set date in each month. Candidates are advised to prepare for this should a job offer be accepted to ensure eligible continuous service is not affected.
Right to work: The UK has introduced a new points-based immigration system affecting EU and Non-EU workers and sponsorship requirements. We advise checking the GOV.UK website for right to work guidance.
Equality: We particularly welcome applications from sections of the community who are currently underrepresented within our teams. Achieving for Children are committed to making our recruitment practices as inclusive as possible for everyone. We are committed to promoting equality and diversity and developing a culture that values differences, recognising that employees from a variety of backgrounds bring important and positive contributions and can improve the way we deliver services. We are proud to be a Disability Confident employer.
Safeguarding: We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. We expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. This post is exempted under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and as such appointment to this post will be conditional upon the receipt of a satisfactory response to a check of police records via Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS).
We reserve the right to close this vacancy once a sufficient number of applications has been received. Therefore, it is strongly advised that you complete and return your application as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.
