Occupational Therapy Assistant
We’re hiring
Occupational Therapy Assistant - Band 3
Children’s Team - Linwood School
An exciting opportunity has arisen to join the Diverse Abilities Healthcare and Therapy team, who provide nursing and therapy support to children, young people and adults with physical and learning disabilities.
We are looking for a motivated and enthusiastic occupational therapy assistant to join our skilled multidisciplinary therapy team based at Linwood school. The post holder will be responsible for supporting the Occupational Therapists in delivering occupational therapy interventions to children with a variety of developmental disorders.
You will work closely with the school team to provide an excellent quality of care and will act as a source of information, support and advice.
Ideally you will have experience of working with children or will have worked as a therapy assistant within a therapy team.
You must be able to undertake travel to all school campuses as part of your work..
If you are a great communicator, passionate and committed to working in partnership with children, families, therapy and teaching staff to improve outcomes for children we would love to hear from you.
In return you will join a friendly, supportive and innovative team and an organisation with strong core values and a commitment to personal development, including in-service training.
For further details contact Liz Stansfield Occupational Therapy Department at Langside School - Liz.stansfield@langsideschool.org.uk
Click here to download our application form.
* Please note: by submitting an application form you are agreeing to Diverse Abilities conducting a social media check- If you wish to know more about this check before applying please call 01202 718266 option 3**
More about the role…
Key responsibilities:
To assist with and carry out agreed occupational therapy programmes with individual pupils and groups.
To monitor sitting posture and seating within class setting offering advice to class staff as required.
To make necessary adjustments to specialised seating, as required, under the guidance of the occupational therapist.
To assist in maintenance and repair of class seating and refer to occupational therapist where further assistance is required
To be aware of posture in wheelchair seating and provide support with minor adjustments or organising repairs where needed.
To assist the occupational therapist with wheelchair clinics and equipment assessments with external providers.
To have a knowledge of sensory integration, assist in assessing children’s individual sensory needs and facilitate teaching staff to implement strategies and ideas into class environment.
To assist in the assessing and recording of moving and assisting care plans.
To provide advice and support to school staff in the moving and assisting of children in all school environments and activities.
To assist in upper limb splint provision and the implementation of individualised upper limb stretch programmes.
To support pupils with their feeding programmes in conjunction with speech therapist.
To enable and support children to use their chosen method of communication, including access to appropriate communication devices.
To be aware of the risks to tissue viability and to assist in decreasing risks and minimising viability issues.
To liaise with parents and carers via telephone or home school books as required
To liaise with other professional and outside agencies under the direction of the occupational therapist.
To support pupils on out of school educational activities as required.
To enable and encourage children to be as independent as possible.
To monitor pupils and students for any changes in behaviour or physical appearance which may give cause for concern
For full details on requirements and essential skills required for this role, check the job description linked above.
Commitment to safeguarding
Diverse Abilities is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people, and adults that we support and expects all staff and volunteers to share the same commitment. Please ensure a full work history is completed in your application form including any gaps of employment. Applicants will be required to complete satisfactory enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly CRB) check is required for this post prior to commencement. The Charity is an equal opportunities employer.
Benefits and bonuses
We offer a wide range of employee rewards and benefits. These include access to hundreds of retailer, restaurant, entertainment, and hotel discounts through Blue Light Card, auto-enrolment pensions, paid accrued holiday, and a cycle to work scheme. Click here for a full list of our rewards and benefits.
You’ll also get paid while you complete your training and as you proceed to any diplomas.
We provide long service awards at 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25+ years including bonuses, vouchers, and additional paid time off.
Introducing Reasons to Care
Hosted by Michelle (Supported Living Deputy Manager) and Clare (Children’s Team Short Breaks Manager), "Reasons to Care" will take you on a heartwarming journey, making an impact that truly matters. It’s our podcast on all things to do with working in care.
We'll dive into some uplifting stories that'll make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside, changing lives with love, one story at a time. From speaking to those who have worked for us for years and new members of the team, through to parents and people we support, there’s lots of stories to enjoy.
Our employee stories
Find out more about what our employees have to say about working for us.
