Occupational Therapist Lead - Complex Neurodivergent Children and Young People

Role Responsibility

Are you a dynamic and enthusiastic Occupational Therapist, (OT) with a good range of experience supporting Children and Young People? Are you looking for a new challenge and wanting to develop or build on your skill set through working with neurodiverse and trauma? This is an exciting new role for an Occupational Therapist to take a lead and make a valued contribution to the well-being of neurodiverse children and young people.

We are a dynamic and supportive team who offer supervision, ongoing continuous professional development, including access to a range of training tailored to the individual’s needs. This role would best suit practitioners experienced professional's looking to extend their skill set and enjoy a new challenge.

Purpose of Programme

The new Intensive Home Support Team is part of Kent and Medway’s Designated Key Worker Programme, which is an exciting new venture funded by NHS England and provided across the Kent and Medway Integrated Care System (ICS). This is a collaboration between Kent and Medway County Councils and the Kent and Medway Clinical Commissioning Group. The Kent and Medway ICS is passionate about promoting good mental health and wellbeing for neuro diverse children and young people. We strive to use the expertise and resources within our organisations and through our partnerships to deliver high quality services that are safe and focused on children and young people’s wellbeing and recovery.

The ambition for the Intensive Home Support Team is to provide Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) assessment and intervention for neurodiverse young people with complex needs. Using collaborative partnership working to support complex neurodiverse young people whose behaviours are  challenging , resulting in significant harm to self, others, or property. The successful candidate will bring  a sensory, speech and behavioural lens to aid a better understanding of the needs of neurodiverse complex young people and their families, the programme aims to create a difference to their lives through increasing verbal skills, articulation, and oral motor control.  

Within this programme the Occupational Therapist lead role will create opportunity to work systemically with neurodiverse children, young people, and their families, supporting community health, education, and social care teams to understand the physical, sensory, or cognitive problems needs of individuals and also this cohort of children. Reducing the risks of admission to specialist hospitals or secure units through prevention in escalation of risk for those children and young people displaying behaviour that challenges. Through collaboration the OT Lead will advise professional networks on how to adapt standardised care packages to deliver neurodiverse personalised OT care, removing any physical, sensory, or cognitive barriers that affect a person's emotional, social, and physical needs.

The role is hosted by Kent County Council and delivered across both Kent and Medway.

The Neuro Intensive Home Support Team is part of the Designated Key Worker Programme. The role has opportunity to work systemically with Children, Young People, and their families, supporting community health, education, and social care teams to co-ordinate their service response to deliver non neurotypical interventions. Reducing the risk of admission to specialist mental health hospitals or secure placements and preventing further escalation of risk for those young people experiencing complex behaviour that challenges.

The role is part of a partnership that will design a stepped programme and develop the referral pathway.

The role will be supported through application of profession relevant supervision, peer and programme delivery supervision.

Expressions for secondment welcomed.

Secondment applicants will need to have the consent of their employing organisation.

Benefits

Kent County Council believe in supporting their staff and therefore offer the below benefits alongside this rewarding role.

• A competitive salary, dependant on experience
• Minimum 28 days paid holiday, bank holidays, concessionary day
• Pension
• Access to physical and mental wellbeing support
• Seasonal benefits and staff socials
• Home working and flexible working
• A robust supervision structure, both individually and peer supervision.
• Varied learning and development opportunities, opportunity to acquire CEU’s and UK SBA enrolment.

This post is considered by KCC to be a customer-facing position. The Council therefore has a statutory duty under Part 7 of the Immigration Act (2016) to ensure that post holders have a command of spoken English/Welsh sufficient for the effective performance of the job requirements. The appropriate standards are set out in the Job Description/Person Specification.

This post is subject to an Enhanced Disclosure application to the Disclosure and Barring service and a relevant professional qualification (Occupational Therapy) as well as up to date registration with the appropriate professional body.

Contact Details

For more information, please Contact :

Christine Jackson Hayward 07944986216

Christine.Jackson-Hayward@kent.gov.uk

About the Company

KCC is committed to building a workforce which reflects the diversity of the county's working residents, encouraging applications from people of all ages, abilities, genders, sexual orientations, ethnic backgrounds and faiths, and aspires to create an inclusive workplace where everyone can be themselves at work.

Please note – if you are interested, please apply as soon as possible as the closing date for this advert may be earlier than stated should a number of suitably qualified candidates apply.