Professional Lead - Occupational Therapist

Role Responsibility

Kent County Council are offering an exciting new opportunity to join the SEN Therapies as Occupational Therapy Professional Lead.

We are looking for an experienced Children’s Occupational Therapist (OT) to become a Kent Wide Professional Lead to provide the local authority with highly specialist OT advice in relation to special education provision. You will also support the development of policies and practises that extend collaborative working across therapy providers in relation to the Code of Practice (2015) and Children and Families Act (2014).

The Lead Occupational Therapist will work alongside the SEN Speech and Language therapy professional lead and will be a key link between services and stakeholders to ensure that children in Kent with Special Educational Needs achieve the best possible outcomes.

You will have significant experience as a children’s Occupational Therapist. You will demonstrate a strong commitment to meeting the needs of children and families and bringing about long-term change for OT provision in educational settings in Kent.

• You will be able to draw upon their experience and expertise to facilitate and drive forward the effective implementation of OT provision in educational settings.

• You will competently and creatively engage with stakeholders to promote OT including presentations, information sessions, supervision and coaching.

• you will have enhanced relationship and negotiation skills to work in conjunction with families, commissioners, therapy providers and colleagues across Kent.

• You will have the confidence to professionally challenge current ways of working and persuade, motivate, and influence stakeholders to realign their practice as indicated by evidence and changes in current practice.

• You will be organised, effective and efficient keeping to timescales and working with key partners to ensure developments and initiatives are implemented in a timely manner.

This post will be based at the Old Railway School, Ashford, but will involve some travel across Kent.

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

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.

Interviews are likely to be: Week Commencing 20 December 2021

Contact Details

We welcome and encourage enquiries for more information about this post and are happy to arrange an informal discussion.

Please email Sarah Lloyd Cocks, Head of SEN Therapies on sarah.lloydcocks@kent.gov.uk to arrange a time to discuss the post.

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.