OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY ASSISTANT

JOB DESCRIPTION

Post Occupational Therapy Assistant

Hours 22 hours week, 39 weeks year

Salary Scale £19,510 pro rata

Line Manager Team Lead for Therapy Services

Main Purpose of the Job

·  To work under the guidance and direction of the Team Lead for Therapy Services.

·  To undertake a weekly programme of delegated duties as determined by a

qualified therapist and as monitored by the Team Lead for Therapy Services.

·  To enhance and facilitate the quality of Occupational Therapy through

contributing to a programme of support for young people as planned by qualified therapist or Team Lead for Therapy Services.

·  To contribute to the management of a caring, consistent and well organised

environment that supports the personal, social and intellectual development of each young person.

Duties

·  To support the development and extension of therapy activities.

·  To assist a qualified therapist in supporting individual young people in order to

participate successfully in planned programmes of therapy.

·  To run weekly sessions on a 1:1 basis with guidance and planning from an OT.

·  To support individual young people in the development of specific skills, for

example, fine motor skills and independent living skills sessions.

·  To support OT’s in the maintenance of equipment in particular wheelchairs and being able to respond to need.

·  To take delegated responsibility for:

specific areas of treatment;

recording certain aspects of a young person’s achievement;

the organisation and maintenance of therapy equipment;

·  Office management including filing, photocopying, preparation of information for training courses

·  Clinic administration including wheelchair and specialised equipment, preparation and dissemination of information afterwards.

·  To ensure that tasks are carried out in accordance with school policies and

specific instructions.

·  To undertake appropriate courses of training as determined by the Team Lead for Therapy Services.

·  To participate in the annual appraisal programme and to identify personal and

professional requirements and achievements.

Responsibilities of all WESC staff

·  All staff are to maintain a safe and healthy working place and systems of work, and promote Equality of Opportunity within their own practice.

·  All staff will be expected to complete the WESC Induction Programme.

·  All staff will attend or deliver appropriate CPD/training sessions either in the employer’s or their own time. Some posts require mandatory training and this must be complete within the stated timescale.

·  We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and clients and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. All posts are conditional to an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check and staff have a responsibility to inform WESC of any conviction or prosecution that occurs whilst employed.

·  Staff may be required to undertake additional or revised duties as requested by the Principal or managers.

·  This job description does not define in detail all duties and responsibilities of the post. Any modification will be in consultation with the post holder.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

Factors / Essential / Desirable
Qualification: / Maths and English GCSE / O Level grade C or above
Level 3 H & SC or above
Experience and Knowledge: / Understanding of child protection issues and is able to guide and instruct staff in safe practices
Experience of organising and running activities on and off site.
Office management ICT skills
Can produce different reports when needed and demonstrate understanding of the need for differentiation.
/ First Aid
OT assistant experience.
Wheelchair services knowledge.
Skills and Ability: / Can use MIS systems to maximum use and can input and extract relevant information.
Able to identify through observation and supervision, staff who are not demonstrating equality and diversity and provide relevant support.
Can complete risk assessment contribute to, update, review , evaluate and or develop care/ support/ moving and handling plans to meet the healthcare/ support needs of service users and conduct, providing basic instruction to others.
Using intervention techniques
Manual handling and lifting.
Practical skills e.g. adjustments to equipment. / Manual Handling Assessment/ Trainer
Personal qualities: / Good organisational skills
A willing and flexible attitude
Enthusiastic and self-motivated
High level of tact, diplomacy and initiative
To provide clear direction to staff, by modelling exemplary behaviour.