Advertised role location: Trustwide but based in Lisburn area
Official document: Job Description Updated 07.10.26 (pdf)
Clinical Specialist Occupational
Therapist
Children & Young People’s Occupational
Therapy Service – Special Schools Team
Band 6 / Band 5 Training Post

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JOB DESCRIPTION
The post holder will provide a comprehensive Children and Young Person’s (CYP)
Occupational Therapy Service for those still holding a full-time school placement that
present with a wide range of physical, learning and/or developmental difficulties within
the special school setting. To provide specialist Occupational Therapy assessment,
plan and carry out treatment for CYP within the special school setting as appropriate
to their needs. To carry out environmental assessments to provide advice regarding
provision of equipment and adaptations according to the individual needs of the child
in the home and school environment. To contribute towards the ongoing development
of the CYPOT service and assist in the development of integrated multi-professional
working within the framework of relevant competencies.
Training Post:
In the event of not recruiting at Band 6 level we will invite Band 5 Occupational
Therapists with 1 years experience in any area of OT to apply for the Band 5/6 Training
Post. Successful applicants will be placed in vacant Band 6 positions with a training
post framework and enhanced supervision and mentoring. On reaching 2 years’ post-
registration experience as an OT with 6 months in Paediatrics, and having met the
required competency goals, they will move to Band 6 grade without a further interview.
JOB TITLE Clinical Specialist Children and Young People’s
Occupational Therapist – Special Schools Team
BAND: Band 6 / Band 5 Training Post
DIRECTORATE: Primary Care and Older People
INITIAL LOCATION: Lisburn Community and Primary Care Centre
REPORTS TO: Team Lead OT Special Schools / Team Lead Lisburn
Locality
ACCOUNTABLE TO: Professional Lead Occupational Therapist,
South Eastern Trust
JOB SUMMARY

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MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES
Clinical/Professional/Specific Managerial Responsibilities
1. To be professionally and legally accountable for all aspects of own clinical and
professional work including the management of clients in your care.
2. To provide high quality Occupational Therapy assessment, plan and carry out
treatment within the Special schools setting
3. To work closely with parents, teachers and carers in order to advise, support
and provide training in suitable Occupational Therapy approaches to be used in
the care of their child.
4. To carry out environmental assessments and provide advice regarding provision
of equipment and adaptations, according to the individual needs of the child
within the school environment.
5. To collaborate with the client, carer, teacher, team members and significant
others to plan appropriate treatment approaches to achieve the agreed goals.
6. To carry out specific assessments as required, informing subsequent
intervention and/or drafting of professional reports.
7. To continuously evaluate treatment methods used, monitor progress of clients,
and make adjustments to ensure the best possible service is given.
8. To liaise with other team members, staff of other disciplines, and other agencies
to ensure that effective communication and reporting takes place at all times.
9. To report to the Team Lead regularly on any issues concerning the Occupational
Therapy Service, including new developments, feedback or concerns relating to
the service.
10. To provide support, advice and training where necessary to parents, carers and
teachers in relation to interventions and programmes that relate to their child.
11. To continually update and further develop any clinical skills needed to ensure
effective service delivery.
12. To prepare/present appropriate professional reports as required, in a timely
manner.
13. To maintain client treatment records, departmental data collection and returns
in line with departmental procedures.

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14. To undertake management of junior staff and unqualified staff as directed by the
line manager, to include allocation and monitoring of caseloads.
15. To participate in undergraduate and in-service training as directed by the line
manager.
16. To contribute to other forums which would benefit from the application of the
Occupational Therapy profession, e.g. working parties as directed by the line
manager.
17. To assist in maintenance and review of standards and provision of service.
18. To be active in seeking opportunities for continuing professional development of
self and wider team by increasing knowledge of specialised techniques, new
developments and updated clinical information.
19. To continuously promote and participate in quality improvements, for example
audits, data collection and satisfaction surveys.
20. To actively seek and be aware of the views of service users, including
professional staff, clients and carers.
21. To participate in the South Eastern Health & Social Care Trust appraisal system
on an annual basis.
22. To be responsible for own continuous professional development as required by
the Health and Care Professions Council.
23. To be professionally accountable for direct care provided to CYP and their
families.
24. To ensure own practice is informed by and adheres to professional standards
and clinical guidelines in adherence with Clinical Governance protocols.
25. To manage a caseload of routine and complex cases requiring specialist
occupational therapy assessment and interventions, to ensure intervention is
evidence-based and of the highest standard, with consideration given to all
treatment options.
26. To prioritise and plan own workload to manage conflicting and competing
priorities both clinically and professionally, and to ensure client care and
treatment is carried out in an efficient, effective and timely manner in line with
Trust priorities, policies and procedures, and statutory legislation.

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Generic managerial responsibilities within both an operational and strategic
context
1. Be responsible for own professional development and competency including
participation in the Trust’s Knowledge & Skills Framework Review (KSFR) process.
2. To participate in the supervision of occupational therapy staff and Technical
Instructors.
3. To actively participate in internal and external post-registration education,
maintaining and developing current knowledge and evidence-based practice.
4. To participate in practice education of undergraduate occupational therapy
students.
5. To participate in the South Eastern Health & Social Care Trust appraisal system
on an annual basis.
6. To undertake management of therapy staff and students as directed by the line
manager to include allocation and monitoring of caseloads.
7. Taking such action as may be necessary in disciplinary matters in accordance with
Trust procedures.
8. Comply with Health and Safety policies and statutory regulations
9. Contribute to a safe environment within the risk management and clinical
governance strategy.
10. Comply with Trust policies, procedures, guidelines, protocols and codes of
conduct, e.g. Disciplinary, Grievance, Attendance at Work protocols.
11. Participate in staff induction, training and other learning as required.
12. Undertake relevant training to fulfil duties of the post now and in the future.
13. Encourage and empower others in the team to achieve their goals and reach their
full potential through regular, supportive conversation and shared decision-making.
14. Adhere to and promote Trust policy and procedure in all staffing matters,
participating as appropriate in a way which underpins Trust values.
GENERAL MANAGEMENT RESPONSIBILITIES
1. The post holder will promote and support effective team working, fostering a
culture of openness and transparency. The post holder will ensure that they take
all concerns raised with them seriously and act in accordance with the South

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Eastern Health & Social Care Trust’s Raising Concerns policy and their
professional code of conduct, where applicable.
GENERAL REQUIREMENTS
The post holder will be required to:
1. Ensure the Trust’s policy on equality of opportunity is promoted through his/her
own actions and those of any staff for whom he/she has responsibility.
2. Co-operate fully with the implementation of the Trust's Health and Safety
arrangements, reporting any accidents/incidents/equipment defects to his/her
manager, and maintaining a clean, uncluttered and safe environment for
patients/clients, members of the public and staff.
3. Adhere at all times to all Trust policies/codes of conduct, including for example:
o Smoke Free policy
o IT Security Policy and Code of Conduct
o standards of attendance, appearance and behaviour
4. Contribute to ensuring the highest standards of environmental cleanliness within
your designated area of work.
5. Co-operate fully with regard to Trust policies and procedures relating to infection
prevention and control.
6. All employees of the South Eastern HSC Trust are legally responsible for all
records held, created or used as part of their business within the South Eastern
HSC Trust including patients/clients, corporate and administrative records
whether paper-based or electronic, and also including emails. All such records
are public records and are accessible to the general public, with limited
exceptions, under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, the Environmental
Information Regulations 2004, the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR)
and the Data Protection Act 2018. Employees are required to be conversant with
the South Eastern HSC Trust’s policy and procedures on records management
and to seek advice if in doubt.
7. Take responsibility for his/her own ongoing learning and development, in order to
maximise his/her potential and continue to meet the demands of the post.

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8. Represent the Trust’s commitment to providing the highest possible standard of
service to patients/clients and members of the public, by treating all those with
whom he/she comes into contact in the course of work, in a pleasant, courteous
and respectful manner.
This Job Description will be subject to review in the light of changing circumstances
and is not intended to be rigid and inflexible but should be regarded as providing
guidelines within which the individual works. Other duties of a similar nature and
appropriate to the grade may be assigned from time to time.
It is a standard condition that all Trust staff may be required to serve at any location
within the Trust's area, as needs of the service demand.
eHealth
The South Eastern Health & Social Care Trust has invested in eHealth to deliver
better, faster, safer care to our community and is committed to supporting staff to
utilise associated information systems that directly and indirectly inform care. Trust
staff are therefore required to commit sufficient time to ensure that they acquire
and/or retain the core technology skills required to support their role.
<Insert Date of Development

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PERSONNEL SPECIFICATION
JOB TITLE AND BAND: Clinical Specialist Occupational Therapist – Children &
Young People’s Occupational Therapy Service (Special Schools Team) Band 6 /
Band 5 Training Post
DEPARTMENT / DIRECTORATE: Primary Care and Older People
SALARY
HOURS: 37.5 hours
Ref No: <to be inserted by HR> October 2026
Notes to applicants:
1. You must clearly demonstrate on your application form under each question, how you meet
the required criteria as failure to do so may result in you not being shortlisted. You should
clearly demonstrate this for both the essential and desirable criteria.
2. Shortlisting will be carried out on the basis of the essential criteria set out in Section 1
below, using the information provided by you on your application form. Please note the
Trust reserves the right to use any desirable criteria outlined in Section 3 at shortlisting.
You must clearly demonstrate on your application form how you meet the desirable criteria.
3. Proof of qualifications and/or professional registration will be required if an offer of
employment is made – if you are unable to provide this, the offer may be withdrawn.
ESSENTIAL CRITERIA
SECTION 1: The following are ESSENTIAL criteria which will initially be measured at
shortlisting stage although may also be further explored during the interview/selection stage.
You should therefore make it clear on your application form whether or not you meet these
criteria. Failure to do so may result in you not being shortlisted. The stage in the process
when the criteria will be measured is stated below.
Factor Criteria
Assessment
Method
Experience
For Band 6:
• To demonstrate 2 years post-graduate
experience working as an Occupational
Therapist, at least six months of which was
within a child/young person’s setting.
For training post:
• 12 months post registration experience as an
Occupational Therapist (in any clinical area).
Shortlisting by
Application Form

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Successful candidates will move to Band 6 on
reaching 2 years’ experience as an
Occupational Therapist with 6 months in
Children and Young People’s Service, and on
meeting the competency goals for Clinical
Specialist Band 6 – Children & Young
People’s Service (Special Schools Team).
Qualifications/
Registration
• Degree/Diploma in Occupational Therapy and
be a graduate of a school recognised by the
World Federation of Occupational Therapists.
• HCPC Registration.
Shortlisting by
Application Form
Other
Hold a current full driving licence which is valid for
use in the UK and have access to a car on
appointment. This criteria will be waived in the case
of applicants whose disability prohibits driving but
who have access to a form of transport approved
by the Trust which will permit them to carry out the
duties of the post
Shortlisting by
Application Form
SECTION 2: The following are ESSENTIAL criteria which will be measured during the
interview/ selection stage:
Skills / Abilities For Band 6:
• Ability to work under pressure, take
initiative and adopt a problem-solving
approach.
• Ability to communicate effectively and
form good team relationships with
children/young people, their families and
other disciplines, including school staff.
• Evidence of continual professional
development including experience in
audits and/or service improvements.
• Ability for self-management
For Band 5 Training Post:
• Communication skills
• Organisational skills
• Multi-disciplinary working/Team working
• Skills in OT formulation and client-centred
treatment planning
• Basic assessment skills
Skills / Abilities
Knowledge For Band 6:
• To evidence knowledge of current
legislation in relation to Health and
Education.
Interview

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• Experience in supervision of junior staff
and/or facilitating and supporting practice
placement education.
• Working knowledge of the application of
evidence-based intervention relevant to
this post.
For Band 5 Training Post
• Understanding of the role of OT in the
Children & Young People’s Service.
• Basic knowledge of current
strategy/policies/guidance affecting
Occupational Therapy for Children & Young
People.
DESIRABLE CRITERIA
SECTION 3: These will ONLY be used where it is necessary to introduce additional job
related criteria to ensure files are manageable. You should therefore make it clear on your
application form how you meet these criteria. Failure to do so may result in you not being
shortlisted
Factor Criteria
Method of
Assessment
Experience
• To demonstrate experience of postural
management, assessing and providing
solutions for postural requirements to
facilitate functional needs.
Shortlisting by
Application Form
As part of the Recruitment & Selection process it may be necessary for the Trust to
carry out an Enhanced Disclosure Check through Access NI before any appointment
to this post can be confirmed.
To access a copy of the Access NI Code of Practice, please Click here
The South Eastern Health & Social Care Trust has guidance on the
Recruitment of People with Criminal Convictions. To access a copy of this
guidance, please Click Here
Protecting and using your information
To access a copy of the Trust’s Data Protection Policy Statement,
Click Here
THE TRUST IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES EMPLOYER
Successful applicants may be required to attend for a Health Assessment

All staff are expected to display the HSC Values at all times