Job summary
We are looking for an experienced and enthusiastic Band 6 or Band 7 Paediatric Occupational Therapist to join our multidisciplinary team at our Canary Wharf clinic.

This is an exciting opportunity for an Occupational Therapist with a strong interest and experience in sensory processing, sensory integration and regulation to help further develop the occupational therapy and sensory provision within our clinic.

You will work closely alongside our Speech and Language Therapists, supporting children with a wide range of developmental, sensory, communication and complex needs.

Main duties of the job
You will:

• Carry out specialist sensory assessments and observations.
• Identify childrens individual sensory processing profiles and how these impact participation, regulation, learning, play and daily life.
• Plan and deliver individualised sensory-based occupational therapy programmes.
• Develop and implement sensory diets and sensory strategies where clinically appropriate.
• Design and deliver sensory circuits, including alerting, organising and calming activities.
• Support children who experience sensory dysregulation.
• Provide strategies for sensory seeking, sensory avoidance and sensory sensitivities.
• Support proprioceptive, vestibular, tactile and interoceptive development.
• Work on body awareness, motor planning, coordination and postural control.
• Advise parents, therapists and other professionals on environmental adaptations and regulation strategies.
• Support the development of sensory programmes that can be continued at home, nursery or school.

About us
About Unlocking Language

Unlocking Language is a specialist paediatric therapy service supporting children, young people and their families across London and Essex.

We are looking for an experienced and enthusiastic Band 6 or Band 7 Paediatric Occupational Therapist to join our multidisciplinary team at our Canary Wharf clinic.

This is an exciting opportunity for an Occupational Therapist with a strong interest and experience in sensory processing, sensory integration and regulation to help further develop the occupational therapy and sensory provision within our clinic.

You will work closely alongside our Speech and Language Therapists, supporting children with a wide range of developmental, sensory, communication and complex needs.

Job responsibilities
The Role

The successful Occupational Therapist will provide specialist assessment, intervention and advice for children and young people aged approximately 225 years, with the majority of the caseload focusing on Early Years and younger children.

Children attending the clinic may present with:

• Autism
• Developmental delay
• Sensory processing differences
• Sensory seeking or sensory avoidant behaviours
• Emotional and sensory regulation difficulties
• ADHD
• Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD)/dyspraxia
• Fine and gross motor difficulties
• Motor planning and praxis difficulties
• Poor body awareness and proprioception
• Vestibular processing difficulties
• Attention and engagement difficulties
• Complex developmental needs
• Learning disabilities
• Physical disabilities
• Difficulties with activities of daily living and independence
• Handwriting and pre-writing difficulties
• Play and participation difficulties

Sensory Specialist Responsibilities
A key focus of this position will be developing our sensory and regulation provision.

You will:

• Carry out specialist sensory assessments and observations.
• Identify childrens individual sensory processing profiles and how these impact participation, regulation, learning, play and daily life.
• Plan and deliver individualised sensory-based occupational therapy programmes.
• Develop and implement sensory diets and sensory strategies where clinically appropriate.
• Design and deliver sensory circuits, including alerting, organising and calming activities.
• Support children who experience sensory dysregulation.
• Provide strategies for sensory seeking, sensory avoidance and sensory sensitivities.
• Support proprioceptive, vestibular, tactile and interoceptive development.
• Work on body awareness, motor planning, coordination and postural control.
• Advise parents, therapists and other professionals on environmental adaptations and regulation strategies.
• Support the development of sensory programmes that can be continued at home, nursery or school.

Multidisciplinary Working
Unlocking Language has a strong Speech and Language Therapy team, and collaborative working will be an important part of this role.

You will work closely with our Speech and Language Therapists to understand how a childs sensory regulation, attention, motor skills and communication needs interact.

This may include:

• Joint OT and Speech and Language Therapy sessions.
• Developing sensory regulation strategies before and during communication therapy.
• Supporting children to achieve an appropriate level of regulation for engagement and learning.
• Joint goal setting.
• Collaborative parent consultations.
• Sharing strategies across disciplines.
• Supporting children who use AAC and other communication systems.
• Contributing to multidisciplinary clinical discussions and case reviews.

We want OT and Speech and Language Therapy provision to work together rather than operate as separate services.

Essential Requirements
The successful candidate will:

• Hold a recognised degree or postgraduate qualification in Occupational Therapy.
• Be registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC).
• Have relevant paediatric occupational therapy experience.
• Have experience working with autistic children and/or children with complex developmental needs.
• Have strong knowledge and experience of sensory processing and regulation.
• Have experience planning and implementing sensory programmes and sensory circuits.
• Be confident working with Early Years children.
• Be able to assess childrens functional, motor and sensory needs.
• Be able to work independently while contributing effectively to a multidisciplinary team.
• Have excellent communication skills when working with children, parents and professionals.
• Maintain high standards of clinical documentation and professional practice.

Desirable
We would particularly welcome applicants with:

• Sensory Integration training or postgraduate Sensory Integration qualifications.
• Experience using standardised sensory assessments.
• Advanced knowledge of sensory processing.
• Experience developing or running sensory rooms.
• Experience with complex needs and neurodevelopmental conditions.
• Experience with DCD/dyspraxia and motor coordination difficulties.
• Experience working within specialist schools or Early Years settings.
• Experience delivering parent or professional training.
• Experience supervising junior Occupational Therapists, particularly for Band 7 applicants.
• Experience developing new clinical services or pathways.

Band 7 Expectations
For applicants joining at Band 7 level, we would expect additional experience in specialist paediatric occupational therapy and the ability to take a leadership role in developing our OT and sensory provision.

This could include:

• Acting as a clinical specialist for sensory processing and regulation.
• Establishing sensory assessment and intervention pathways.
• Developing clinical protocols and resources.
• Supporting and supervising junior Occupational Therapists as the service grows.
• Delivering internal training to Speech and Language Therapists and other team members.
• Supporting quality assurance and evidence-based practice.
• Contributing to the strategic development of Occupational Therapy within Unlocking Language.

Who We Are Looking For
We are looking for someone who is passionate about paediatric Occupational Therapy, sensory processing and neurodiversity and who wants to play an active role in developing a growing multidisciplinary service.

You will be someone who understands that regulation can have a significant impact on a childs ability to engage, communicate, play, learn and participate.

Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential

• Hold a recognised degree or postgraduate qualification in Occupational Therapy.
• Be registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC).
• Have relevant paediatric occupational therapy experience.
• Have experience working with autistic children and/or children with complex developmental needs.
• Have strong knowledge and experience of sensory processing and regulation.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Applicants must have current UK professional registration.