Job summary
Are you looking for an Occupational Therapy role working with children & families?

We are recruiting to a full time post in our Community Paediatric OT Service. The post holder will be based at the Child Development Centre in Ipswich , and cover community patches across a wider geographical area; much of the post holders working week will be spent working in the community.

We work with children from birth to 19 years providing assessment, intervention and advice to promote inclusion and optimise the functional participation of children and young people in daily activities to enable them to achieve what they want, need and have the potential to do. We support and empower them and their families, and educate other professionals and agencies working with them.

As a member of the OT team the post holder will manage a caseload across nurseries, special and mainstream schools, the child's home and clinics, working with children who have a range of disabilities and conditions. This will include an initial focus on developing the skills to support children and young people whose sensory difficulties have a significant impact on occupation and function.

The successful candidate will join our large and supportive Occupational Therapy team using a person centred, occupation based approach, committed to delivering high quality intervention.

Ability to travel independently around a wide geographical area essential for this role.

Main duties of the job
The post holder will be based with other OTs in our busy and friendly office, and work with a multi-disciplinary team and other therapy services to deliver OT pathways and packages of care.

The post holder will:

• Undertake Occupational Therapy assessments of children, and prioritise, plan and develop a programme of OT intervention using a client centred approach in accordance with our clinical pathways, and with supervision and support from an experienced therapist.
• Set clear functional goals in consultation with parents/ teachers,
• Empower parents and carers in understanding the nature of their child's disability or dysfunction, the impact it has on behaviour and function and the activities and strategies they can use in the daily routines at home to develop their child's play and functional abilities.

The successful applicant must have an OT degree and be eligible for registration with the HCPC. The post is subject to a DBS check.

Frequent Travel across a rural area is essential for this role so you must either hold a full, current driving licence and have access to personal transport or meet the mobility requirements of the role through other reasonable and suitable means. Public transport is limited in some rural areas.

About us
#BeKnown at West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust. By us. By our patients. By our community

We are a busy, friendly, rural NHS Trust providing high-quality care and compassion to more than a quarter of a million people across west Suffolk. We care for, treat and support people in hospital, at home and in various community settings.

The West Suffolk Hospital in Bury St Edmunds provides acute and secondary care services (emergency department, maternity and neonatal services, day surgery unit, eye treatment centre, Macmillan unit and children's ward). It has 500+ beds and is a partner teaching hospital of the University of Cambridge.

Adult and paediatric community services, provided in collaboration with West Suffolk Alliance partners, include a range of nursing, therapy, specialist, and ongoing temporary care and rehabilitation, some at our Newmarket Community Hospital.

We do our utmost to achieve outstanding clinical outcomes for patients and our values of fairness, inclusivity, respect, safety and team work guide how we work and behave as a team.

With nearly 5,000 staff, from all over the world, we strive to make our organisation a great place to work. Whatever your role or ambition, we want to help you be the best you can be.

We promote a diverse and inclusive community where everyones voice counts and you can #BeKnown for whoever you are.

Join us. What will you #BeKnown for?c

Details
Date posted: 12 August 2026
Pay scheme: Agenda for change
Band: Band 5
Salary: £32,073 to £39,043 a year per annum pro rata
Contract: Permanent
Working pattern: Full-time, Flexible working
Reference number: 179-8151533-I
Job locations: St Helens House, 571 Foxhall Road, Ipswich, IP3 8LX, United Kingdom

Job responsibilities
Please see the attached job description and person specification for further details around the main responsibilities of the job role.

Person Specification
Personal Qualities
Essential

• Ability to handle children and equipment, frequently exerting moderate physical effort for long periods
• Ability to cope with frequent exposure to distressing or emotional circumstances
• Flexible approach to working hours and duties
• Ability to travel to all rural locations to carry out post

Education & Qualification
Essential

• Degree or equivalent diploma in Occupational Therapy
• HCPC Registration
• Evidence of CPD

Desirable

• Membership of RCOT

Skills & Abilities
Essential

• Clinical experience including individual and group work
• Assessment, planning, implementing, and evaluating treatment, complying with professional and service standards
• Ability to work autonomously and set own priorities
• Teamwork and effective communication/ negotiation skills
• Ability to build effective working relationships with multi professional teams, children, and carers
• Able to carry out moderate to intense physical effort through concurrent activities
• Ability to analyse clinical, professional, and ethical issues and reflect and critically appraise own performance.
• Ability to organise and respond efficiently to information.
• Ability to cope working in emotional environments with parents/carers

Desirable

• Experience of supervisory role in clinical supervision

Experience & Knowledge
Essential

• Demonstration of clinical assessment and intervention knowledge
• Knowledge, training, and experience of a range of treatment techniques and approaches
• Experience within the NHS, education or social care system either as a therapist, student or other role.

Desirable

• Previous Band 5 OT or OT student experience within the NHS
• Experience and working knowledge of children
• Knowledge /experience of the impact of a child's disability on occupational performance and the child's family / carers

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

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.

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

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

Employer details
Employer name: West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust
Address: St Helens House, 571 Foxhall Road, Ipswich, IP3 8LX, United Kingdom
Employer's website: https://www.wsh.nhs.uk (Opens in a new tab)

Employer contact details
For questions about the job, contact: Team Lead Paediatric Occupational Therapy, Jane Dolan, jane.dolan@wsh.nhs.uk, 01284741714