WHSCT_RISE Paediatric Occupational Therapist (Band 6) ref:55996891
Branch: Western Health & Social Care Trust
Location: Gransha Lilac Villa
Directorate: Woman & Childern's Service
Salary: Band 6 (£38,682 - £46,580)
Contract Type: Permanent
Opening date: 13/11/26
Closes: Fri, 27 November 2026 @ 3:30 PM
Interview Dates: To Be Confirmed

Notes

• If you are submitting a manual application, please post it to: Recruitment Shared Services, Rosewood Villa, Longstone Hospital Site, 73 Loughgall Road, Armagh, BT61 7PR.
• Applications received after the advertised closing date/time cannot be considered, so please allow enough time for postage.
• A waiting list may be created for similar posts that may arise while the waiting list is live, this may include temporary or part-time posts. This will be managed in line with the updated HSC waiting list principles effective from 1 April 2026.
• Where a part-time waiting list is required, one part-time waiting list will be created regardless of any specific hours advertised, this waiting list will cover all future vacancies where part-time posts arise. A part-time post is defined as any post that has less than 37.5 hours per week.
• Please remember to save or print a copy of the job description before submitting your application, as it will not be accessible afterwards.

Flexible Working
We welcome flexible working requests from day one. All HSC organisations offer a range of flexible working options. The options available for this post will depend on the requirements of the role.
Find out more about flexible working options on our website.

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Paediatric Occupational Therapist, Band 6 - RISE NI (Regional Integrated Support for Education in Northern Ireland)

Job Summary
The post holder will be a member of RISE NI (Regional Integrated Support for Education in Northern Ireland) within the Western Health and Social Care Trust, and is expected to work in partnership with pre-school educational facilities and mainstream primary schools to support children through a tiered approach to help them achieve their full potential in learning environments.

RISE NI is a regional early intervention service which supports children in pre-school educational and mainstream primary school settings by working closely with parents and education staff to help children develop the foundation skills for learning.

The team works in a transdisciplinary way, which ensures that there is pooling and integrating of expertise, which results in a more efficient and comprehensive assessment and intervention being provided.

The post holder will provide capacity building universal and targeted intervention as well as consultative support to education staff within their scope of practice. The post holder will provide Occupational Therapy assessment, intervention, advice and strategies within the Multi-disciplinary Support Team for children referred to the service.

Main Duties and Responsibilities
Clinical

• To carry out Paediatric Occupational Therapy assessment of the child's level of functioning, identifying factors which produce underachievement educationally, and the impact on daily life skills of sensory, motor perceptual and cognitive related difficulties.
• To carry out a trans-disciplinary assessment of the child's level of functioning, identifying factors which produce underachievement educationally, and the impact within education on daily life skills.
• To determine the need for prioritised response and communicate this need to the team.
• To determine need for individual or group therapy, targeted or whole class programmes and / or universal approach in keeping with the team's service model of delivery.
• To evaluate and review treatment intervention as needed using skilled judgement in the use of alternative treatment approaches where indicated.
• To advise on management strategies in school / home and act in a consultative capacity for educational, health professionals and carers enabling engagement with the child in a more functional environment.
• To provide training to parents, educational staff, support workers and others on general, transdisciplinary or specific treatment approaches needed with individual children, e.g., sensory based, skill training or adaptive / remedial.
• To progress therapy intervention to a satisfactory or agreed closure evaluating outcomes as needed and setting up reviews or onward referral as appropriate.
• To provide timely written and verbal reports to the team, parents and educational staff on assessment findings ensuring clinical interpretation in keeping with professional training and standards and relating clinical findings to the emotional, social and physical needs of the child in home and school environments.

Professional Responsibilities

• To work in partnership with other professionals, parents and carers, families and the child ensuring effective communication and building capacity throughout the therapy process.
• To work in collaboration with colleagues within the team to ensure an integrated approach to case management.
• To promote and develop effective working relationships with the relevant statutory community and voluntary agencies.
• To provide supervision where appropriate and professional consultation, guidance and advice to colleagues working within the team.
• To regularly inform and advise Team Lead and Team Co-ordinator on service provision.
• Support Team Lead and Team Co-ordinator to maintain good staff morale within the Team.
• To report on professional issues to the Paediatric Lead Occupational Therapist.

Organisational

• To participate in operational planning ensuring the service provided is in keeping with Trust policies, procedures and objectives of quality assurance and consistent with professional best practice.
• To contribute to the development of a local evidence base to inform best practice in the area.
• To participate in service evaluation research and service development as required including audit.
• To participate in the planning, development and evaluation of the Occupational Therapy Service within the team and to actively influence service improvements.
• To adhere to College of Occupational Therapy Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct and facilitate compliance of Occupational Therapy Practice with Regional and National Standards of Practice.
• To promote an ethos of continuous improvement and develop risk management and quality initiatives.
• To maintain accurate and up to date records consistent with organisational and professional conduct and facilitate compliance of Occupational Therapy practice with regional and national Standards of Practice.
• To make available reports when required to relevant agencies, e.g. Multi-professional Team meetings, EA, etc.
• To prepare reports in keeping with professional guidelines e.g. children requiring a Statement of Educational Need.
• To comply with AHP waiting times and help achieve relevant PFA targets.

Training

• To assist the Team Lead, Team Co-ordinator and Professional Supervisor in the identification of training needs within the team, colleagues in education and others.
• To contribute to support worker and student training offering clinical placement as required and appropriate.
• To participate in talks to other statutory or voluntary organisations, career exhibitions and other such forums as required.
• To deliver training in areas identified within specific specialism and transdisciplinary training.
• To undertake such courses, training and CPD initiatives as are required to maintain and further professional expertise and personal development. This includes ensuring review of own practice and performance and informing the Line Manager of training needs for inclusion in the KSF process.

General Management Responsibilities
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 'Your Right to Raise a Concern (Whistleblowing)' Policy and their professional code of conduct, where applicable.

General Requirements
The post holder will be required to:

• 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.
• 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.
• Adhere at all times to all Trust policies / codes of conduct, including for example: Smoke Free Policy; IT Security Policy and Code of Conduct; Standards of attendance, appearance and behaviour.
• Contribute to ensuring the highest standards of environmental cleanliness within your designated area of work.
• Co-operate fully with regard to Trust policies and procedures relating to infection prevention and control.
• All employees of the WHSCT are legally responsible for all records held, created or used as part of their business within the WHSCT 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 WHSCT policy and procedures on records management and to seek advice if in doubt.
• 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.
• 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.
• The HSC Code of conduct sets out the standards of conduct expected of all staff in the Western Health & Social Care Trust and presents standards of conduct and behaviours required during and after employment with the Trust. Professional staff are expected to follow the code of conduct for their own professions as well as this code.
• Staff members are expected to involve patients, clients, carers and the wider community where relevant, in developing, planning and delivering our services in a meaningful and effective way, as part of the Trust's ongoing commitment to Personal and Public Involvement (PPI).
• Employees must at all times abide by Trust Policies, Procedures and the terms of their contract of employment. They must conduct themselves with impartiality, integrity, objectivity and honesty and maintain high standards of personal and professional accountability.
• Employees are expected to demonstrate commitment to the Trust by ensuring regular attendance at work and efficient completion of duties.
• Employees must ensure that they comply with any risk management responsibilities specific to their post, and as set out in the Trust's Risk Management Strategy.
• The Trust is committed to the development and implementation of systems under Integrated Governance to ensure continuous improvement in the quality of services provided. Employees will be expected to co-operate and work with such systems.
• All information concerning patients and staff must be held in the strictest confidence and may not be divulged to any unauthorised person.
• Employees must ensure that equality and human rights issues are addressed within the post holder's area of responsibility in accordance with the Trust's Equality Scheme.

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.

Essential Criteria

• Qualifications / Registration: Diploma / Degree in Occupational Therapy. Be registered or be eligible to register with the Health and Care Professions Council.
• Experience: A minimum of two years post qualification experience in Occupational Therapy of which 6 months experience working with children with a range of healthcare needs.
• 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.
• Knowledge: Knowledge of the function / remit of the RISE NI Service; knowledge of current trends, national guidelines and best practice in the management of the client group; specialist knowledge and application of OT assessment, models of practice and working knowledge of treatment approaches; evidence of involvement in the delivery and evaluation of training to parents, carers and others.
• Skills / Abilities: Effective communication skills to meet the needs of the post in the Multi-disciplinary Team; ability to identify solutions to problems and implement them effectively; effective planning and organisational skills with an ability to prioritise own workload; ability to undertake a supervisory / mentoring role; ability to work to tight timescales whilst meeting targets; demonstrate a commitment to the provision of high quality and safe services with an ability to drive a culture of continuous improvement.

Desirable Criteria

• Post graduate approved / accredited training in relevant Paediatric Occupational Therapy courses, e.g. DCD, ASD, ADHD, Handwriting, etc.

If this post is being sought on secondment then the applicant MUST have the permission of their line manager IN ADVANCE of making application.

Successful applicants may be required to attend for a Health Assessment.

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.

HSC Values

• Working Together: we work together for the best outcome for people we care for and support.
• Compassion: we are sensitive, caring, respectful and understanding towards those we care for and support and our colleagues.
• Excellence: we commit to being the best we can be in our work, aiming to improve and develop services to achieve positive changes.
• Openness & Honesty: we are open and honest with each other and act with integrity and candour.

All staff are expected to display the HSC Values at all times. The Trust is an Equal Opportunities Employer.