Advanced Practitioner Assistive Technology, Band 7, School

Job summary

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an Advanced Practitioner Assistive Technology, Band 7 to join our Assistive Technology Team. This role will require the successful candidate to provide a high quality, evidence based assistive technology service, promoting participation, communication and interaction for children and young people accessing The Childrens Trust Therapy Services. Additionally, you will develop and deliver the service, in collaboration with multidisciplinary health, therapy and education teams.

Our service delivery aims to promote outcome focussed interventions, safe care, function, and participation, of children and young people accessing home, school, and community life. You will provide clinical leadership within the area of assistive technology, across the therapy service, ensuring the delivery of child and family focused goal led interventions at a highly specialist level, for children and young people accessing The Childrens Trust School and in-patient neurorehabilitation services.

Staff benefits include London weighting, shuttle bus, and more Read more below

Interview Date: To be confirmed.

Main duties of the job

Role Requirements

Lead the provision of high quality, evidence based assistive technology interventions, for children and young people attending The Childrens Trust School and receiving in-patient neurorehabilitation. Provide clinical leadership to the Assistive Technology Team, identifying service priorities, service delivery methods and standards of practice. Provide assessments for complex augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) systems Identify service needs for AAC and selection of appropriate hardware, software, access, and mounting options, as per organisational policies and procedures. Understanding of mainstream technologies in specialist support, assistive technology, and computer access. Knowledge of environmental control and powered mobility. Lead in the design and implementation of communication and technology resources. Maintain and disseminate specialist knowledge of eye-gaze control and the use of eye-tracking, within clinical assessment and management. Develop therapy goals, plans and methods, in collaboration with the child and family/carers, as well as the Multidisciplinary and Education teams, founded upon evidence-based practice. Be an autonomous Practitioner, with responsibility and overview for Assistive Technology interventions, and maintaining relevant records and reports.

About us

About Us

The Childrens Trust isthe UKs leading charity for children with acquired brain injury, providingexpert rehabilitation, education, therapy, and care at our national specialistcentre in Tadworth, and to children and their families across the UK, via ourBrain Injury Community Service.

Boasting a beautiful 24-acre site in Surrey, weare located just outside of London, close to the M25 (accessible via Junction8, A217 to Tadworth) and easily accessible via National Rail, by way of:Clapham Junction, Sutton, and Epsom.

Staff Benefits

The work we do ishighly rewarding, and in addition to an attractive salary, we offer a valuablerange of benefits, including, adoption pay, time off for fertility treatment,enhanced paternity leave, paid carers leave, time out days for thoseexperiencing menopause symptoms, time off for gender reassignment.

We also offeradditional annual leave days for those with long service, with entitlementsranging from 35 to 41 days (including bank holidays) depending on your lengthof service.

Other benefits includefree on-site parking; a staff shuttle service from Epsom and Sutton trainstations to Tadworth Court, subsidised cafeteria, on-site staff accommodation(subject to availability), the ability to retain your NHS pension (whereapplicable) or the opportunity to join an alternative scheme, and theopportunity to develop your career in a supportive and collaborativeenvironment.

Job description

Job responsibilities

Clinical Skills and Responsibilities

Lead the provision of high quality, evidence basedassistive technology interventions, for children and young people attending TheChildrens Trust School and receiving in-patient neurorehabilitation.

Provide clinical leadership to the Assistive TechnologyTeam, identifying service priorities, service delivery methods and standards ofpractice.

Provide assessments for complex augmentative and alternativecommunication (AAC) systems

Identify service needs for AAC and selection of appropriate hardware,software, access, and mounting options, as per organisational policies andprocedures.

Understanding of mainstream technologies inspecialist support, assistive technology, and computer access.

Knowledge of environmental control and poweredmobility.

Lead in the design and implementation ofcommunication and technology resources.

Maintain and disseminate specialist knowledge ofeye-gaze control and the use of eye-tracking, within clinical assessment andmanagement.

Develop therapy goals, plans and methods, incollaboration with the child and family/carers, as well as the Multidisciplinaryand Education teams, founded upon evidence-based practice.

Be an autonomous Practitioner, with responsibilityand overview for Assistive Technology interventions, and maintaining relevant recordsand reports.

Work closely with all members of the MultidisciplinaryTeam, as well as the child and family, to provide a fully integrated approachto the overall management of the child. This will include any home/schoolvisits, professional child related meetings and/ or appointments, as required.

Identify and utilise specialist assessments andrelevant outcome measures, for children/young people receiving assistivetechnology interventions.

Work flexibly across site as needed withthe team in the Childrens Trust School

Work flexibly in terms of hours, in order tomeet the needs of the service, including an early evening (weekly) and oneweekend day, per calendar month.

Represent theTherapy Team and The Childrens Trust when appropriate, deputising for the Teamas required.

Undertake specialistassessments, externally responding to national and international requests.

Act as the Lead Professional for complex casemanagement and coordination, as and when required.

Actively participatein, support and Chair relevant Multidisciplinary Team meetings, as and whenrequired.

Undertake other oradditional duties that are within your skills and abilities, as theorganisation may reasonably require from time to time.

Communication

Communicate effectively with children/youngpeople, applying the principles of consistent communication.

Embed effective communication guidelines acrosssite and communication standards for children and young people with PMLD.

Facilitate effective communication with familiesand members of the Multidisciplinary Team.

Recognise barriers to communication and be ableto reduce these as appropriate.

Communicate regularly and effectively with theHeads of Therapy.

Maintain clear and concise documents andrecords, in accordance with The Childrens Trust polices.

Ensure documents are managed confidentially atall times.

Attends regular meetings with the MultidisciplinaryTeam to discuss individual children/young people and service development ingeneral, as required reviews, case conferences, parents evenings, clinics,etc.

Manage informal complaints, in line with TheChildrens Trust polices and contribute to the resolution of written complaintsand as they occur, taking immediate action where necessary.

Develop and promote relationships with external networks,including professionals, stakeholders, and specialist centres, in order toensure excellence of care, whilst representing the organisation and reflectingThe Childrens Trust core values.

Be able to discuss challenging and emotivesubjects with families and children/young people, regarding long-term needs andpossible outcomes.

Management of Self and Others

Provide day-to-day leadership, support andsupervision for junior staff, technicians, volunteers, and students, withinarea of responsibility, providing direction, motivation, and support to achievekey objectives.

Participate in the annual Performance DevelopmentReview and monthly supervision sessions, as required by The Childrens Trust,both as Appraiser and Appraisee.

Advise the Head of Therapy, regarding resourcesand equipment needs, including shortfalls.

Manage time effectively, prioritising, anddelegating work, as required.

Governance

Read and implement all policies, procedures, andrisk assessments, pertinent to working practice and keep up to date withchanges as and when they occur.

Critically evaluate practice through clinicalaudits and by appraisal of the information gained, in combination with currentknowledge of evidence-based practice; identify opportunities for serviceimprovement and development.

Recognise and critically appraise situationswhere the effectiveness, efficiency and quality of the service are compromisedand take appropriate action to resolve the situation.

Critically reflect on own performance and thatof other staff; use this evaluation to enhance the effectiveness, efficiency,and quality of future practice.

Actively participate in local clinicalgovernance activities.

Professionalism

Meet relevant HCPC and professional body standards,with respect to professionalism and to keep up to date with any changes.

Be responsible for maintaining registration withHCPC and other relevant Professional Bodies.

Takes action and raisesconcerns.

Adhereto the policies and procedures of The Childrens Trust.

Maintain professional boundaries and professionalism at all times.

Committed to demonstrating the organisations values and behaviours at alltimes.

Career Long Learning, Educationand Research

Undertake all mandatory training, in line withThe Childrens Trust policy.

Prepare appropriately for PerformanceDevelopment Reviews; identifying learning objectives and setting targets, aswell as opportunities for professional development, in order to meet ContinuousProfessional Development requirements.

Independently advance personal knowledge,understanding and skills, in line with identified learning needs, by makingappropriate use of a variety of learning and development resources andopportunities, by attending courses/ lectures, contact and involvementwith relevant special interest groups, and/ or visiting other departments.

Lead the Continuous Professional Development inarea of specialism and key responsibilities.

Active membership role in The Children's Trust ResearchCommittee, contributing to research priorities.

Take an overview of assistive technologyresearch priorities and projects.

Submit research Abstracts/ Posters to both localand national conferences, disseminating the work of the assistive technologyteam externally.

Continuously update knowledge surroundingexternal practice environments and highlight any issues that may impact upon existingservice delivery, policies, and procedures.

Participate in and co-design in-servicecompetency training programmes and teaching sessions, as appropriate.

Design and deliver external training in thespecialism of Assistive Technology, on behalf of The Childrens Trust.

Limits of Authority and ProblemSolving

Make day-to-day decisions regarding case load andconsultations.

Sign-off items within agreed budget amount.

Formal, monthly supervision of junior colleagues.

Support the Heads of Therapy in the delivery ofan effective Therapy Service.

Deputise for Heads of Therapy, as and whenrequired.

Support recruitmentprocesses (as requested by the Head of Therapy) and ensure Succession Planningfor the service.

Any other duties, as required and deemedappropriate.

Health and Safety

Adheres to all Healthand Safety guidelines, principles, and regulations to perform your role andcomply with The Childrens Trust policies and procedures.

Provide evidence of allvaccinations (or medical exemption) required for the post.

Adhere to manual handling procedures andcomplete mandatory manual handling training.

Promotes the health and safety of others.

Uses theincident reporting and risk assessment system (IRAR), to identify and reportrisks and incidents/actions if directed.

Responsiblefor identifying and mitigating risk within the work environment.

Wellbeing and Emotional Resilience

Maintains a positive approach and outlook whendealing with change and overcoming challenges and problems.

Recognises own limitations, develops realisticgoals, and uses support network resource when or if necessary.

Treats challenges and problems as a learningexperience.

Remains organised and focused when underpressure.

Responds appropriately and effectively to allconstructive feedback.

Motivates self and others.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

Degree in relevant Therapy Discipline. HCPC Registration. Member of Professional Body. Maintained portfolio of Continuous Professional Development, in-line with regulatory body standards.

Desirable

Postgraduate Diploma or Masters (or currently enrolled/ near to completion)

Experience

Essential

Minimum of five years clinical experience post qualification. Experience of working with children/young people with acquired brain injury/ neuro-disability with associated physical, cognitive, learning, and/or sensory deficits. Experience of working as part of a multidisciplinary team. Experience of working with families.

Skills & Abilities

Essential

Clinical assessment and intervention skills, relevant to children and young people with neurodisabilities, in the area of Assistive Technology and AAC. Analytical and creative problem-solving skills in unpredictable situations (synthesising a variety of evidence) and presenting this in a relevant and appropriate format reports / presentations. Workload management, including delegation of tasks and day-to-day team leadership. Ability to supervise/manage others and enable development of their skills. Competent IT skills, in order to collect and interpret data, present reports and compile presentations in a range of contexts. Ability to work flexibly, in order to meet the needs of the service, including an early evening (weekly) and one weekend day, per calendar month ( there is no On Call service required). Advanced verbal, non-verbal and written communication skills, including communicating complex or potentially distressing information to parents/carers and managing conflict when appropriate. Risk assessment skills. Reflective Practice skills able to give clear and effective feedback and support others in their development. Ability to take an oversight and leadership of clinical audits, within specialist clinical area.

Knowledge

Essential

In-depth knowledge of mainstream technology, AAC, eye-gaze, powered mobility, and environmental control. Selection of appropriate devices, software, techniques, or strategies to support communication, access to the curriculum, play and leisure. Knowledge and understanding of safeguarding children and young people with complex disabilities. Competent skills in Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Knowledge of current research, clinical audit, and service evaluation methods. Knowledge of service improvement and change management.

Personal Qualities

Essential

Ability to cope with working in a demanding environment. Flexible and can do attitude towards competing workload commitments. Highly motivated and reliable. Commitment to the vision and values of The Childrens Trust.

---