Community Occupational Therapist

Here at Cheshire West and Chester Council, we are committed to providing excellent Adult Social Care services to residents. We are one team, putting what matters to people first and are investing in a number of roles, across our service areas to grow our dynamic, solution-focused team.

So, wherever you are in your life, there is something to suit you in Adult Social Care, whether that be meaningful work, feeling valued in your role, career progression, pay progression or a great work-life balance, this is where you will find it. If you want to be a part of our welcoming, values-driven service and are passionate about being part of a team that can make a real difference for local people, please take a look at the roles we have available.

We believe in the importance of taking an OT First approach when providing support to people. As such our Occupational Therapists play a critical role in supporting people to develop creative and innovative solutions to meet the outcomes they want to achieve. If you are passionate about improving outcomes for children and adults, seeking a working environment that balances personal wellbeing with continuous improvement, then Cheshire West and Chester Council could be the perfect place for you.

As a result of a number of our long-standing team members retiring or moving to promoted positions within the council, we have a range of OT posts with differing weekly working hours available across Cheshire West and Chester, based in either Ellesmere Port or Winsford offices. These posts are highly flexible and can be either full or part-time. Our service operates Monday to Friday 9 to 5. We operate a flexible working pattern, and hours can be tailored to your needs. We operate a hybrid working policy.

The posts are within our Community Occupational Therapy and Visual Impairment team, working with adults and children in their own homes with long-term, complex conditions. Skills required include moving and handling, housing adaptations, and children’s services. We are keen to recruit candidates with skills in these areas, or a willingness and motivation to develop skills across all three of these specialist areas. We offer excellent learning and development support from a dedicated OT led management team.

You will work with a range of professionals including social workers and social care assessors, health, housing and third sector colleagues to promote wellbeing and independence by completing complex occupational therapy assessments, proportionate risk assessments and moving and handling plans and by using specialist equipment and adaptations.

We provide high-quality, person-centred social care for adults, but for us it’s more than that; we support people to change and enhance their lives every day through the work undertaken by our talented and dedicated teams.

Our values are important to all of us, we live and breathe them, and they shape how we work together to create positive environments where both colleagues and people who use our services can be inspired to reach their potential. If you share our values and commitment, then you’re our kind of person.

You will have the opportunity to:

• Work in a forward-thinking Council and within teams that have clear, shared values.
• Work with local people to understand their care and support needs and help to identify options available to them.
• Undertake holistic OT practice including manual handling assessments and putting into practice legislation that underpins our work.
• Build on your professional experience by leading on major adaptations to enable people to live great lives.
• Be pivotal to ensuring people are connected to the support services and community assets they need to live great lives.
• Receive great support from our proactive and knowledgeable management team.
• Develop and progress in your career through training and development opportunities in a variety of pathways: we meet the cost of your professional registration fee as standard.

You will have:

• Degree or diploma in OT (Essential).
• Up to date registration with HCPC (Essential).
• Be required to undertake an enhanced DBS plus Adults and Children’s Barred List (Essential).
• Experience of working in a Social Care and/or Health community setting.
• Awareness of importance of multi-disciplinary working and an integrated approach.
• Experience of liaising and working effectively with clients, (adults and children) their families/carers, other professionals, and agencies to achieve the best outcomes for people.
• Demonstrable working knowledge of Health and Social Care Policy, housing and legislation affecting general OT and moving and handling practice.
• Ability to assess and manage complex clinical risk.
• Ability to cope positively with change and an ability to promote positive changes to make a difference.
• A confident, energetic, and enthusiastic approach as well as sensitivity and resilience.
• A self-motivating individual with the passion to make a difference in adult social care.
• Resilient personal stress management.

Come and join us, working in an authority that has an excellent reputation, great working culture and is an inclusive and dynamic place to work. We consider our workforce to be of high value, placing wellbeing at the forefront. This is a hybrid post which means working in one of our Council offices in locations across the borough, completing visits around the borough as well as the opportunity to work from home. The benefits of working for the Council go well beyond making a difference to people’s lives, as well as working within a supportive environment with people who share your values you will have access to a huge range of benefits including discounts on:

• High street and supermarket shopping.
• Gym membership.
• Holidays.
• Days out.
• Cinemas.
• Childcare vouchers.
• Cash back scheme on any medical treatment that you may require via Medicash.
• Car lease scheme (Brand new fully maintained and insured car for 3 years in return for a fixed monthly payment via salary sacrifice).
• Cycle Scheme (Save up to £320 on the cost of a brand-new bike and equipment).

We also offer:

• Competitive salary.
• A generous holiday allowance starting at 26 days pro rata (plus bank holidays) increasing with length of service to 31 days and the ability to purchase additional leave.
• An excellent career average pension scheme with employer contributions of 22.3%. (Employer contributions elsewhere are typically 3%).
• The opportunity to develop your skills and career.
• Rewards and Recognition for going above and beyond such as additional annual leave and shopping vouchers.
• Supportive team and culture.
• Opportunity to purchase up to 10 days additional annual leave.
• An Employee Assistance.

Interviews will be held on Wednesday 2^nd April at Wyvern House, Winsford and Thursday 3^rd April at the Portal, Ellesmere Port.

If you require any further information, please contact:

Jenny Parry, Practice Manager jenny.parry@cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk

Julie Williams, Team Manager julie.williams@cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk