Hours: 18.5 per week

Contract: Fixed term until 31 January 2025

“Are you looking for a change? Are you passionate about Occupational Therapy? are you newly qualified, are you thinking about returning to practice? are you an experienced Occupational Therapist wondering if now is the time for a career change? or just want to know more about the challenging and rewarding role of an Occupational Therapist in Social Care”?

If you are any of these things, we would love to talk more about the posts we have available in Adult North Social Care Team.

We may not be perfect, but we endeavour to be the best we can be, and all staff can get involved with innovative change projects. There will always be change in health and social care! If you work for us, you will be based in the North social care team (Occupational Therapists, Social Workers and Adult Social Care Workers), with support from experienced Senior Occupational Therapists, Team Manager and Principal Occupational Therapist). Our new way of working will be a hybrid model, that helps us get the best of both worlds and achieve a strong work/life balance. We live in a beautiful part of the country and we believe wellbeing is central to happy and effective staff. Regular reflective supervision will ensure this happens with our commitment to compassionate leadership.

North Somerset Council places great value on our profession and believes we are fundamental in achieving the vision for adults in North Somerset – to maximise the independence and wellbeing of our residents that have care and support needs.

We have an established Principal Occupational Therapist to oversee Quality Assurance, Learning and Development and Policy and Strategy and we are developing a clear career framework to support your ongoing development, tapping into national programmes where possible. Our transfer policy supports movement to other teams to widen your knowledge and skills without leaving the council. 

We use the Skills for Care “New to Social Care Framework” to support newly qualified staff to transition into their first role. This can also be adapted for those returning to practice. We will offer a conditional probation to those returning to practice, so you can be paid to complete your portfolio with a guaranteed job offer if you successfully re-register.

For experienced therapists, we are building a collection of specialisms for you to enhance your knowledge and skills in specific areas, e.g. moving and handing, postural management, assistive technology, student and apprenticeship development.

We are currently a project site for the ConnectEd project. This links us to the University of Bristol and we are passionate about bringing research to life in everyday practice. Our learning and development offer uses Research in Practice resources.

Our commitment to you is a supportive team where you will be invested in to grow and develop into the best therapist you can be. In return, we expect you to be open, enthusiastic and committed.

This post is exempt under the provisions of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions) Order 1975 and is subject to an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check.

Valid driving licence and own transport, or be able to provide alternative, suitable method of travel is an essential condition for this role.

Would you like to know more and apply? We would love to hear from you.

For an informal discussion, please contact either Claire Gumus, Team Manager Claire.gumus@n-somerset.gov.uk; Catherine Prescott, Senior Occupational Therapist catherine.prescott@n-somerset.gov.uk 07795812214 or Lara Coleman, Senior Occupational Therapist lara.coleman@n-somerset.gov.uk 07385 430513.

Anticipated interview date:        To be confirmed

North Somerset Council is an equal opportunities employer. We welcome applications from all sections of our community regardless of age, disability, sex, race, religion, belief or sexual orientation. North Somerset Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

                         Adult Occupational Therapy Recruitment Information

About North Somerset

North Somerset is an attractive and largely rural local authority area which includes the popular coastal towns of Weston-Super-Mare, Clevedon and Portishead. Its natural environment, which includes beautiful coastline and the stunning Mendip Hills, attracts visitors from throughout the surrounding area and beyond. Bordering with Bristol, Bath and North East Somerset (BANES) and Somerset, and with easy access from the M5, North Somerset is easily commutable from a wide range of nearby towns and cities, making it a highly desirable place to live or work.

Occupational Therapy in North Somerset Council

North Somerset Council (NSC) recognises and values the unique contribution Occupational Therapists make to people with care and support needs, their carers, families and the wider community. We aim to harness and develop the strengths of each Occupational Therapist we employ so they can make a real difference to people’s lives.

Occupational Therapy within NSC is overseen by a dedicated Principal Occupational Therapist whose job it is to promote excellent Occupational Therapy practice and ensure the voice of Occupational Therapy is heard throughout the organisation.

To support Occupational Therapists in their roles, we are continuously improving our learning and development offer ensuring Occupational Therapists have access to a wide variety of continuing professional development opportunities. We have secured organisational membership with Research in Practice  (RiP). We host an annual Occupational Therapy conference with the purpose of celebrating our profession, focussing on key themes each year and highlighting examples of innovation and good practice at a local and national level. 

We are committed to ensuring that all Occupational Therapists receive excellent reflective supervision and are introducing a framework for newly qualified, new to social care, and returners to practice, which supports a guided development of knowledge and skills. We recognise the importance of Occupational Therapists feeling empowered to exercise their own professional judgment, take positive risks and make defensible decisions to help people achieve their desired outcomes. 

NSC recognises the importance of work life balance. We offer competitive rates of pay, a generous leave package, flexible / mobile working arrangements, an employee assistance service and the opportunity to join a valued salary pension scheme.

We offer our Occupational Therapy staff who are looking to specialise in a key area of practice such as manual handling, seating, student supervision, housing adaptation, technology, additional training so that knowledge and skills can be shared within the wider team.

Our vision

Our council vision is ‘an open, fairer, greener North Somerset’ and we have three key priorities:

• A thriving and sustainable place
• A council which empowers and cares about people
• An open and enabling organisation.

Our values

Our organisational values are important. They help guide us in how we work and provide services for our residents. Our people produced our values in collaboration with elected members. They provide a strong ethos and help us to deliver our ambitious agenda, working in partnership across the council and beyond:

• We act with integrity
• We respect each other
• We innovate
• We care
• We collaborate.

Our Benefits

We offer:

• A competitive salary,
• Family leave options,
• A pension scheme, where we pay a significant contribution on top of your contribution. It provides life cover and ill-health protection,
• Opportunities to develop your skills, knowledge and potential,
• Generous leave entitlement (27 days, rising to 32 days) and bank holidays, plus the option to buy up to an extra 10 days,
• Discounts on shopping, days out, travel and gym memberships,
• Agile and flexible working arrangements to help you enjoy a healthy work-life balance,
• 24/7 access to our Employee Assistance Programme.

North Somerset Council – Open, Fairer, Greener.