Occupational Therapist (Mental Health Team)

About the role

Occupational Therapist (Mental Health Team)

Permanent, Full Time

£34,712 to £46,751 per annum

Location: Countywide

Closing Date: 5th October 2023

Essex County Council (ECC) is one of the largest and most dynamic local authorities in the UK, serving a population of 2 million residents, and has a very successful track record of delivering transformational change. ECC anticipated change was needed in the public sector and has worked to deliver better quality at lower cost. We have an ambitious transformation agenda – one with the scope to reach every part of the council. We are changing the way we think, the way we work, and the ways in which we deliver our services. We are committed to becoming a place where individuals, partners and communities feel proud to play their role and genuinely want to belong. We’re immensely proud of our flexible working options.

The Mental Health and Wellbeing team comprises of a Mental Health Co-ordinator, Social Workers, Community Support Workers, an Occupational Therapist and a Targeted Employment Officer.

We provide early intervention support to the residents of Essex with their mental wellbeing within a social context. We provide direct support to improve people’s mental health to meet their outcomes, build confidence, coping strategies and resilience.

Joining the Mental Health Wellbeing team at Essex means you will be working in a supportive and innovative environment enabling you to develop your own ideas to make meaningful changes to the service user’s lives. Working with community groups, family and carers you will ensure advocacy for people with Mental Health difficulties. This role enables you to build meaningful relationships with our service users and make a difference in their lives.

The team will be countywide community based with a mixture of working from home, local office-based working and working directly with adults in community settings.

Job Purpose

ECC Adult Social Care, through effective practice, is moving towards a transformational shift from a focus on long-term care support, to a model with four key principles:- prevention; early intervention; enablement and safeguarding. This will enable people, their families and carers to be able to access information and tools to live healthily and independently. Providing an opportunity to respond pro-actively to growing service demand in a sustainable way, within the financial constraints of the Council.

Occupational therapists carry out assessments of risk and deliver therapeutic interventions which build resilience and enable independent living for vulnerable adults. Quality assuring interventions to ensure that vulnerable people are safeguarded in line with the Council’s statutory obligations, working with colleagues across the council and in other statutory bodies to do so, balancing need with financial commitment.

A qualified Occupational Therapist, with the ability to demonstrate practice in accordance with current professional standards. Positive risk taking and close working with the community are key to this role.

Service/Functional Accountabilities

· Accountable for assessment and identification of appropriate systems of support, facilitating service user choice which empowers people and enables them to live healthily, safely and independently.

· Accountable for working within the statutory legal framework, policy and guidance and determining when the threshold for statutory intervention has been reached in line with legislative and organisational standards within the Care Act 2015 (e.g. MCA / DoLs / CHC etc).

· Responsible for providing specifications which evaluate the safe use of equipment and adaptations and comply with relevant legislation, policy and guidelines on safe working practices, thereby reducing risks.

· Delivers expertise in particular area of practice and advises on those areas, contributing to the development of the four key principles.

· Delivers expertise and professional knowledge and expertise to provide advice and guidance for complex cases in line with legislative and organisational standards within the Care Act 2017 (e.g MCA / DoLS/ CHC assessments etc)

· Accountable for conducting assessments and plan responses to safeguard a vulnerable adult, include intervention as required.

· Attends meetings, reviews, case conferences and court hearings to provide information, insight and evidence, providing reports where appropriate.

· Work collaboratively building effective relationships with internal and external partnerships, stakeholders, and the voluntary sector which facilitates the delivery of joint objectives which deliver improved outcomes.

· Specific individual and shared targets and objectives are defined annually within the performance management framework.

Skills, Knowledge and Experience

· Diploma of the College of Occupational Therapists or B.Sc O.T. or other professional qualification recognised by the World Federation of Occupational Therapists.

· Evidence of continuing professional development and demonstrable capability of practice in accordance with current professional standards. Current registration with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) as an Occupational Therapist.

· Experience within a social care setting, with evidence of challenging social and family situations

· Strong communication skills and an ability to develop a rapport and engage with diverse groups of individuals.

· Developing strong relationships with partners, other agencies and the local community to achieve joint objectives and offer a supportive framework for vulnerable adults.

· Understand the financial implications of care packages commissioned.

· Evidence of clear decision making in order to highlight and limit the potential risks associated with intervention.

To read more about us please visit: Adult Social Care

The role requires you to be mobile throughout a wider operational area including travelling around the county of Essex and beyond, transporting service users and their belongings and to be able to do so in an emergency. Driving licence and car or the ability to meet the mobility requirements of the role through other means is essential.

Why Essex? Essex County Council has a location to be proud of. Our 1,300 square miles stretch from Constable Country to the Thames Estuary, from the dynamic M11 corridor to the traditional seaside resorts of Clacton and Walton. England’s oldest town, Colchester, and two of its newest – Basildon and Harlow – are right here. Along with the City of Chelmsford, the county town, they form our major population centres. It means real choice and makes Essex the ideal place for your career. Read more about us here.

Essex County Council is proud to be a Disability Confident Leader. We’re committed to interview all disabled applicants who choose to apply under our Job Interview Scheme if they meet the minimum requirements of the job. Please speak to our Recruiters if you require any reasonable adjustments during the process.

We’re also committed to interview all veterans and care leavers, who meet the minimum requirements of the role for which they are applying.

What you should do next?

If you are interested in finding out more about this role, we would love to hear from you. Please apply via the Working for Essex website.

As part of employment with Essex County Council (ECC) should your role require a DBS check you will be required to register with the DBS update service. The DBS update service ensures all registered DBS certificates are kept up to date and allows authorised parties to view the status of your certificate. This is an annual subscription, and you will be responsible for ensuring this is maintained. For further information on the DBS update service please go to https://www.gov.uk/dbs-update-service

Essex County Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults and expects all employees and volunteers to share this commitment.

If you would like to be kept up to date on other relevant opportunities, blogs, news, events and industry related news at Essex County Council, please join The Essex Talent Community here .

If you have queries on this role or require anything further, please email resourcing.team@essex.gov.uk

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