About the Role
Are you an Occupational Therapist who is passionate about helping people regain their independence, achieve meaningful goals and remain living safely in their own home? As an Occupational Therapist within Oxfordshire County Council’s Home First Team, you’ll play an important role in supporting people following a hospital stay, using your professional skills to understand what matters to them and what will enable them to live as independently as possible. Working within a strengths-based and rehabilitative approach, you’ll complete timely assessments, identify barriers to independence and develop practical, person-centred solutions that promote wellbeing, choice and control.

No two days will be the same. You’ll have the opportunity to use the full range of your Occupational Therapy skills, including functional assessment, reablement, equipment and assistive technology, minor adaptation, moving and handling and postural management. You’ll manage and prioritise your own caseload, undertake visits in the community and use your professional judgement to balance independence with proportionate management of risk. You’ll consider not only formal services, but also the person’s own strengths, informal support networks and community resources, finding creative and sustainable ways of achieving the outcomes that are important to them.

You’ll also be an integral part of our Home First and Discharge to Assess approach, working alongside colleagues across health and social care to help people make a safe and timely transition from hospital back into their community. You’ll work collaboratively with social workers, therapists, discharge colleagues, families, carers and other partners, bringing your distinctive Occupational Therapy perspective to multidisciplinary decision-making. The Home First model is focused on supporting patient flow while maximising long-term independence, with opportunities to contribute to reablement and admission avoidance as well as hospital discharge. If you enjoy creative problem-solving, multidisciplinary working and seeing the direct impact that good Occupational Therapy can have on someone’s everyday life, Home First offers an exciting and rewarding environment in which to develop your practice.

For an informal conversation about the role please contact Karl Dickens onkarl.dickens@oxfordshire.gov.uk

About Us
At Oxfordshire County Council, you do not just work for us… you learn, grow, and thrive with us.
Whatever your career aspirations are in adult social care, we are here to support and empower you to lead your growth from the front.

Combined with a passion to do adult social care differently, our vision empowers you to play a lead role in helping people stay fit, healthy and independent in their communities for as long as possible and to deliver a genuine tailor-made approach to care.

We support this by providing:

• Freedom to do your role with an approach that supports The Oxfordshire Way.
• Job swap opportunities to explore different areas of adult social care.
• Stable leadership support and mentorship, with regular group and 1:1 supervision.
• Continuous opportunities to develop through the organisation.
• Because we know that when you thrive, the people you work with thrive.

Our Values
Our organisational values underpin everything we do and say and are supported by policies, processes, and guidance. In short, our values describe ‘the way we do things here’ so that we deliver great services for our residents. Our values are:

• Always learning
• Be kind and care.
• Equality and integrity in all we do
• Taking responsibility
• Daring to do it differently.

Everyone that works for us demonstrates their commitment to these values. We will ask you to demonstrate your commitment to these values, and their associated behaviours, throughout the application process.

About you
You are…

• Always learning as a qualified Occupational Therapist with HCPC registration.
• Driven to do things differently to find creative solutions that problem solves with the person, rather than for the person.
• Willing to take responsibility, you are a self-leader with the ambition to lead your community in different areas of adult social care.
• Kind and caring, with an understanding of and respect for individuals’ qualities, abilities, and diverse backgrounds.
• Advocating for equality and integrity in all you do, and with your strong communication skills you work collaboratively to achieve the best outcome.

Rewards and Benefits
Learn more about how you learn, grow, and thrive with us…

• Up to 33 day’s holiday p.a. plus bank holidays - Option to ‘buy’ additional days.
• Membership of the Local Government contributory pension scheme, employer’s contribution of up to 19.9%
• Relocation package up to a maximum of £8,000 to cover reimbursement of expenses for newly appointed employees (conditions apply in line with Council Policy)
• Regular weekly and monthly formal and informal support and supervision
• Local and national discounts for shopping and travel
• Extensive Continuous Professional Development opportunities, career progression scheme including the opportunity to train as a PEP BIA or AMHPLearn more here: Our benefits | Jobs (oxfordshire.gov.uk)

Our commitment to: Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion
At Oxfordshire County Council we are proud of our diverse workforce. Everyone is accepted for who they are, regardless of age, disability, gender identity, marital status, race, faith or belief, sexual orientation, socioeconomic background, or on maternity or family leave. We have a number of staff network groups which provide peer support, education, and safe spaces for all.

Our commitment to: Guaranteed Interview Schemes
As a Disability Confident employer, we guarantee an interview for disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the job. We also guarantee interviews to care leavers who have completed further education and who meet the essential criteria for the job. For those leaving care without any further education, we guarantee an interview for our apprenticeships. We are also committed to helping and supporting those transitioning from HM Armed Forces to civilian life and guarantee an interview for those demonstrating the essential criteria for the role, within three years of leaving the service.

Our commitment to: Safeguarding
Oxfordshire County Council are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people, and adults. We expect all employees, workers, and volunteers to share this commitment. We will ensure that all our recruitment and selection practices reflect these commitments.

Our commitment to: Flexible Working
We are open to discussions about flexible working, which can include flexitime, part time working, job sharing, nine-day fortnights and annualised hours, depending on the requirements of the role and the service.

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If you encounter any technical issues with the application system, please contact us at: careers@oxfordshire.gov.uk