About Us
West Sussex County Council is all about making a positive difference to the people we work with and their communities. As an employer we recognise that it is our employees that are central to everything we do. We aim to create a supportive and dynamic working environment where employees can achieve their full potential, achieve a healthy work-life balance and are rewarded for the work they do.
Our Adults' Community Teams offer an exciting and rewarding area of practice, giving our Occupational Therapy professionals the opportunity to make a real difference in people's lives. We work with adults aged 25 and over who have cognitive and/or physical disabilities.
Community Occupational Therapy focuses on helping people maintain their current abilities or prevent further deterioration in their skills. Occupational Therapy helps those with impairment and disability to live independent, productive lives. We’re proud to embed a strengths-based approach in our practice—supporting individuals to explore their networks, maximise independence and access local community resources.
We provide a working environment that values professional supervision and offers the right balance between challenge and support. This provides our workforce with what they need to deliver the best possible outcomes for our residents. We work to ensure that innovation and evidence-based practice underpins what we do and that we maintain an environment within which our occupational therapists can develop and progress in their careers. If you have the talent and ambition to achieve the best for the people we serve, then we will support you to progress and develop throughout your occupational therapy career.
Take a look at our Careers in Social Care Occupational Therapy campaign page for further information on the work of the team - Careers in social care occupational therapy - West Sussex County Council
About The Job
Salary: NJC grade 9-11 depending on experience £36,363 to £47,181 per annum
Working Pattern: Full time, 37 hours per week
Contract Length: Permanent
Location: Chichester office base – travel in and around the local area required
We are looking for a skilled, passionate and motivated Occupational Therapist to join our strong and dynamic Occupational Therapy service. This is an exciting opportunity to play a leading role in supporting people to achieve positive outcomes, maximise independence and improve wellbeing through strengths-based practice.
As an Occupational Therapist/Senior Occupational Therapist*, you will work with people, families and carers in complex situations, using advanced occupational therapy knowledge, professional judgement and a strong understanding of relevant legislation to assess needs and develop effective support plans. You will manage a varied and complex caseload while supporting colleagues to deliver high-quality, person-centred practice.
You will work collaboratively with health, social care, voluntary and private sector partners to ensure seamless support and access to the right services and community resources. Alongside direct practice, you will contribute to the development of innovative approaches, systems and best practice across the service.
The role also involves providing professional leadership, mentoring and guidance to both registered and unregistered practitioners, helping to build capability, confidence and high professional standards across the team. You will support the Team Manager with day-to-day operational oversight, team development and performance management, deputising where required.
For this role hybrid working means working in the office at least 1 day a week and you organise the rest of the week to work to suit the weeks work commitments.
- If applying for the Senior Occupational Therapist role you will be expected to supervise junior staff in addition to the above.
Experience and Skills
We are looking for someone who:
- Is a qualified Occupational Therapist registered with the HCPC
- Has substantial post-qualification experience, including working with complex caseloads
- Demonstrates advanced assessment, risk management and decision-making skills
- Has a strong understanding of relevant legislation, safeguarding and professional standards
- Is passionate about strengths-based, outcome-focused practice
- Can lead, motivate and support colleagues to deliver excellent services
- Builds effective relationships with internal teams and external partner agencies
- Is confident contributing to service development and implementing change
Please review the job description for the essential skills, experience and qualifications and explain how you meet them within your application.
Rewards and Benefits
For a full list of the benefits offered to you as a West Sussex County Council employee you can find them on our Rewards and Benefits page.
Further Information
The reference number for this role is CAFHE06439.
For an informal conversation or for further information regarding the role, please contact Ellie Richards (Team Manager) at [email protected]. For issues or queries regarding your application please contact [email protected].
To apply, upload your CV and complete the application explaining the skills and experience you can bring to the role ensuring that any gaps in employment are covered in your CV. Please ensure you have saved the job description attached to the main advert on our website as, once the job has closed, you may not have the opportunity to download again.
We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. This post is subject to HCPC registration, an enhanced DBS check, 5 years referencing and a health check.
West Sussex County Council is an equal opportunities employer committed to promoting an environment that is inclusive and free from all forms of unlawful or unfair discrimination and values the diversity of its people. We actively welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and take every possible step to ensure that no individual will be disadvantaged.
For information regarding your eligibility to apply for this role under our Disability or Veteran’s Guaranteed Interview Scheme (if you meet the essential criteria), this can be found on our application help page.
Note for Recruitment Agencies: We prefer to hire people directly, but we do have a supplier list for when we need a helping hand. We'll be in touch directly if we need you!
