Senior Therapist

Job Description & Person Specification

Growing Hope is a national charity providing free therapy for children and young people with additional needs in partnership with local churches across the UK. We aim to grow hope for children, hope for families and hope in Jesus. Growing Hope was founded in December 2017 and has a vision to see 20 clinics set up across the UK by 2030. Growing Hope currently has five local charities running across the country in King’s Cross, Brockley, High Wycombe, Maidstone and Redbridge. They have worked with over 700 children, young people, parents, carers, siblings and professionals since they launched.

We are currently recruiting for an experienced, creative and motivated Senior Therapist for Growing Hope Solent. You will join the Clinic Manager at Growing Hope Solent clinic to provide free therapy for children and young people and to run support groups for families. The successful candidate will bring therapeutic experience in working alongside families of children with additional needs. Growing Hope promotes equality, diversity, and inclusion in our workplace. We make employment decisions by matching business needs with skills and experience. We’re happy to talk about flexible working, personal growth, and to promote a workplace where you can be yourself and achieve success based only on your merit.

We are looking for employees who are committed to Growing Hope’s vision and values and can demonstrate these within their interview.

Hours - Part time – 0.6-0.8FTE, 22.5-30hrs per week

Salary - £21,000-22,200 (0.6FTE) / 28,000-£29,600 (0.8FTE) - dependant on experience and based on full time salary £35,000-£37,000 calculated from Growing Hope payscale – www.growinghope.org.uk/policy)

Application form – www.growinghope.org.uk/jobs

Experience Required

• Health Care Professions Council Registration.
• Therapy qualification (Occupational therapy, Speech and Language therapy, Physiotherapy, Counselling or similar).
• Minimum of 2 years experience working with children and families.
• Creative, innovative and able to take initiative

Providing free therapy for children and young people with additional needs and their families in partnership with King’s Community Church, Hedge End.

Job Summary

• Work within a clinic-based service and manage allocated caseload.
• Deliver therapy and family support groups.
• Linking with other community services in order to gain contacts and referrals.
• Potential to provide training for teaching staff and parents within schools.
• Collaboration with other professionals within the clinic team.
• Work with children and young people who have a variety of additional needs.
• Offer to pray with each child and family who attend the clinic.
• Participation in staff prayer and worship meetings.
• Assessment (both standardised and non- standardised), intervention and review for children who need therapy input.
• The use of GAS goals in order to set targets and review children’s progress in therapy.
• Continue to develop and support the running of Growing Hope services (e.g. siblings groups, When Dreams Change etc.)
• Supporting other tasks within the charity as the Clinic Manager sees fit.

Clinical responsibilities

• Provide therapy assessment, intervention and evaluation which is in keeping with best practice, according to professional guidelines, for several children, young people and families each week.
• Responsible to only accept referrals for children within the approved catchment area.
• Work with children and families to develop meaningful, client centred goals.
• Able to motivate children and develop rapport in order to achieve their goals.
• Offer to pray with each child and family who attend the clinic.
• Use GAS goals as an outcome measure in order to set and review children’s progress.
• To demonstrate effective time management skills.
• To advise as to the appropriate purchase of equipment which may be of benefit.
• To take responsibility for own clinical development.
• To oversee and deliver therapy groups as appropriate.
• To deliver family support groups, such as Circle of Security, When Dreams Change and Siblings Groups.
• To work closely with volunteers and to supervise volunteers, students, or junior members of staff as required.

Communication

• To ensure that case notes are kept up to date and provide an accurate record of clinical reasoning and observations during each session.
• To access information via computer and phone systems and to record this accurately and securely.
• To provide accurate, detailed reports for families and professionals involved with children.
• To deal with complaints sensitively.
• To follow Growing Hope’s procedures and guidelines with regards to reports and communicating information.

Confidentiality and data protection

• To maintain confidentiality of all children and families seen within the clinic.
• To maintain data protection in line with Growing Hope’s information governance policy.

Providing free therapy for children and young people with additional needs and their families in partnership with King’s Community Church, Hedge End.

Leave

• 20 days plus bank holidays (pro rata from 8 bank holiday days) plus 3-4 extra days volunteers leave for therapists to give their time to serve others in line with the Growing Hope vision. This is part of Growing Hope’s giving as an organisation and training of others.

Person Specification. The ideal candidate will have a genuine interest in working in the charity sector.

Therapy Intervention flow:

Our therapy pattern is found on the clinic page of our website. Generally we provide families with an assessment, they receive a short report and advice, together with a WhatsApp video of recommendations using a Growing Hope report template. Families then receive up to 6 weeks of intervention before being discharged. They can then practise for 3 months before referring back in if they’d like a review session and support (up to 4 weeks of therapy).

Providing free therapy for children and young people with additional needs and their families in partnership with King’s Community Church, Hedge End.