Occupational Therapist – Residential Services
Location: Across Orbis residential services with hybrid working
Hours: 37.5 hours per week, year-round
Salary: £39,234.78
Reporting to: Head of Quality
Make a meaningful difference to everyday life
Are you an occupational therapist who wants to make a real difference to the lives of autistic people and people with learning disabilities?
At Orbis, we believe everyone should have the opportunity to participate in the routines, activities and experiences that matter to them. We're looking for an Occupational Therapist to work across our residential services, supporting people with a range of needs, including complex needs, to live meaningful and fulfilling lives at home and in their communities.
This is an opportunity for someone who enjoys working independently, building relationships with care teams and turning occupational therapy recommendations into practical, meaningful changes in everyday life.
About the role
You'll manage your own caseload across our residential homes, carrying out assessments, developing personalised interventions and supporting care teams to put your recommendations into practice.
Working closely with the people who live in our homes, home managers, care staff, families where appropriate and other professionals, you'll help ensure occupational therapy is embedded into everyday support rather than simply sitting within assessment reports.
You'll have access to clinical supervision and opportunities to contribute to the development of occupational therapy practice across our services.
What you'll be doing
- Managing an independent caseload across residential homes, prioritising referrals according to need and risk.
- Assessing daily living skills, motor abilities, sensory needs and environmental factors that affect participation.
- Working alongside people to agree meaningful goals using their preferred communication methods.
- Developing and delivering individual or group interventions, where appropriate.
- Identifying practical changes to routines, activities and environments that support independence, participation and wellbeing.
- Assessing equipment needs, demonstrating safe use and reviewing suitability.
- Writing clear assessment reports and translating recommendations into practical personal plans.
- Coaching and supporting care staff to implement OT recommendations consistently across shifts.
- Reviewing progress, adapting interventions and referring to other services where appropriate.
- Working collaboratively with home managers, Positive Behaviour Support practitioners, Speech and Language Therapists and other professionals.
- Contributing to personal plan reviews, multidisciplinary meetings, transitions and service improvement.
About you
We're looking for a qualified Occupational Therapist who is confident managing their own workload and enjoys working collaboratively to achieve meaningful outcomes.
You'll ideally have direct experience supporting autistic people and people with learning disabilities, including people with complex needs. However, we're equally interested in applicants who can demonstrate clear transferable skills from other settings, such as community services, health and social care or specialist education.
You'll bring:
- A recognised qualification in Occupational Therapy and current HCPC registration.
- Experience undertaking assessments, planning interventions and reviewing outcomes.
- The ability to manage a caseload independently and make sound clinical decisions.
- Strong communication skills and the ability to adapt your approach to individual needs.
- Confidence writing clear reports and giving practical advice to care teams.
- Experience supporting staff to implement recommendations and develop their practice.
- The ability to build positive relationships with people, families and multidisciplinary colleagues.
- Good organisational skills and the flexibility to travel between residential services.
Residential care experience would be beneficial but is not essential.
Additional training or postgraduate study in autism, learning disabilities, sensory approaches or trauma-informed practice would be welcomed.
The qualities that matter
Above all, you'll be someone who:
- Treats people with dignity and respect, listens to their preferences and works at their pace.
- Recognises the importance of individual communication and personal choice.
- Builds trusting relationships and works constructively with care teams.
- Is practical, patient and committed to helping recommendations become part of everyday support.
- Can work autonomously while recognising the value of supervision and collaboration.
- Is reliable, flexible and committed to continued professional development.
Why join Orbis?
You'll have the opportunity to make a tangible difference to people's everyday lives, working alongside residential teams to create environments and support approaches that enable greater participation, independence and wellbeing.
This is a role where your clinical expertise can translate into meaningful changes in how people experience life in their homes and communities.
Interested?
If you're an occupational therapist who is passionate about supporting people to live meaningful lives and helping care teams deliver excellent, person-centred support, we'd love to hear from you.