Band 6 Specialist Occupational Therapist

We are currently

expanding the size of our therapies team by recruiting occupational therapists

to support the rise in statutory occupational therapy provision and SEND

Support services across the London Borough of Sutton. As part on the

Governments SEND reform we are developing a new and exciting Experts At Hand

service launching in September 2026; this will be embedded into our

therapies service.

We are seeking enthusiastic occupational

therapists to join our friendly and supportive team. Collaborative working is

an important part of the role. This is an exciting opportunity to be part of a

dynamic team providing innovative therapy interventions following

evidence-based practice and an embedded model of therapy in order to best

support the pupils needs.

Main duties of the job

Working within a multidisciplinary team of Occupational Therapists

and Speech Therapists the post holder will have the opportunity to work in

local schools and colleges across the 4 years to 25 years age range or with a

smaller age range within this.

Advising and supporting a range of schools and settings with children

and young people with Occupational Therapy Needs (OT Needs) including a

possible cohort with ASD, or PMLD to manage their caseload to ensure that

intended outcomes are delivered within agreed service standards.

Raising awareness of the

needs of and strategies available for children and young people with OT Needs.

Deliver

specialist paediatric occupational therapy within mainstream schools using the

Experts at Hand model, focusing on early intervention, inclusion, and

embedding practical strategies into everyday teaching and learning.

Provide

on-demand consultation, advice, and training to education staffsupporting

children and young people based on functional need without requiring diagnosis

or EHCP and working collaboratively with families and multi-agency partners.

Build

capacity and confidence within education settings through time-limited,

needs-led support, combining clinical practice, coaching, and system-level

input to improve outcomes and demonstrate impact aligned with local SEND

priorities.

About us

Cognus Therapies are a thriving

multidisciplinary team of occupational therapists, speech and language

therapists, teachers, practitioners and therapy assistants who support children

and young people aged 4 - 25 years in mainstream schools, colleges, and

specialist settings within the London Borough of Sutton and surrounding

boroughs.

Cognus Therapies is owned by the London

Borough of Sutton and forms part of Cognus Limited who are the providers for

special educational needs services within the borough.

Details

Date posted

25 September 2026

Pay scheme

Other

Salary

£44,660.21 to £53,046.29 a year

inclusive of HCAS

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time,

Part-time,

Term time hours

Reference number

N0016-26-0030

Job locations

Cognus Limited

First Floor, Cantium House

Railway Approach

Wallington

Surrey

SM6 0DZ

United Kingdom

Job responsibilities

• To personally

undertake a case load of referrals to include:

• Visiting and assessing

children and young people with OT Needs.

• To

appropriately identify service provision in line with child and young persons

needs at specialist, targeted or universal level of support.

• Delivery of specialist

programmes on an individual and/or small group basis.

• Advice

and treatment for children and young people with functional difficulties and

sensory processing needs.

• Offering

advice to parents and carers as well as teaching staff at a targeted or

universal level.

• Maintaining

children/young peoples records to a high standard.

• Screening and prioritising new referrals in order to determine the

need and level of occupational therapy provision required in line with service

criteria.

• At

the point of referral gathering relevant information regarding previous and

current input from health and social care services.

• Carrying

out a range of non-standardised and standardised assessments and interpreting a

range of factors relating to the child or young persons condition; focusing on

access to education.

• Providing

reports to referrers and other agencies involved in the child/young persons

care.

• Contributing to professional advice

regarding the statutory assessment and annual review process both in Sutton and

in out-of-borough settings if necessary.

• Plan,

create and deliver a wide range of tailored interventions and/or therapy

programmes where direct OT input is indicated and effectively hand over

prescribed programmes through training and modelling with teaching staff,

parents and carers.

• To

recommend, provide or advise on provision of equipment and take responsibility

for demonstrating its usage and training clients/carers.

• To

undertake risk assessment in complex moving and handling situations where

appropriate i.e. provision of equipment identified for the school

environment.

• To monitor and record child

or young persons progress and effectiveness of

intervention through goal setting, outcome measurement and evaluation of

practice and to communicate these as required to key stakeholders.

• To

liaise and establish communication networks with the multidisciplinary team,

external voluntary and statutory organisations as appropriate in planning for

child or young persons treatment.

• Promotion of effective inclusion of

children and young people into all aspects of the school curriculum.

• Maintain

effective liaison with all partners e.g., parents, professionals in Education,

Health, Social Care and other Services with particular regard to Safeguarding

and best practice.

• Promote robust transition arrangements

for pupils with Occupational Therapy needs including: Collaboration with a

range of partner agencies to create effective transition support for specific

children and young people.

• To be aware of changing trends in

treatment and promote Evidence Based Practice; embedding this into own

specialist area of work in order to provide the highest standard of care to

service users.

• To participate in clinical audit, service

development activities and research programmes as required. To contribute to formulating policies for specialist area and proposals

for general service changes.

• As part of the therapies team to plan,

deliver and evaluate training sessions for schools and educational

providers.

• To engage with continual professional

development as identified through managerial and clinical supervision and

appraisal, including attending training and courses as agreed.

• Attending and contributing to Team meetings.
• Identifying

needs and seeking advice within the framework of specialist teams and wider

agencies as appropriate

• Liaison

with parents and carers and schools to find collaborative strategies to overcome

barriers to learning and attend multi-agency meetings as required.

• Embedding legislative change and key

developments relating to improved outcomes for children and young people with

Occupational Therapy Needs.

• To comply with the Cognus Limited mandatory training requirements.

Job responsibilities

• To personally

undertake a case load of referrals to include:

• Visiting and assessing

children and young people with OT Needs.

• To

appropriately identify service provision in line with child and young persons

needs at specialist, targeted or universal level of support.

• Delivery of specialist

programmes on an individual and/or small group basis.

• Advice

and treatment for children and young people with functional difficulties and

sensory processing needs.

• Offering

advice to parents and carers as well as teaching staff at a targeted or

universal level.

• Maintaining

children/young peoples records to a high standard.

• Screening and prioritising new referrals in order to determine the

need and level of occupational therapy provision required in line with service

criteria.

• At

the point of referral gathering relevant information regarding previous and

current input from health and social care services.

• Carrying

out a range of non-standardised and standardised assessments and interpreting a

range of factors relating to the child or young persons condition; focusing on

access to education.

• Providing

reports to referrers and other agencies involved in the child/young persons

care.

• Contributing to professional advice

regarding the statutory assessment and annual review process both in Sutton and

in out-of-borough settings if necessary.

• Plan,

create and deliver a wide range of tailored interventions and/or therapy

programmes where direct OT input is indicated and effectively hand over

prescribed programmes through training and modelling with teaching staff,

parents and carers.

• To

recommend, provide or advise on provision of equipment and take responsibility

for demonstrating its usage and training clients/carers.

• To

undertake risk assessment in complex moving and handling situations where

appropriate i.e. provision of equipment identified for the school

environment.

• To monitor and record child

or young persons progress and effectiveness of

intervention through goal setting, outcome measurement and evaluation of

practice and to communicate these as required to key stakeholders.

• To

liaise and establish communication networks with the multidisciplinary team,

external voluntary and statutory organisations as appropriate in planning for

child or young persons treatment.

• Promotion of effective inclusion of

children and young people into all aspects of the school curriculum.

• Maintain

effective liaison with all partners e.g., parents, professionals in Education,

Health, Social Care and other Services with particular regard to Safeguarding

and best practice.

• Promote robust transition arrangements

for pupils with Occupational Therapy needs including: Collaboration with a

range of partner agencies to create effective transition support for specific

children and young people.

• To be aware of changing trends in

treatment and promote Evidence Based Practice; embedding this into own

specialist area of work in order to provide the highest standard of care to

service users.

• To participate in clinical audit, service

development activities and research programmes as required. To contribute to formulating policies for specialist area and proposals

for general service changes.

• As part of the therapies team to plan,

deliver and evaluate training sessions for schools and educational

providers.

• To engage with continual professional

development as identified through managerial and clinical supervision and

appraisal, including attending training and courses as agreed.

• Attending and contributing to Team meetings.
• Identifying

needs and seeking advice within the framework of specialist teams and wider

agencies as appropriate

• Liaison

with parents and carers and schools to find collaborative strategies to overcome

barriers to learning and attend multi-agency meetings as required.

• Embedding legislative change and key

developments relating to improved outcomes for children and young people with

Occupational Therapy Needs.

• To comply with the Cognus Limited mandatory training requirements.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• Educated to degree level or equivalent
• Relevant qualifications including registration with HCPC
• Ability to prioritise and deliver results to high standards
• Excellent organisational skills
• Excellent communication skills
• Leads others by setting a positive example in line with company values and acts as a role model
• Experience as a paediatric occupational therapist
• Adherence to RCOT and HCPC policies and procedures
• Is decisive with problem-solving skills
• Honours and upholds the Companys Equal Opportunity Policy, Dignity at Work Policy, Safeguarding and Protection of Children, Health and Safety and Data Protection Policy at all times.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• Educated to degree level or equivalent
• Relevant qualifications including registration with HCPC
• Ability to prioritise and deliver results to high standards
• Excellent organisational skills
• Excellent communication skills
• Leads others by setting a positive example in line with company values and acts as a role model
• Experience as a paediatric occupational therapist
• Adherence to RCOT and HCPC policies and procedures
• Is decisive with problem-solving skills
• Honours and upholds the Companys Equal Opportunity Policy, Dignity at Work Policy, Safeguarding and Protection of Children, Health and Safety and Data Protection Policy at all times.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see

NHS Careers website .

Additional information

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see

NHS Careers website .

Employer details

Employer name

Cognus Limited

Address

Cognus Limited

First Floor, Cantium House

Railway Approach

Wallington

Surrey

SM6 0DZ

United Kingdom

Employer's website

https://cognus.org.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)

Employer details

Employer name

Cognus Limited

Address

Cognus Limited

First Floor, Cantium House

Railway Approach

Wallington

Surrey

SM6 0DZ

United Kingdom

Employer's website

https://cognus.org.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)

Job responsibilities

• To personally

undertake a case load of referrals to include:

• Visiting and assessing

children and young people with OT Needs.

• To

appropriately identify service provision in line with child and young persons

needs at specialist, targeted or universal level of support.

• Delivery of specialist

programmes on an individual and/or small group basis.

• Advice

and treatment for children and young people with functional difficulties and

sensory processing needs.

• Offering

advice to parents and carers as well as teaching staff at a targeted or

universal level.

• Maintaining

children/young peoples records to a high standard.

• Screening and prioritising new referrals in order to determine the

need and level of occupational therapy provision required in line with service

criteria.

• At

the point of referral gathering relevant information regarding previous and

current input from health and social care services.

• Carrying

out a range of non-standardised and standardised assessments and interpreting a

range of factors relating to the child or young persons condition; focusing on

access to education.

• Providing

reports to referrers and other agencies involved in the child/young persons

care.

• Contributing to professional advice

regarding the statutory assessment and annual review process both in Sutton and

in out-of-borough settings if necessary.

• Plan,

create and deliver a wide range of tailored interventions and/or therapy

programmes where direct OT input is indicated and effectively hand over

prescribed programmes through training and modelling with teaching staff,

parents and carers.

• To

recommend, provide or advise on provision of equipment and take responsibility

for demonstrating its usage and training clients/carers.

• To

undertake risk assessment in complex moving and handling situations where

appropriate i.e. provision of equipment identified for the school

environment.

• To monitor and record child

or young persons progress and effectiveness of

intervention through goal setting, outcome measurement and evaluation of

practice and to communicate these as required to key stakeholders.

• To

liaise and establish communication networks with the multidisciplinary team,

external voluntary and statutory organisations as appropriate in planning for

child or young persons treatment.

• Promotion of effective inclusion of

children and young people into all aspects of the school curriculum.

• Maintain

effective liaison with all partners e.g., parents, professionals in Education,

Health, Social Care and other Services with particular regard to Safeguarding

and best practice.

• Promote robust transition arrangements

for pupils with Occupational Therapy needs including: Collaboration with a

range of partner agencies to create effective transition support for specific

children and young people.

• To be aware of changing trends in

treatment and promote Evidence Based Practice; embedding this into own

specialist area of work in order to provide the highest standard of care to

service users.

• To participate in clinical audit, service

development activities and research programmes as required. To contribute to formulating policies for specialist area and proposals

for general service changes.

• As part of the therapies team to plan,

deliver and evaluate training sessions for schools and educational

providers.

• To engage with continual professional

development as identified through managerial and clinical supervision and

appraisal, including attending training and courses as agreed.

• Attending and contributing to Team meetings.
• Identifying

needs and seeking advice within the framework of specialist teams and wider

agencies as appropriate

• Liaison

with parents and carers and schools to find collaborative strategies to overcome

barriers to learning and attend multi-agency meetings as required.

• Embedding legislative change and key

developments relating to improved outcomes for children and young people with

Occupational Therapy Needs.

• To comply with the Cognus Limited mandatory training requirements.

Qualifications

Essential

• Educated to degree level or equivalent
• Relevant qualifications including registration with HCPC
• Ability to prioritise and deliver results to high standards
• Excellent organisational skills
• Excellent communication skills
• Leads others by setting a positive example in line with company values and acts as a role model
• Experience as a paediatric occupational therapist
• Adherence to RCOT and HCPC policies and procedures
• Is decisive with problem-solving skills
• Honours and upholds the Companys Equal Opportunity Policy, Dignity at Work Policy, Safeguarding and Protection of Children, Health and Safety and Data Protection Policy at all times.