Therapy Assistant

The postholder will work within the Universal Early Years Therapies team, alongside the Best Start Family Hubs Speech and Language Therapists, Occupational Therapists & Physiotherapist. The post sits within the SEND workstream of the Best Start Family Hubs offer. This workstream will be involved in the delivery of the Best Start Family Hubs SEND offer across early childhood and transitions in Islington. The postholder will contribute to universal early years therapy services across the Best Start Family Hubs, working with families and Early Years provisions in Islingtonto develop good practice around the support of children aged 0-5 with their physical, communication, play and early independence skills. This will include providing information, modelling and training for families & Early Years Practitioners to support children's development.

The Universal Early Years Therapies Team operates as part of a partnership between Whittington Health NHS Trust and Islington Council. Best Start Family Hubs help ensure that families receive integrated support, early identification of needs and timely intervention, promoting independence and resilience. Through the offer in Islington, families with children under five can access a range of services delivered in children's centres, nurseries, health centres, community venues and libraries.

Main duties of the job

To work with parents, carers and early years practitioners to support the development of children aged 0-5 years old in communication, play, early independence and physical skills.

To work with parents, carers and early years practitioners to support the achievement and wellbeing of children identified with early development needs & SEND.

To use knowledge and skills to develop capacity in Early Years provisions to meet the early development needs of children through problem solving, coaching, modelling and direct work.

To support with delivering training to Early Years staff, parents and carers and other professionals.

To work with Early Years provisions to support families, providing them with information, advice and support to enrich the Home Learning Environment.

To work closely with external agencies (e.g. children centres, family hubs, libraries and voluntary sector).

To work independently, efficiently and flexibly and organize own workload as required.

To be able to talk to a range of parents/carers in the community, providing advice and signposting to other professionals if appropriate.

About us

Whittington Health serves a richly diverse population and works hard to ensure that all our services are fair and equally accessible to everyone. Nowhere is this more obvious than in the way we look after our staff. We aim to employ a workforce which is as representative as possible of this population, so we are open to the value of differences in age, disability, gender, marital status, pregnancy and maternity, race, sexual orientation, and religion or belief. The Trust believes that as a public sector organization we have an obligation to have recruitment, training, promotion and other formal employment policies and procedures that are sensitive to these differences. We think that by doing so, we are better able to treat our patients as well as being a better place to work.

The Islington Additional Needs and Disability Service, part of Whittington Health NHS Trust, delivers a multi-agency service for babies, children and young people with additional or complex needs. This role is based within the Universal Early Years Therapies Team, overseen by a multidisciplinary team lead. Clinical leads from each discipline work together to promote high clinical standards and provide direct supervision to junior colleagues within their specialist areas.

Details

Date posted

14 October 2026

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 4

Salary

£34,186 to £37,389 a year

Per Annum Including HCAS

Contract

Fixed term

Duration

29 months

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

220-WHT-8348423

Job locations

Northern Health Centre

580 Holloway Road

N7 6LB

United Kingdom

Job responsibilities

Please see detailed Job Description attached.

The Best Start Family Hubs Therapy Assistant will work within the Universal Early Years Therapies team, alongside the Best Start Family Hubs Speech and Language Therapists, Occupational Therapists & Physiotherapist. The post sits within the SEND workstream of the Best Start Family Hubs offer. This workstream will be involved in the delivery of the Best Start Family Hubs SEND offer across early childhood and transitions in Islington. The postholder will contribute to universal early years therapy services across the Best Start Family Hubs, working with families and Early Years provisions in Islingtonto develop good practice around the support of children aged 0-5 with their physical, communication, play and early independence skills. This will include providing information, modelling and training for families & Early Years Practitioners to support childrens development.

Job responsibilities

Please see detailed Job Description attached.

The Best Start Family Hubs Therapy Assistant will work within the Universal Early Years Therapies team, alongside the Best Start Family Hubs Speech and Language Therapists, Occupational Therapists & Physiotherapist. The post sits within the SEND workstream of the Best Start Family Hubs offer. This workstream will be involved in the delivery of the Best Start Family Hubs SEND offer across early childhood and transitions in Islington. The postholder will contribute to universal early years therapy services across the Best Start Family Hubs, working with families and Early Years provisions in Islingtonto develop good practice around the support of children aged 0-5 with their physical, communication, play and early independence skills. This will include providing information, modelling and training for families & Early Years Practitioners to support childrens development.

Person Specification

Education & Qualification

Essential

• Relevant Childcare Training Equivalent to NVQ Level 3
• GCSE pass or equivalent for Maths
• GCSE pass or equivalent for English

Desirable

• Training or short courses relevant to the post, eg Makaton, autism awareness

Skills & Abilities

Essential

• Good spoken and written skills in English.
• Good observation skills and ability to record observations accurately.
• Ability to organise and prioritise own workload and caseload.
• Ability to be flexible, creative and demonstrate initiative.
• Ability to work as part of a team.
• Excellent interpersonal skills with regard to individual clients and carers (including empathy, negotiation, observation and interview skills).
• Ability to respect clients' privacy and observe confidentiality.
• A commitment to the challenge of the job.
• Willingness to undertake training to develop skills and knowledge in the area of speech and language therapy, occupational therapy and physiotherapy and remediation.

Knowledge & Experience

Essential

• Knowledge of some aspects and types of communication difficulties, physical disabilities and/or learning needs in children.
• Knowledge of Child Protection guidelines.
• Significant experience of working directly with children and/or their families in different settings (e.g. school/home/nursery/children centres).
• Experience working with other agencies / professionals, such as Health Visitors/ Early Years Practitioners.
• Experience of working with children with communication needs, physical disabilities and/or learning difficulties.
• Experience of working as part of a team.

Desirable

• Fluency in a community language.
• Experience of running groups with children.
• Understanding of the cultural & demographic factors in Islington and experience of working with families with English as an additional language.

Personal Qualities

Essential

• Excellent spoken and written communication skills.
• Able to communicate complex, sensitive information.
• Flexibility - Able to reflect on own practice.
• Mutual respect - Treats others with courtesy and respect at all times.
• Accountability - Takes responsibility for own actions and promotes good team-working.

Person Specification

Education & Qualification

Essential

• Relevant Childcare Training Equivalent to NVQ Level 3
• GCSE pass or equivalent for Maths
• GCSE pass or equivalent for English

Desirable

• Training or short courses relevant to the post, eg Makaton, autism awareness

Skills & Abilities

Essential

• Good spoken and written skills in English.
• Good observation skills and ability to record observations accurately.
• Ability to organise and prioritise own workload and caseload.
• Ability to be flexible, creative and demonstrate initiative.
• Ability to work as part of a team.
• Excellent interpersonal skills with regard to individual clients and carers (including empathy, negotiation, observation and interview skills).
• Ability to respect clients' privacy and observe confidentiality.
• A commitment to the challenge of the job.
• Willingness to undertake training to develop skills and knowledge in the area of speech and language therapy, occupational therapy and physiotherapy and remediation.

Knowledge & Experience

Essential

• Knowledge of some aspects and types of communication difficulties, physical disabilities and/or learning needs in children.
• Knowledge of Child Protection guidelines.
• Significant experience of working directly with children and/or their families in different settings (e.g. school/home/nursery/children centres).
• Experience working with other agencies / professionals, such as Health Visitors/ Early Years Practitioners.
• Experience of working with children with communication needs, physical disabilities and/or learning difficulties.
• Experience of working as part of a team.

Desirable

• Fluency in a community language.
• Experience of running groups with children.
• Understanding of the cultural & demographic factors in Islington and experience of working with families with English as an additional language.

Personal Qualities

Essential

• Excellent spoken and written communication skills.
• Able to communicate complex, sensitive information.
• Flexibility - Able to reflect on own practice.
• Mutual respect - Treats others with courtesy and respect at all times.
• Accountability - Takes responsibility for own actions and promotes good team-working.

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).

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).

Employer details

Employer name

Whittington Hospital NHS Trust

Address

Northern Health Centre

580 Holloway Road

N7 6LB

United Kingdom

Employer's website

https://www.whittington.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)

Employer details

Employer name

Whittington Hospital NHS Trust

Address

Northern Health Centre

580 Holloway Road

N7 6LB

United Kingdom

Employer's website

https://www.whittington.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)

Job responsibilities

Please see detailed Job Description attached.

The Best Start Family Hubs Therapy Assistant will work within the Universal Early Years Therapies team, alongside the Best Start Family Hubs Speech and Language Therapists, Occupational Therapists & Physiotherapist. The post sits within the SEND workstream of the Best Start Family Hubs offer. This workstream will be involved in the delivery of the Best Start Family Hubs SEND offer across early childhood and transitions in Islington. The postholder will contribute to universal early years therapy services across the Best Start Family Hubs, working with families and Early Years provisions in Islingtonto develop good practice around the support of children aged 0-5 with their physical, communication, play and early independence skills. This will include providing information, modelling and training for families & Early Years Practitioners to support childrens development.

Education & Qualification

Essential

• Relevant Childcare Training Equivalent to NVQ Level 3
• GCSE pass or equivalent for Maths
• GCSE pass or equivalent for English

Desirable

• Training or short courses relevant to the post, eg Makaton, autism awareness

Skills & Abilities

Essential

• Good spoken and written skills in English.
• Good observation skills and ability to record observations accurately.
• Ability to organise and prioritise own workload and caseload.
• Ability to be flexible, creative and demonstrate initiative.
• Ability to work as part of a team.
• Excellent interpersonal skills with regard to individual clients and carers (including empathy, negotiation, observation and interview skills).
• Ability to respect clients' privacy and observe confidentiality.
• A commitment to the challenge of the job.
• Willingness to undertake training to develop skills and knowledge in the area of speech and language therapy, occupational therapy and physiotherapy and remediation.

Knowledge & Experience

Essential

• Knowledge of some aspects and types of communication difficulties, physical disabilities and/or learning needs in children.
• Knowledge of Child Protection guidelines.
• Significant experience of working directly with children and/or their families in different settings (e.g. school/home/nursery/children centres).
• Experience working with other agencies / professionals, such as Health Visitors/ Early Years Practitioners.
• Experience of working with children with communication needs, physical disabilities and/or learning difficulties.
• Experience of working as part of a team.

Desirable

• Fluency in a community language.
• Experience of running groups with children.
• Understanding of the cultural & demographic factors in Islington and experience of working with families with English as an additional language.

Personal Qualities

Essential

• Excellent spoken and written communication skills.
• Able to communicate complex, sensitive information.
• Flexibility - Able to reflect on own practice.
• Mutual respect - Treats others with courtesy and respect at all times.
• Accountability - Takes responsibility for own actions and promotes good team-working.