Occupational Therapist - Learning Disability and Autism

Employer: SURREY COUNTY COUNCIL

Location: Surrey, GB

Salary: Competitive salary

Job type: FULL_TIME

Posted: 2026-08-26T00:00:00Z

Sector: Finance & Accounting

Job Description

The starting salary for this position is £43,633 per annum based on a 36-hour working week. We are hiring a new Learning Disabilities and Autism (LD&A) Occupational Therapist to join our fantastic Reablement Team. The role is countywide, supporting people across Surrey. Our Offer to You 26 days' holiday, rising to 28 days after 2 years' service and 31 days after 5 years' service Option to buy up to 10 days of additional annual leave A generous local government salary related pension Up to 5 days of carer's leave and 2 paid volunteering days per year Paternity, adoption and dependents leave An Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) to support health and wellbeing Learning and development hub where you can access a wealth of resources Wellbeing and lifestyle discounts including gym, travel, and shopping A chance to make a real difference to the lives of our residents About the Team Surrey County Council is an ambitious organisation, with a focus on standing up for the interests of Surrey residents, promoting independence and ensuring they get the services they need. At our very heart we are committed to improving outcomes for our most vulnerable residents, aiming to empower them to live healthy, active and fulfilling lives and providing everyone with the health and social care support they need to promote their independence. The Reablement service supports this agenda by supporting people in their own homes to promote wellbeing and independence through skills gain programmes and we are embedding a therapy-led Reablement offer. Our community workforce includes Occupational Therapists, Team Leaders, Senior Reablement Practitioners and Reablement Practitioners. All roles work in a way that seeks to improve people's lives by working on their strengths, rather than their weaknesses, and making use of the community and networks around them, as well as local authority-provided services. About the Role We are looking for an innovative and passionate LD&A Occupational Therapist to work in our countywide Reablement Service to embed a therapy-led, strengths-based and holistic approach to short-term care delivery. As a service, we support people with a wide range of conditions and needs, including physical health conditions and disabilities, mental health needs, and Learning Disabilities and/or Autism. This role will focus on working with individuals with Learning Disabilities and/or Autism, alongside supporting and developing the skills of Reablement colleagues through advice, guidance, and the sharing of specialist knowledge. We're looking for someone who can demonstrate their ability to complete holistic assessments and write person-led skills gain programmes for people with Learning Disabilities and/or Autism. They will work collaboratively with colleagues in Reablement and our partners to deliver personalised, strength-based interventions enabling the people we support to achieve maximum independence in their own homes. In this role you will have the opportunity to build on or develop new supervisory, coaching and teaching skills with support from the Reablement Therapy Leads by taking on an advisory role with non-qualified staff, Newly Qualified OTs, students and Reablement colleagues, including providing specialist advice, guidance, training and support in relation to Learning Disabilities and Autism across the service. In return, you will be joining a team of innovative, supportive OTs we can offer you the support you need to succeed; we are committed to your personal development with us and offer regular, high-quality supervision and training opportunities including opportunities to develop and apply skills in LD&A within a Reablement context together with several staff benefits and wellbeing options. Shortlisting Criteria In order to be considered for shortlisting, your application will clearly evidence the following skills and align with our behaviours: HCPC registration as an Occupational Therapist and a degree or equivalent qualification in Occupational Therapy Knowledge and experience working with people with Learning Disabilities and/or Autism (this can be pre-registration experience) Ability to manage your own workload, complete holistic assessments and write person-led skills gain programmes Ability to work collaboratively with colleagues in Reablement and our partner agencies to deliver personalised, strength-based interventions Knowledge and experience of short term and goal-focused interventions. Experience working within a community based social care or health service would be beneficial. Surrey has both urban and rural areas and applicants to this role are expected to have a valid driving licence to drive in the UK and access to a vehicle and be willing to travel across a wide geographical area. Reasonable adjustments where needed will be made for successful applicants who have a disability or long-term health condition to enable them to fulfil the requirements of the job. Additionally, in this role yo

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