Location
CYP Physiotherapy, Kaleidoscope Centre for Children and Young People, Rushey Green, Catford

Hours
Full Time (hours not specified)

Salary
£39,959 per annum

About the Role
As a Specialist Community Children's Physiotherapist, you will be accountable to the Manager for Children's Therapy and integration via the children's physiotherapy team leads. You will provide a high standard of neurological and neurodevelopmental physiotherapy assessment, treatment, and advice to children, young people, and their carers within the community setting across Lewisham healthcare. This role involves liaising with other professionals to maximise benefits for patients and contributing to service development including clinical governance, audit, junior staff supervision, and multidisciplinary and multiagency working.

You will manage a caseload of children aged 0-19 with a wide range of neurological-related difficulties and/or disabilities, many with complex or multiple pathologies. Patients are seen across various community locations including Kaleidoscope, patients' homes, community leisure facilities, nurseries, and schools.

Responsibilities include supervising junior staff and students, acting as a source of clinical knowledge and advice for parents, carers, health professionals, and external agencies, and maintaining accurate statistics as directed by team leads.

You will use well-developed assessment and clinical reasoning skills to establish accurate diagnoses, problem lists, and prognoses to formulate individual and agreed care/treatment plans. Reassessment and adjustment of treatment programmes will be required as treatment progresses.

Therapeutic techniques used include aquatic therapy, neurodevelopmental therapy, casting and orthotic management, moving and handling techniques and equipment, postural management equipment, and goniometry. You will provide moving and handling risk assessments supported by senior staff where necessary, in line with professional guidelines and government legislation.

Excellent communication and negotiation skills are essential to work effectively with children of all ages and abilities, families, staff, and other professionals, including managing potentially difficult situations.

You will maintain up-to-date knowledge of specialist postural equipment, aids, adaptations, and resources to enable children with disabilities to function as independently as possible. This includes assessing children for specialist equipment, recommending purchases from health, education, and social services, setting up and adjusting equipment, and training parents, carers, and other agencies in its use.

Accurate and timely record keeping and report writing for parents, carers, health professionals, education and social services, voluntary sector workers, and solicitors are required.

You will also be responsible for organising, delegating, and supervising established services such as specialist clinics, postural assessment clinics, cerebral palsy integrated pathway patient groups in education settings, aquatic therapy, orthotics, gym groups, developmental coordination clinics/groups (DCD), PE, and individual treatment.

Experience
Experience in neurological and neurodevelopmental physiotherapy with children and young people is essential. Experience in community settings and working with complex caseloads is highly desirable. Experience supervising junior staff and students is advantageous.

About you
You should have excellent clinical reasoning and assessment skills, be able to communicate effectively with children, families, and multidisciplinary teams, and demonstrate strong interpersonal and negotiation skills. You must be motivated, adaptable, and able to manage a complex caseload across multiple community locations. A commitment to service development, clinical governance, and continuous professional development is important.

Qualifications
Registered Physiotherapist with HCPC registration. Specialist training or experience in paediatric neurological and neurodevelopmental physiotherapy is required. Additional qualifications or training in aquatic therapy, neurodevelopmental therapy, casting, orthotic management, and moving and handling techniques are desirable.