Community occupational therapist jobs

Who are we

Unlocking Potential is the charity that supports schools and communities to ensure no child or family struggles alone with their social, emotional and mental health needs. We provide flexible, over-time, multi-disciplinary therapeutic support that meets children and families where they are, and enables them to feel safe, understood and the best version of themselves.

The scale of the social and mental health challenges affecting children and families in the UK is greater than ever before and our services for schools, and with families, is an impactful response to unprecedented demand and unmet need for therapeutic support.

Our Purpose

Unlocking Potential is the charity that supports schools and communities to ensure no child or family struggles alone with their social, emotional and mental health needs. We provide flexible, over-time, multi-disciplinary therapeutic support that meets children and families where they are, and enables them to feel safe, understood and the best version of themselves.

Vision

Everyone feels supported, equipped and able to achieve their potential.

Mission

Our mission is to provide tailored therapeutic support to more children, while training the practitioners of the future to build holistic, resilient social systems that equip children and their families with the confidence, tools, and skills to thrive at school and within their communities.

Values

Individual

Everything we do is about the individual and what is right for them – no two children, families or schools are the same.

Innovative

We look for new solutions, evolving our thinking and approach – ensuring the use of bold, co-designed practice.

Collaborative

We choose to work with others to find the best solutions – we are stronger together.

Overview

This is an exciting time to be joining the charity! Our new strategy focuses on growth and long-term sustainability, with ambitious plans to extend our reach and impact nationally and to expand and diversify our services. Our long-term ambition for the future is a transformed landscape of multi-disciplinary therapeutic support in schools, with UP acknowledged and recognised as a thought-leader, innovator, preferred collaborator and convener.

This role is a fantastic opportunity for an experienced SaLT who is passionate about transforming children’s life chances and is keen to lead and grow a Speech and Language Therapy service in the field of Social Emotional Mental Health needs.

The children we typically support are those with mild to moderate social communication needs. These are the children that don’t meet the criteria for community paediatric and CAMHS services and are often at significant risk of developing mental health and behavioural difficulties later on in life. We also offer EHCP work for more complex cases. 

In this role you will be working operationally and strategically. Drawing on your experience as a SaLT, alongside your excellent communication and mentoring skills, you will manage a team of SaLTs ensuring that high-quality Speech and Language Therapy is delivered across our partner schools and support the oversight of the SaLT trainee model, ensuring strong relationships with training providers and high-quality trainee placements.

You will also lead the SaLT service’s strategic growth and development, working with the Clinical Manager, Clinical Director and Director of the Schools Programme to expand the service across more schools, develop our offer and model, and respond to external opportunities as they arise. 

There is real opportunity for you to make this role your own. We are looking for someone interested in working in an innovative, self-directed and flexible way, who can champion the value of the MDT working and collaboration to ensure the best outcomes of our children and families. 

Contract: Maternity Leave Cover, Part-Time

Hours: 21 

Location: Glasgow

Starting salary: £22,146 per annum (FTE £36,910 Per Annum)

Closing Date: 5th March 5pm

Expected date of interviews: 18th March 2026

Job reference: VA779

Join a powerful and passionate human rights organisation and winner of the UK charities 2023 Overall Award for Excellence. This included successfully challenging the UK government on the lawfulness of the Rwanda scheme for people seeking asylum and leading a multichannel, survivor- led campaign to directly compel 4 out of the 6 airlines to rule themselves out of flying refugees to Rwanda, including survivors of torture.

We have an exciting opportunity for a Care Coordinator to support in our clinical service delivery. Many of our clients have complex needs and this role ensures that clients receive mental health assessment and important aspects of the clinical pathway as well as liaison with other internal and external services as needed.

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About the role

The role involves assessment, care planning and provision of stabilisation and reintegration to clients with the most complex needs receiving our services. Working together with our therapists, and legal and welfare staff, the ideal candidate will be a Registered Mental Health Nurse, Occupational Therapist or Social Worker with significant experience of working in the mental health sector with complex mental health presentations and will have a passion for working with asylum seekers, refugees and survivors of torture.

We are currently finalising our strategy re-fresh and the Glasgow team will be piloting new models of service delivery. This is an exciting development within the organisation and so we envisage the post holder contributing to implementation of the national strategy as well as shaping the delivery within Scotland.

In return, we offer a competitive package, with a generous 30-day annual leave entitlement, and 6% employer pension contribution (minimum 1% employee contribution).

Freedom from Torture is committed to showing the salary for all advertised roles and not negotiating salaries for roles, in light of evidence that this contributes to structural inequality.

Our policy is that all appointments will be at the start of the salary range but successful candidates will have the opportunity to move up the scale over time. The progression up the salary range is reviewed on an annual basis and subject to affordability. For this role, the salary range is £36,910 - £42,816

To view the Job Description and Person Specification, please find the attached file. 

Please note a CV and a cover letter addressing the job description and person specification of the role , with specific examples, are mandatory to be considered for the position.

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About Freedom From Torture

Freedom from Torture is dedicated to healing and protecting people who have survived torture. We provide therapies to improve physical and mental health, we medically document torture, and we provide legal and welfare help. We expose torture globally, we fight to hold torturing states to account and we campaign for fairer treatment of torture survivors in the UK.

We campaign for national and global change, using evidence from our services and survivor voices to protect and promote survivors' rights and hold torturing states to account. We are proud to play a significant role in the global anti-torture movement. Survivors, active and empowered, are at the centre of all of our work.

Freedom from Torture is committed to its responsibilities under safeguarding, and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. This post is subject to a satisfactory DBS disclosure, as well as a need for full employment history and up to date employment references.

Freedom from Torture is an equal opportunity employer. People with lived experience of torture or asylum, from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds, LGBTQIA+ individuals and people with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply.

We reserve the right to close the vacancy early if we receive a high volume of applications.

Support Mentor

When registering to this job board you will be redirected to the online application form. Please ensure that this is completed in full in order that your application can be reviewed.

Please note, due to the nature of the service, it is an occupational requirement that the post holder is female and the post is therefore exempt from the provisions of the Equality Act 2010 in terms of Schedule 9, Part 1, and Paragraph 1 of the Act. 

Job Title: Support Mentor

Location: West London (This location is hidden due to the sensitive nature of the service) Please note that this service has no step free access.

Salary: £27,000

Shift Pattern: 37.5 hours per week, Monday to Friday (Including one Saturday each month) on a rolling rota including 07:30 - 15:30, 09:00 - 17:00 and 11:30 - 19:30. You may be required to work outside these hours dependent on service and resident requirements including weekends and bank holidays. 

About the Role

We're hiring a Support Mentor to join our women's service based in West London. In this role, you will support residents whom reside within our refuge accommodation which includes women and children surviving domestic abuse many of whom are living with trauma. We are looking for someone who really cares about the rights of women and their children to join our service in West London. 

As a Support Mentor, you will support in providing a much needed safe space and support for women, for them to feel empowered in their healing journey and feel secure in their independence, strengths, and skills. You will work alongside various stakeholders and partners and engage with our residents through various key working activities to identify the needs, goals and skills, then provide pathways, support, and appropriate interventions to support with successful outcomes. We are seeking a passionate, driven and motivated colleague to lead this service in a trauma informed and inclusive way. 

Some Key Responsibilities Include:

• Support women and children who may be facing challenges with surviving domestic abuse many of whom are living with trauma.
• Create tailored support plans through one to one sessions, group sessions, and multi agency meetings
• Support residents to achieve their desired goals/outcomes in various ways
• Empower residents to make decisions to take control over their lives, by creating an enabling environment.
• Supporting residents to build independence and progress in their healing through engaging activities, from movie nights and arts and crafts to brunch club and fully funded day trips.
• Monitor residents’ wellbeing, carrying out regular welfare checks, and responding to any incidents or emergencies
• Work closely with the rest of the team to provide overall excellent service delivery, this may mean also supporting with their caseloads, and other tasks as necessary
• Keep support plans updated on our online portals as appropriate
• Recognise signs of deteriorating mental health, physical health, or other health implications and initiate appropriate interventions to prevent crisis or other risks.

About You

We are seeking a compassionate and dedicated Support Mentor to join our team based in West London who understands the needs of our residents including particularly around multiple and complex needs, including safety, emotional support, healing from trauma, independence and access to resources to achieve their goals. You will be able to work collaboratively as part of a team, and will have alignment with our SIG values. 

You will be keen to support our residents to achieve their individual goals and support them to be the best versions of themselves. Our Refuge works to support women with complex and enduring needs and women who experience domestic abuse to reclaim their power and find their voice. You will be keen to support our residents to achieve their individual goals and support them to be the best versions of themselves and will work as part of a team to deliver exceptional support to women and children at a particularly challenging time in their lives. 

• Experience of working with people of complex backgrounds and/or a good understanding of the sector, particularly around multiple and complex needs
• Experience working with, or a good understanding of, domestic abuse and the systemic barriers faced by women.
• Ability to show empathy and compassion to our residents, and different challenges they face
• Ability to engage with people from different backgrounds, build rapport, and empower them to achieve their personal goals
• Ability to use, learn and adapt to IT at an intermediate level, including Microsoft and other software programs
• Ability and willingness to show flexibility of working patterns, responding to the needs of the service and residents
• Ability to promote the service and provide outreach-based provision, with an ability to liaise and work effectively in partnership with stakeholders
• Alignment with our values of Ambition, Empowerment, Inclusivity, and Transparency

Please refer to the JDPS attached for more details on the vacancy and our requirements/key criteria.

What we Offer

• 25 days (Full time equivalent) annual leave, increasing with the length of service
• Employer Pension Contribution
• Eligibility to register with Blue Light Discount Card
• Access to discounted tickets for music events, shows, sports and more
• Reflective Practice regular sessions with a therapist provided by an external provider to support Mental Health and Wellbeing at work
• Training and Development, including access to courses, upskilling, and progression plans
• Employee Assistance Programme, including counselling
• Life Assurance Scheme
• Cycle-to-work scheme
• Annual Staff Awards
• EDI Ambassador programme

About Social Interest Group (SIG)

SIG is a not-for-profit organisation providing thousands of people with good-quality support and care in residential, drop-in centres, community floating support settings, probation settings, and hospitals. We do so across London, Brighton, Bedfordshire, Luton, Kent and Liverpool. Our goal is to transform lives through empowering change. 

We believe good care and support improves lives with the vision to create healthier, safer, and more inclusive communities. Join us on our mission to empower independence through trauma-informed solutions and dynamic partnerships that keep people out of prison, out of hospital, and off the streets.
Want to know how we work? Watch our short Theory of Change video to see how we support people towards a brighter future: Theory of Change Further details can be found on our website here: Theory of Change - Social Interest Group - Social Interest Group. 

Additional Information

Please note that this job advert may close early due to screening applications on an ongoing basis. We advise applying as soon as possible for your application to be taken into consideration at the early stages.