Occupational Therapist - Dog-Assisted Therapy
Job No:
K015
Location:
Hobart, TAS
Welcome to a world of possibilities
Do you share a love of dogs, children, community and career-life balance? We have a unique opportunity that ticks all of your boxes!
At Kites, we work with kids living with disability or developmental challenges and provide them - and their families, with personalised early intervention support, advice and solutions that transform their lives. We enable those that we work with to look to the future with confidence. A future filled with possibilities.
Our specialists, therapists and experts from across the disability and childhood development field work together to be whatever families need. Our team support each other to be their best. They trust each other to do their best. They deliver.
Our newly launched Dog Assisted Therapy Service is growing! We have an exciting opportunity for an experienced Occupational Therapist to join our team, working closely with our highly trained therapy dogs to find creative ways to support children with disability or development delay to achieve their goals. Are you up for the challenge?
The Role
This role works with children and their families with disability or developmental delay to support them to achieve their goals. As a member of a collaborative therapy team, the Occupational Therapist enhances the lives of children by increasing their independence and participation in childhood occupations such as play, learning, mealtimes, self-regulation, social skills, fine motor development, and self-care.
We are seeking an experienced Occupational Therapist to work within our Dog-Assisted Therapy Service. In this service our Therapists work closely with the team from Guide Dogs Tasmania who provide highly trained therapy dogs to find creative ways to assist children to achieve their goals. Find out more about this exciting service here - WIN News Tasmania and on our website: https://www.kitestherapytas.org.au/therapies/dog-assisted-therapy/.
We are seeking to fill this role very flexibly on either a part or full time basis for the successful candidate. This role will involve a mix of centre-based and community-based work. Our office is located across from the beautiful Yacht Club in Bellerive and is close to various coffee and lunch spots with a beautiful view.
Responsibilities include:
- Provide occupational therapy assessment, intervention and evaluation.
- Manage a client caseload in accordance within service provision guidelines and/or external agency requirements.
- Deliver individual and group-based services.
- Prescribe assistive technology for position and function.
For full duties and responsibilities of this role, you can download the Job Description here.
Please note: this is a fixed-term position with the view to extend based on funding. Salary range is between $67,754 - $89,882 (exclusive of superannuation). To view our Enterprise Agreement for employment terms and salary information, click here.
Meet Grady, Our Therapy Dog
Grady is our Therapy Dog after joining our Kites team in early 2021. Gady is a 3 year old black Labrador.
He has undergone intensive training with one of our Dog Instructors from Guide Dogs Tasmania (a part of our brand family) to learn how to become a therapy dog.
Grady is a perfect fit for the role with his affectionate nature and love of children. Grady will have a positive effect on children, encouraging them to take turns, to maintain eye contact and follow instructions during sessions.
Selection Criteria
To be considered for the role, you will need:
- Bachelor of Science (Occupational Therapy) or equivalent;
- Registered with AHPRA to practice in Tasmania;
- Strong ability to manage a case load of clients, consistently meeting service delivery objectives and time frames;
- High level of interpersonal skills as this role requires you to work within an interdisciplinary team, external organisations and a varied client-base;
- Strong written communications skills for writing comprehensive, concise and accurate reports for client recommendations;
- To be highly autonomous and confident in making decisions relating to client recommendations and assessments;
- Ability to implement person and family-centred interventions.
To be successful in this role you will have previous experience in or be willing to learn the following:
- Funding schemes (i.e. National Disability Insurance Scheme);
- Previous experience working within a Fee for Service model.
We encourage people with disability and of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander background to apply. Everyone is welcome, as we are an inclusive and diverse workplace.
What's in it for you?
If you enjoy variety in your work, where no day is the same, then this is the role for you! Feel rewarded by purpose in your work as you help people living with disability and developmental delay to achieve independence and inclusion. Be challenged by the work you do in this dynamic and changing environment. We have a number of professionals in diverse roles with expertise in their field. Learn and expand your knowledge in this specalised area. You will also benefit from:
- Generous Salary Packaging allowing you to boost your income;
- Flexible working arrangements;
- Training and Professional Development opportunities;
- An Employee Assistance Program offering external counselling and support services to employees and immediate family members;
- Free on-site parking;
- Subsidised annual flu shots;
- Dogs in the office everyday!
How to Apply
Kites is owned and operated by VisAbility Limited. We assess all applications based on merit. Should a suitable candidate be identified, VisAbility Limited reserves the right to close this recruitment process prior to the advertised date. If you are interested in this position:
- Download and read the attached Job Description.
- Complete the qualifying questions contained in the application, then click Apply
- Attach a resume and cover letter addressing the essential criteria above. Please note this is a mandatory requirement of the application process.
Questions before you proceed?
Email careers@visability.com.au or call (03) 6245 9232 and ask to speak to Tennille Burns, Program Manager Kites TAS.
Applications close
As soon as the right person applies!