Harrow Council
Senior Occupational Therapist (Autism Specialist Function)
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Senior Occupational Therapist – Autism Specialism
(London Borough of Harrow, Adult Social Care)
About the Role
The London Borough of Harrow is establishing a specialist Autism Function within Adult Social Care as a preventative, high-impact intervention. This role focuses on early intervention, reduction of avoidable harm, cost escalation, and systemic change—not traditional equipment-led Occupational Therapy (OT).
Elected within the Mental Health, Learning Disabilities and Autism (MHLDA) service, this is a senior, system-leading position. Successful candidates will:
- Apply specialist OT expertise to prevent crises and escalation
- Work across formulation, sensory adaptation, and environmental support
- Influence care models, reliance on restrictive measures, and workforce capability
This is ideal for an OT seeking impact at the interface of practice, prevention, public health, and system leadership.
Key Responsibilities
Specialist Practice & Prevention
- Conduct autism- and sensory-informed assessments for adults at risk of crises
- Design interventions (sensory, environmental, occupational) to reduce distress and prevent escalation
- Influence care planning to avoid excessive 1:1 staffing or containment measures
- Support placement stabilisation, tenancy sustainment, and daily routine management
- Contribute autism-informed safeguarding responses to avoid misinterpretation of distress as risk
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System Leadership & Consultation
- Provide specialist consultation to social workers, care managers, Approved Mental Health Professionals (AMHPs), and managers
- Review and challenge high-intensity packages, identifying unmet needs
- Influence provider practice through commissioning guidance, quality reviews, and systemic learning
- Champion evidence-based, cost-efficient approaches
Partnership & Integration
- Collaborate with Social Care, Camberwell and Maudsley (CNWL) NHS Foundation Trust, housing, and health partners
- Develop autism-informed system-wide approaches
- Bridge practice gaps in commendation, crisis, and community care settings
Workforce Development
- Deliver training and reflective learning to build autism capability
- Lead team consultancies to embed trauma-informed, neurodiversity-affirming practice
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About You (Requirements)
You must:
- Be HCPC-registered as an Occupational Therapist
- Have significant post-registration experience with autistic adults or people with complex neurodevelopmental needs
- Specialist knowledge in:
- Sensory integration
- Environmental adaptation
- Functional formulation (within or outside existing frameworks)
- Demonstrate:
- Comfort handling complexity, ambiguity, and risk
- Understanding of autism-trauma-mental health interfaces, including safeguarding and capacity dynamics
- Ability to influence beyond your direct caseload
- Proven experience working in Adult Social Care, or mental health/learning disability sectors
- Flexibility to deliver across community, office, and multi-agency partnerships
Welcome to all backgrounds: Experience in community/domiciliary settings, forensic pathology, or forensic community mental health is particularly valuable.
For full details, see Linked Role Profile/Selection Criteria (provided separately).
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