Occupational Therapist

• Full time, ongoing Grade 2 Occupational Therapist position
• Based in Thomas Embling Hospital
• Great salary packaging conditions and leave entitlements
• Free onsite parking

Forensicare is the statutory agency responsible for the provision of adult forensic mental health services across Victoria. Forensicare is situated across five sites across Victoria with its largest site being Thomas Embling Hospital, located in Fairfield just 15 minutes north of the Melbourne CBD. 

Thomas Embling Hospital is a 136 bed secure hospital providing acute care, rehabilitation and continuing

About the role:

The OT will need to autonomously plan, implement, document and evaluate occupational therapy assessment and treatment with an identified patient group. This will include working collaboratively and impartially with patients to identify occupational therapy treatment priorities and actively contribute to the delivery of a responsive campus wide therapeutic program. Additionally, the OT will provide clinical placement education to student therapists and grade one therapists as well as utilise regular supervision to ensure accountability. 

Duties:

• Assesses, interprets and intervenes to improve occupational performance through identifying individual needs based on functional deficits and strengths, and through promoting occupational choices that balance work, leisure and self-care.
• Focuses on the development of life roles and skills required by patients for community adaptation and integration, including vocational planning, development and maintenance of a responsible attitude to time use, drug use and other behaviours which may lead to re-offending Forensicare
• Contributes to the creation of a therapeutic environment where natural and legitimate decisionmaking, choice, adaptive functional behaviour and independent living can be practised and reinforced.
• Participates in the assessment and treatment of patients through group work and individual sessions, making a strong discipline specific contribution to the clinical team’s understanding of the patient and their situation

Skills and experience:

• To have a solid conceptual understanding of the theories of occupational performance, including the Model of Human Occupation and be committed to understanding and improving patient functioning through formal assessment and interventions using recognised occupational therapy models of intervention. 
• To have demonstrated skills in the mental health and/or forensic field, knowledge and understanding of the needs of mentally ill people and awareness of the issues of care delivery in forensic mental health.
• Ability to undertake and interpret standardised and non-standardised Occupational Therapy assessment of patients with severe mental illnesses who have offended.
• An ability to plan, implement and evaluate individual and group Occupational Therapy interventions for these patients.
• Experience in aged mental health would be an advantage. 

Mandatory qualifications & registrations:

• Approved degree in Occupational Therapy recognised for membership of OT Australia – Australian Association of Occupational Therapists.
• Registration with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulations Agency (AHPRA)
• The successful candidate will be required to register their qualifications on eCredential
• This position is subject to a Police Check.

Benefits:

We value our staff and provide a range of employee benefits including:

• Great salary packaging conditions.
• Excellent leave entitlements.
• Post-graduate scholarship programs.
• Ongoing training and full orientation.
• Comprehensive Health and Wellbeing Programs including Employee Assistance Programs.

Forensicare is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to attracting and developing a diverse workforce which reflects the community we serve. We encourage applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, people who identify as LGBTQI, people with a lived experience of disability, as well as people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.

Forensicare promotes the following values: responsiveness, integrity, impartiality, accountability, respect and leadership; and promotes behaviours that are consistent with these values at all times. Forensicare is an equal opportunity employer and offers a smoke free environment.