Occupational Therapist - Learning Disability and Autism

The starting salary for this position is £43,633 per annum based on a 36-hour working week.

We are hiring a new Learning Disabilities and Autism (LD&A) Occupational Therapist to join our fantastic Reablement Team. The role is countywide, supporting people across Surrey.

Our Offer to You

26 days' holiday, rising to 28 days after 2 years' service and 31 days after 5 years' service Option to buy up to 10 days of additional annual leave A generous local government salary related pension Up to 5 days of carer's leave and 2 paid volunteering days per year Paternity, adoption and dependents leave An Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) to support health and wellbeing Learning and development hub where you can access a wealth of resources Wellbeing and lifestyle discounts including gym, travel, and shopping A chance to make a real difference to the lives of our residents

About the Team

Surrey County Council is an ambitious organisation, with a focus on standing up for the interests of Surrey residents, promoting independence and ensuring they get the services they need. At our very heart we are committed to improving outcomes for our most vulnerable residents, aiming to empower them to live healthy, active and fulfilling lives and providing everyone with the health and social care support they need to promote their independence.

The Reablement service supports this agenda by supporting people in their own homes to promote wellbeing and independence through skills gain programmes and we are embedding a therapy-led Reablement offer. Our community workforce includes Occupational Therapists, Team Leaders, Senior Reablement Practitioners and Reablement Practitioners. All roles work in a way that seeks to improve people's lives by working on their strengths, rather than their weaknesses, and making use of the community and networks around them, as well as local authority-provided services.

About the Role

We are looking for an innovative and passionate LD&A Occupational Therapist to work in our countywide Reablement Service to embed a therapy-led, strengths-based and holistic approach to short-term care delivery. As a service, we support people with a wide range of conditions and needs, including physical health conditions and disabilities, mental health needs, and Learning Disabilities and/or Autism. This role will focus on working with individuals with Learning Disabilities and/or Autism, alongside supporting and developing the skills of Reablement colleagues through advice, guidance, and the sharing of specialist knowledge.

We're looking for someone who can demonstrate their ability to complete holistic assessments and write person-led skills gain programmes for people with Learning Disabilities and/or Autism. They will work collaboratively with colleagues in Reablement and our partners to deliver personalised, strength-based interventions enabling the people we support to achieve maximum independence in their own homes.

In this role you will have the opportunity to build on or develop new supervisory, coaching and teaching skills with support from the Reablement Therapy Leads by taking on an advisory role with non-qualified staff, Newly Qualified OTs, students and Reablement colleagues, including providing specialist advice, guidance, training and support in relation to Learning Disabilities and Autism across the service.

In return, you will be joining a team of innovative, supportive OTs we can offer you the support you need to succeed; we are committed to your personal development with us and offer regular, high-quality supervision and training opportunities including opportunities to develop and apply skills in LD&A within a Reablement context together with several staff benefits and wellbeing options.

Shortlisting Criteria

In order to be considered for shortlisting, your application will clearly evidence the following skills and align with

HCPC registration as an Occupational Therapist and a degree or equivalent qualification in Occupational Therapy Knowledge and experience working with people with Learning Disabilities and/or Autism (this can be pre-registration experience) Ability to manage your own workload, complete holistic assessments and write person-led skills gain programmes Ability to work collaboratively with colleagues in Reablement and our partner agencies to deliver personalised, strength-based interventions Knowledge and experience of short term and goal-focused interventions. Experience working within a community based social care or health service would be beneficial.

Surrey has both urban and rural areas and applicants to this role are expected to have a valid driving licence to drive in the UK and access to a vehicle and be willing to travel across a wide geographical area. Reasonable adjustments where needed will be made for successful applicants who have a disability or long-term health condition to enable them to fulfil the requirements of the job. Additionally, in this role you may be required to attend meetings outside usual working hours to meet the needs of the people we support.

An enhanced DBS 'Disclosure and Barring Service' check for regulated activity (formerly known as CRB) and the Children's and Adults' Barred List checks will be required for this role.

The job advert closes at 23:59 on 13/09/2026 with interviews to follow.

Local Government Reorganisation (LGR)

Surrey County Council is undergoing Local Government Reorganisation, moving from a two-tier system to two new unitary councils in April 2027. If you are employed by Surrey on 1st April 2027, your role will transfer with current terms and conditions to one of the new organisations, supporting local devolution and greater powers for our communities.

Join our dynamic team and shape the future of local government. Make a lasting impact with innovative solutions and improved services for our community. Help us build a brighter future for our residents!

Our Commitment

We are a disability confident employer which means if you have shared a disability on your application form and have evidenced you meet the minimum shortlisting criteria, as displayed on the advert, we guarantee you an interview.

Your skills and experience truly matter to us. From application to your first day, we're committed to supporting you with any adjustments you need, we value inclusion and warmly welcome you to join and help build a workplace where everyone belongs