East of England Community Health and Care NHS Trust is recruiting an advanced children's occupational therapist for its Bedfordshire and Luton service, with applications closing at 11.59pm on Tuesday 18 November 2026.

The Band 7 post, based at Woburn Court in Kempston, Bedfordshire, pays £49,387 to £56,515 a year, pro rata for part-time or term-time-only working. The role is offered on a 37.5-hour week, with consideration given to all working patterns, including whole-year or term-time only, full time or part time, and a mix of remote working and in-person delivery.

The post holder will act as a named occupational therapy "Expert at Hand" for a cluster of early years settings, mainstream schools and further education settings across Luton and Bedfordshire. The role is part of Experts at Hand, a national special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) reform project that recognises the role of occupational therapy in schools and early years.

Duties include providing consultation, training, coaching and targeted interventions to education staff, helping settings put in place a graduated response across universal, targeted and specialist levels of support. The post holder will also carry a small caseload of children needing short-term targeted-plus intervention, working closely with specialist services within a tiered model.

Clinical leadership is a central part of the job. The successful candidate will supervise newly qualified occupational therapists, support practitioners and apprentices, contribute to service development and evaluation, and help develop and deliver the Experts at Hand model across the area. They will work alongside educational psychology, speech and language therapy, child and adolescent mental health services and local authority colleagues.

Applicants need a degree in occupational therapy, registration with the Health and Care Professions Council, at least three years of post-graduate experience, and experience of working with children and young people in education or community settings and of delivering training. Specialist knowledge in functional and sensory occupational therapy is essential, while leadership and sensory training are desirable.

The trust, which is rated Outstanding by the Care Quality Commission, says its children's occupational therapy service supports children and young people in mainstream education up to the end of the academic year in which they turn 18, and in specialist education up to the year they turn 19. Referrals come from professionals who know the child well, such as a GP, paediatrician, physiotherapist, health visitor, school nurse or special educational needs coordinator.

Interviews will take place in two parts: a virtual stakeholder panel on 26 November 2026, followed by a face-to-face interview on 3 December 2026. The trust warns that the vacancy may close earlier than advertised, at any point after 12 November, if it receives a high number of applications, so early application is advised.

The trust also warns applicants that it will never ask for payment at any stage of the recruitment process, including for job applications, sponsorship arrangements or employment offers, and says all applications should only be made through its official careers website. Informal enquiries can be made to Jennifer Gill, paediatric occupational therapy team lead. Applications must be submitted through the official NHS Jobs advert, reference 839-BCHS-8412014, before the 18 November deadline.