Job Description

Summary

U-turn is a leading organisation in developing pathways out of homelessness. We are looking for a Junior Occupational Therapist to join our Strand team in the Winelands/Helderberg area. This is a full-time onsite position and will initially be offered as a one-year contract.

This position

The Position for a Junior OT has become available for our Strand Personal Development Site(PDT). The ideal candidate will have a heart for utilizing their professional skills in the ministry and wants to learn and grow in the field of vocational rehab, addiction and community reintegration.

Background

U-turn is a thriving non-profit that exists to equip homeless people with the skills to overcome homelessness. Founded in 1997, we believe in life after homelessness. We believe that every homeless individual is intrinsically valuable and should have access to an effective pathway that addresses their physical, spiritual and emotional needs so they can leave the streets and become a long-term productive member of society.

To help homeless people overcome homelessness we operate a phased approach that includes rehabilitation from substance abuse, counselling, life-skills training and sheltered work placement in one of our social enterprises. This allows candidates to test and apply the training they've received. Through this process, the programme inculcates a healthy work ethic, furnishes modern job skills and gives 18-24 months of real work experience so that individuals can graduate and be gainfully employed in the modern South African economy.

The programme is yielding wonderful results. Our candidates typically graduate into open market employment and show an above 85% long term success rate! We are actively working to expand the programme to more locations in Cape Town and across South Africa.

Service Centres

U-turn's Service Centres provide services to people living on the streets in order to prepare them for and to support them on a journey of change. This includes providing food and clothing (and in some cases access to a shower and a bed for the night), therapeutic and development based interventions, and recovery support for those struggling with substance abuse. The ultimate aim of the Service Centre is to prepare individuals to participate in our work-based rehabilitation programme.

Work-readiness programme

The work-readiness programme is tasked with providing work-based rehabilitation and skills development training that prepares clients for graduation into employment and reintegration into the community. One day per week, each client attends a training day where they access group therapy delivered by an interdisciplinary team, individual counselling and input using a specially designed curriculum. This cycle of learning and application follows a graded approach and continues for as long as needed (on average 18 months). Case-managers coordinate the entire intervention programme for the clients and work in close-collaboration with the worksite managers.

Transitional Accommodation

Due to the nature of our long term interventions we run transitional accommodation in the form of group homes where clients accessing our Work-readiness program can move into when leaving homeless shelters. These homes are managed by a house-manager that along with service centre staff, works-site managers and therapeutic staff forms the client-facing team assisting the clients along the full Life Change journey.

Key areas of responsibility

Conduct group and or individual assessments as part of the intake process. This includes sending feedback to Case-worker and Worksite Manage a case-load of up to 10 clients. This includes assessment, intervention planning and implementation, monitoring and follow-up; and re-assessment; internal referrals to interdisciplinary team and external referrals to external service provider's/healthcare professionals where necessary Conduct life-skills and VOC Group sessions as part of the Personal Development Day program Provide specific OT interventions for referred clients from other case workers. Take part in interdisciplinary team meetings regarding shared clients and provide OT-specific insight regarding the client's progress and process in the program Provide interventions at worksites for specific clients as indicated through VOC assessments. Also, provide training to worksites regarding specific interventions indicative of the client's process. Assist the Unit manager in providing intervention at the U-turn Transitional Homes Contribute to program development and training of staff as and when needed Complete required data capturing, including service instances, client notes and progress reports Use and contribute to existing planning and record-keeping systems to ensure continuous improvement of your areas of responsibility

Experience and Skills

A Qualified Occupational Therapist with up-to-date registration with HPCSA is essential Driver's Licence is essential Experience in vocational rehab is beneficial Experience in addiction care is beneficial Experience working in an Interdisciplinary team is beneficial Strong administrative skills are essential Professionalism is essential

Personal attributes

Resourceful individual that is not easily flustered Ability to self-motivate, and work with minimal supervision Collaborative team player - concerned with the team's success as well as individual performance Emotionally mature individual Problem solver who is open to change and able to take initiative Willingness to learn and grow personally

Organisational Fit (where applicable)

If in Recovery - actively engaged in own ongoing recovery, accessing accountability support and practicing recovery behaviour If employed as a Professional - affiliation with professional board, continued personal development and accessing supervision Gospel orientation - connected to a local fellowship of believers, reading the Bible and grounded in Gospel-motivated Social Action

Next Steps

Candidates interested in this position should apply online at https://homeless.org.za/career-form. The letter of motivation should be approximately 1 page in length and include information on why you would like to work at U-turn and how you fulfil the required knowledge skills set outlined above. Please note that applications without a letter of motivation will not be considered.

IF YOU HAVE NOT HEARD FROM US WITHIN 4 WEEKS, PLEASE CONSIDER YOUR APPLICATION UNSUCCESSFUL

Job Type: Full-time

Work Location: In person