Children's Exercise Specialist

We are excited to offer a unique opportunity to shape a new role within our Children's Community Physiotherapy Team as a Children's Exercise Specialist across Lambeth and Southwark. This is an 12-month fixed-term post, with the potential to become substantive. You will help develop this innovative position, supporting children and young people with disabilities to be active in their communities. In this autonomous role, you will take a family-centred approach to improving access to inclusive sport and physical activity for children and young people with physical and learning disabilities. Your focus will be on empowering families to build sustainable, healthy activity habits. You will work with children and families to explore interests and motivations, identify barriers to participation, and set achievable goals that increase confidence and activity levels. A key part of the role is acting as a community connector, building local knowledge and partnerships with sports clubs, leisure centres, schools and community providers, and linking families to appropriate opportunities. You will work independently while collaborating with colleagues across health, education and community settings, delivering support in clinics, homes, schools and local facilities. If you are passionate about inclusion and community-based healthcare, this is a rare opportunity to shape a role with lasting impact.,

• To work as an autonomous Children's Exercise Specialist taking a holistic and family-centred approach to improve access to inclusive sports and physical activity opportunities for children and young people with physical disabilities.
• To help children and young people develop sustainable, long-term habits of physical activity as a form of self-management with the aim to adopt healthy lifestyles and engage with community activities
• Carry out assessments of individual needs and interests, identifying barriers to participation in physical activities.
• Work collaboratively young people and families to set achievable goals that promote increased physical activity
• To collate and maintain data on service users referred to the Children's Exercise Specialist to monitor impact and measure health benefits
• To develop an effective referral process and administrative practice working collaboratively with the Evelina Community Physiotherapy Team.
• To work autonomously and alongside colleagues across a range of community settings, including local sports centres, sports providers, leisure centres, gyms, schools and homes, in order to meet the individual needs of each child and family.
• Assist children and young people in finding meaningful ways to increase participation in community activities, identifying areas where additional support may be needed
• To use local knowledge of accessible sports, clubs, and community resources to link families towards suitable opportunities
  
  Guy's and St Thomas' is among the UK's busiest and most successful NHS foundation trusts. We provide a full range of hospital and community services for people in south London and as well as specialist care for patients from further afield including cancer, renal, orthopaedic, respiratory and cardiovascular services.
The paediatric community physiotherapy service is part of the Evelina London Children's Directorate within GSTT and sits within the Evelina Children's Community Services. Our children's physiotherapy community team deliver care at the heart of the local communities we serve, working in partnership with local authorities and other healthcare and voluntary sector organisations. Working with our partners in Lambeth and Southwark, we are focusing on new ways of working to improve care for our local children and their families.