Person Specification

Rehabilitation and Mobility Officer for Visually Impaired People

Job Title: Rehabilitation Officer for Visually Impaired People

Hours (per week): 35

Holiday entitlement: 25 days (to start)

Reports to: CEO

Role Purpose:

Purpose of Rehab Officer role is to carry out person-centred assessments of need and provide rehabilitation programmes for orientation and mobility, communication and independent living skills for visually impaired people throughout Merton

Key External Contacts: Will work directly with service users, their carers and families, and will have contact with members of the public and a range of different external organisations and professions including: Eye hospitals, opticians, low vision services, Eye Clinic Liaison officers, independent and voluntary service providers; other local authorities; Benefits agencies and other government bodies; Clinical Commissioning Groups; General Practitioners.

Policies

Providing information, support and advice to service users /carers on benefits and other resources available to visual impaired people

Other Considerations:

Physical capacity to visit service users in their own homes
Ability to travel independently in connection with work and undertake home visits
Ability to work flexible hours, including the completion of assessments and occasional planned meetings / appointments outside of normal office hours
An Enhanced DBS and adults barred list check is required

Key Accountabilities and Result Areas:

Responsible for ordering and keeping record of equipment issued.
To identify the strengths, wishes and needs of people, their families, friends, carers and communities; produce clear assessments and person centred support plans
Carrying out a comprehensive assessment of service user needs and risks relating to their sight loss, including functional abilities, daily living skills, mobility, and communication to maximise the use of remaining functional vision
Prescribing, planning, carrying out and reviewing appropriate indoor / outdoor mobility skills in a variety of settings. Making recommendations / supplying specialist mobility equipment and giving instruction on their use.
Ensuring that service users are aware of safety issues
Planning and carrying out training in communication skills, daily living skills and personal care
Giving advice on Low Vision assessments and liaising with health professionals
Assessing and making recommendations regarding minor adaptations (e.g telephone installations, lighting)
Ensuring that the services provided in accordance with Equal Opportunities policies
Ensuring that the needs of carers / parents are addressed and taken into account when individuals are assessed, and training is provided where appropriate

Report writing and record keeping

This will involve:

Maintaining up to date service user records on Charity Log
Producing clear assessment reports, correspondence and other written reports
Arranging registration with LBM for processing certificates of visual impairment (CVI), placing individuals on and maintaining the sight loss register and advising of the benefits of registration
Actively participating in professional / team meetings

Confidentiality

Treating all information acquired during employment, both formally and informally, in confidence.

Data Protection

Being aware of the charity’s legal obligations under the Data Protection Act 2018 (the “2018 Act”) and the EU General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”) for the security, accuracy and relevance of personal data held, ensuring that all administrative and financial processes also comply.
Maintaining customer records and archive systems in accordance with charity procedures and policies as well as statutory requirements
Treating all information acquired through employment, both formally and informally, in accordance with the Workforce Data Protection Policy

Health and Safety

Being responsible for own Health & Safety, as well as that of colleagues, service users and the public.

Person Specification

Job Title: Rehabilitation Officer for Visually Impaired People

Essential knowledge:

Recognised professional qualification (Certificate / Diploma in Rehabilitation / Mobility)
Knowledge and experience of specialist visual impairment, and of assessment / care management and principles
Knowledge of safeguarding adult procedures

Essential skills and abilities:

Ability to teach people to travel independently using white canes who have significant sight loss including those who are totally blind in an outdoor environment.
Ability to undertake holistic assessments of adults with a variety of complex issues, to plan and provide services to meet individual needs
Skills in liaising and negotiating
Ability to evaluate and manage risk
Ability to write clearly and concisely
Understanding of Health and Safety and its implementation
Good interpersonal skills
Effective communication skills (oral and written / typed)
Ability to prioritise work
Ability to work under pressure and use own initiative
Ability to manage conflict

Essential experience:

Considerable experience of working in visual impairment services within a Local Authority or voluntary sector setting
Experience of assessing and teaching mobility
Experience of using IT systems
Experience of working with visually impaired people, people with additional difficulties and people from different communities and cultures

Knowledge/skills/abilities

Ability to undertake needs-led assessments, plan and carry out a course of appropriate rehabilitation of visually impaired people and ability to teach relevant skills, e.g. independent living skills, indoor and outdoor orientation mobility skills and communication methods such as braille, accessible technology.
Ability to recognise needs of clients suffering trauma following sudden loss of vision and to recognise the need for long-term support to the vulnerable in the community.

Desirable

Knowledge of Low Vision and vision maximisation techniques
Good knowledge of Welfare Benefits
Knowledge of developments in the field of visual impairment.

Diversity

The charity has a strong commitment to achieving equality of opportunity in its services to the community and in the employment of people. As a member of the Sensory Impairment Team candidates will take individual and collective professional responsibility for championing MertonVision’s diversity agenda, proactively implementing initiatives which secure fairness, equality of access and outcomes. The charity expects all employees to understand, comply with and promote its policies in their own work.

Please send your CV and cover letter to:

Office Administrator, MertonVision, The Guardian Centre, 67 Clarendon Road, Colliers Wood, SW19 2DX

Tel: 020 8540 5446 Email: info@mertonvision.org.uk

Closing date: October 29th 2021

Interviews will take place week commencing 1^st November