Recreational activities practitioner Job Summary
The Recreational activities practitioner will be a member of the ward team working closely with the Occupational Therapy service, in the provision of a programme of therapeutic and recreational activity to support the rehabilitation of service users experiencing mental illness and who also have a history of offending.The programme will be developed and implemented with service users and the ward team under the supervision of a registered Occupational Therapist (OT).
Recreational activities practitioner Main Duties
- The Recreational activities practitioner will provide a flexible programme of recreational, vocational and educational activities within the service or where appropriate in the community
- To provide support and engage service users in therapeutic activities to promote recovery, independence and well-being
- The Recreational activities practitioner will support access to, enrolment in and engagement with the Forensic Recovery College.
- To facilitate recovery courses at the Forensic Recovery College alongside peer trainers and other team members
- The Recreational activities practitioner will support the development of a balanced therapeutic ward-based programme for service users at different stages of their recovery
- To service users progress, taking account their goals and aspirations and adjusting interventions accordingly
- To work independently, facilitating group or individual work, planned with and guided by a registered OT
- To demonstrate ability to safely carry out restrictive interventions following Seni Lewis Training Programme.
- The Recreational activities practitioner will report effectively to the team on service user performance and progress
- To provide relevant information, written and oral, for documents relating to service user progress
- To establish working relationships with outside agencies to facilitate service user engagement in community-based vocational and educational services to support discharge and community engagement
- To ensure that up to date written and electronic records and activity data are maintained in accordance with Professional and Trust Standards.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Good level of Education
- Evidence of continuing professional and personal development
Desirable
- Health and social care related qualification above basic level e.g. City & Guilds final certificate, NVQ 3 or 4, Diploma or Degree
- Creative qualification eg arts, photography
- Psychology qualification
Experience
Essential
- Demonstrable experience of working in health/social care setting
- Experience of working both independently and in a team
- Experience of providing group and 1:1 interventions.
- Experience of report/letter writing and form filling.
Desirable
- Experience of facilitating therapeutic groups in a health and social care setting
Knowledge
Essential
- An understanding of the needs and difficulties of people who experience mental health problems
- Ability to develop practical solutions to problems that may arise
- An understanding of the needs of service users from different ethnic and cultural backgrounds
- Knowledge of the forensic setting and how it supports service user care
- Good personal organisation and observation skills.
Desirable
- Knowledge of applying Health and Safety and risk awareness procedures and policies
Other
Essential
- Willingness to participate in supervision
- Ability to work independently of direct supervision
- Willingness to work flexibly including some evening and weekend work
- Ability to assimilate new information and learn new skills.
- Ability to interact with staff of all disciplines and work as part of a multidisciplinary team.
Desirable
- Ability to work under pressure .
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
Closing Date: 17 August 2025
