Job Description Blind Veterans UK

Job Description – Blind Veterans UK

Job title: Rehabilitation Officer for people with a vision impairment (ROVI) Reports to: Visual Impairment and Technology Team Leader Department: Rehabilitation Service Location: Llandudno Last updated: January 2018

Job purpose To provide comprehensive assessment and rehabilitation programmes to members at the Centres to promote independence and increased quality of life and wellbeing.

Dimensions 1. Responsible for providing assessment and rehabilitation programmes for members. 2. Responsible for providing rehabilitation to small groups, including sighted guide sessions and group independent living skills. 3. Responsible for assessing and recommending a large variety of specialist equipment including but not limited to low vision aids, digital recording devices and other assistive technology. 4. Responsible for undertaking home visits when necessary to support the community teams.

Main accountabilities of the post 1. Provide comprehensive, needs-led assessments for members and devise and implement rehabilitation programmes in the core areas of orientation and mobility, Independent Living Skills (ILS), low vision and communications in order to maintain and develop members’ independence and maximise quality of life. 2. Maintain up to date knowledge of developments in the field of vision impairment in order to be in the best position to provide advice and information to staff and members. 3. Provide accurate, timely and professional records of assessments and interventions, which contributes to the Member’s Outcomes Framework Assessment. 4. Provide vision impairment awareness training for staff, volunteers and other organisations to ensure they have the relevant practical guiding skills and knowledge of vision impairment needed to carry out their roles. 5. To fully engage with the wider rehabilitation programmes within the Rehabilitation service and general activities and events within the Centre. Additional responsibilities 1. Attend in-house and relevant external training courses, as agreed with line manager. 2. Practice and comply with all aspects of Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 and the Charity’s current Health and Safety policies. 3. Undertake any reasonable tasks from time to time at the line manager’s request, as may be deemed appropriate within the scope of the post.

Work context 1. The role is primarily centre based with an ongoing requirement to work outdoors in all weather conditions during mobility assessments and training. 2. There may be an occasional requirement to travel to members’ homes and residential settings across the country to carry out home visits, which may involve overnight stays. 3. On occasion throughout the year there is the requirement to work in any of the centres throughout the country in order to work directly with members, attend meetings and undertake professional development. 4. The role requires occasional physical effort when moving equipment around the department and during home visits. 5. There is a significant amount of emotional effort involved in dealing with members who are adjusting to sight loss and have other disabilities and illnesses.

Autonomy and decision making 1. ROVIs have a degree of autonomy in the style in which they conduct their assessments, and in the equipment and rehabilitation recommendations they make though this work will contribute Member’s Outcomes Framework Assessment. 2. Approval from the Rehabilitation Service Manager and/or the Vision Impairment & Technology Team Leader is required only for decisions outside the procedural norm.

Communications Internal: 1. Members and other beneficiaries on a daily basis regarding rehabilitation input. 2. Daily contact with all departments within the Charity via telephone, e-mail and personal contact, particularly Care staff and Community Teams in order to provide a comprehensive service to members. 3. Attend and contribute to regular Team meetings. External: 1. Social Services Departments and other allied organisations in order to provide a comprehensive service to members.

Main areas of difficulty The main challenges facing the post are: 1. Working with a large number of members with diverse needs whilst ensuring a high quality service. 2. Time pressure to ensure all aspects are completed in time, particularly during intro week. 3. Balancing client expectations with organisation resources.

Additional information This Job Description is a guide to the work the job holder is required to undertake. It may be changed from time to time to meet changing circumstances. It does not form part of the Contract of Employment. Person Specification – Blind Veterans UK

Essential Desirable Knowledge  Up to date knowledge of  Knowledge of relevant vision impairment and how agencies and legislation functional vision can be used to best effect to enable independence. Skills  Ability to coach, demonstrate and teach new skills to people who are blind and partially sighted.  Good communication skills including verbal, written and active listening skills  Good organisational skills  The ability to work as part of a team and on own initiative  Computer literate in Microsoft Office, including Word, Excel and Outlook  Effective time management  Practical problem solving skills Qualifications  Diploma in Higher Education (DipHE) in Rehabilitation Studies (VI) or equivalent Adult Rehabilitation qualification in a rehabilitation field (e.g. Occupational Therapy) Experience  Experience working with  Working with people with people who are blind and vision impairment partially sighted in a including undertaking rehabilitation setting. ROVI assessments and  Experience of working with training. people in a rehabilitation or  Previous experience of similar setting, including working with elderly or undertaking assessments disabled people. and/or training.  Working within a Multi- disciplinary team. Personal qualities  Empathy  Flexibility  Approachable  Collaborative  Creative and resourceful  Confident and friendly