DIVERSE AND EMERGING ROLES FEATURE
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I have loved supporting and watching Hannah grow into this new and emerging role as it has taken shape . The challenges she has faced and the solutions she has been required to find , go beyond the usual expectations of a newly qualified occupational therapist . I am immensely proud of what she has achieved , the positive impact she has had on the charity and the difference she has made to the lives of the young cares and their parents .
Rachel Dadswell , occupational therapy programmes manager at University of Southampton
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issues with some young carers , under the guidance of Fay Hughes , another lecturer from the University of Southampton .
Alongside Rachel , I co-supervised a third-year role emerging student , Polly Burfitt , from the University of Southampton for 10 weeks . The focus of her placement was to compliment the work I was doing with the parents , and to further enhance the charity ’ s understanding of the scope of occupational therapy . Polly was a great asset to the development of this role .
As the first lockdown occurred , we were required to work from home , therefore our clubs and activities became group video calls . Fairly soon into lockdown , the need to offer support to parents and the young carers increased , and as a consequence my caseload increased significantly .
I provided one-to-one occupational therapy interventions , focusing on daily scheduling , maintaining occupational balance and gaining a sense of mastery through occupations .
I also re-created a befriending programme to support young carers virtually in order to meet the pressing need for young carers to have more opportunities for occupations and social support . This repurposed the skills of volunteers who could no longer assist in the face-to-face group sessions , due to the restrictions .
Once lockdown was lifted , my approach needed to change once again . This time I began an online activity group for parents , to provide peer support and increase wellbeing . A colleague and I introduced wellbeing packs for all young carers , including worksheets , activity suggestions and some crafts . I also joined school groups and online groups in order to provide support to the young carers .
Occupational therapy comes in many different forms , and works with people of all ages and in all situations . This can be incredibly rewarding , but it can also lead to an extensive scope of practice .
The process of creating an occupational therapy role in a new area can feel boundless ; there always seems to be more to develop . As this was a new role , the scope of practice was unknown , which meant that the job description was very broad . Therefore , my recommendation for work with young carer services is to have a focus . This may seem simple , but with so many opportunities available , it is easier said than done .
For any other newly-qualified occupational therapists who may be considering a role in a young person ’ s charity , such as this one , the roles I have found that have fitted both the philosophy of occupational therapy and the guiding principles of the charity can be summarised as :
A whole family approach to occupational balance ( Wagman and Håkansson , 2019 ): Many families involved with young carers charities have complex lifestyles ; this complexity and the conflicting demands can mean that the young carer or family members have poor occupational balance , impacting on their mental health and quality of life .
Occupational engagement : while the clubs and activities already provide support and a place to learn new skills and interact with others , an occupational therapist can ensure they are graded , structured and adapted to meet individual needs .
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