What is a Therapy Assistant?

• Therapy assistants follow the early intervention plan developed by the key worker for the child and deliver regular 1:1 therapy to children
• The therapy assistants are supervised, coached, and mentored by the key worker
• Therapy assistants have input into collaborative case meetings and the child’s early intervention plan 
• Other indirect supports that Therapy Assistants is responsible for include documentation of therapy sessions and communication to the key worker, developing resources, assisting with coordination of services, preparing therapy spaces for sessions and sourcing and ordering therapy resources
• Therapy assistants are not responsible for creating or changing therapy plans, develop goals or providing therapeutic reasoning or advice

How long do Therapy Assistant sessions go for?

Sessions will generally go for 2 to 3 hours with each individual child.

What qualification do I need to be a Therapy Assistant?

Leor’s Therapy Assistants must hold one of the following:

• (HLT33015 / HLT43015)

• (CHC30213 / CHC40213) and experience working with children

Are there any other requirements outside of the qualifications/experience required?

We require that Therapy Assistants have, or are willing to obtain, the following:

• Working with Children Check
• Criminal history check with no disqualifying criminal history
• NDIS Worker Screening Check
• Current drivers licence and use of car for work purposes

What type of contract will I be offered?

Therapy Assistants are offered casual contracts in the first instance. The decision to offer a fixed term or permanent contract depends on various factors, however if you are offered a casual contract, you may be offered a fixed term or permanent contract in the future. You are also able to apply for any fixed term or permanent roles that become available and are advertised within the business.

What will be my hours of work?

We deliver therapy to children Monday to Friday between the hours of 7am and 7pm. Your hours of work will be dependent on the hours that you are available to work with Leor. We are a flexible organisation and will work with you to find hours and locations that suit your lifestyle. 

How soon will I commence?

Your start date will be negotiated with the Clinical Operations team closer to the finalisation of your recruitment checks. If you are flexible with days, times, and locations then we can get you out there working quickly. If you are only able to work close to home, then it can sometimes take a little bit of time for us to place you.

What if my circumstances change and I am no longer interested in being a Therapy Assistant?

We understand that you may be looking for other work, or your circumstances may change. We simply ask that you let us know as soon as possible if you would no longer like to proceed with a role as a Therapy Assistant. We put a lot of time and effort into onboarding our team members, so if you do not want to proceed, please let us know as soon as possible.

What settings do Therapy Assistants work in?

You will deliver early intervention therapy to children in their natural environments – their home, early learning centre or in our allied health hub in Roseville (depending on your location).

How far will I be expected to travel between sessions?

Therapy Assistants will be required to travel up to 15km or 30mins travel time from their central place of work to the location of therapy sessions and between sessions.

Reimbursement for travel to eligible therapy sessions will be paid to employees per kilometre, aligned to the Australian Taxation Office kilometre allowance. This is paid to employees as part of Leor’s pay cycle and is outlined on payslips.  

What tools of the trade will I be provided with?

Uniforms and a resource kit.

How many children will I be supporting?

This will depend on the hours of work that you do with Leor. Each session of therapy will usually involve 1:1 therapy between you and one child. In some instances you may have a three hour block of therapy that includes a family of children and the session will be split amongst the children and may involve both 1:1 and group therapy as part of the program. You will only be allocated more than one child if your supervising therapist feels that you have the skills and experience to support more than one child.

How will I be supported/supervised in my role?

• You will be allocated a primary supervisor who is an experienced professional with bachelor qualifications in allied health or education
• Your primary supervisor will be responsible for all of your formal supervision and will work with you to book sessions, review children’s therapy programs, and guide you in your learning and career development
• You may be involved in joint sessions with therapists from different disciplines, which will help you to learn new skills and meet children’s needs that you haven’t previously encountered.
• Therapy assistants will engage in regular supervision with their primary supervisor and will consist of a variety of supervision methods including informal supervision, formal supervision, and clinical oversight.

What training will I receive?

You will receive both formal and informal training. As part of the induction process, Therapy Assistants receive training on Leor’s service delivery models as well as ongoing training which consists of deeper dive content sharing and knowledge building delivered by our team of experienced Allied Health Therapists.

Regular professional supervision is provided by the primary supervisor where the Therapy Assistant receives clinical guidance and coaching and mentoring to build their knowledge, skills, and confidence. 

What are the opportunities for career advancement as a Therapy Assistant?

As a holistic, child centered organisation that specialises in early childhood development and intervention, the opportunities for Therapy Assistants are diverse.

For students studying an allied health discipline, working as a Therapy Assistant at Leor provides an ideal long term career path where you could transition into a fulltime Occupational Therapist or Speech Pathologist upon completion of your studies.  If you are an Early Childhood Educator, Learning Support Officer or Disability Support Worker, work as a Therapy Assistant will build on your existing skills and enhance your knowledge of meeting children’s goals through early intervention. You may then choose to undertake University studies and be supported by our Clinical Team to advance your career goals in this way.