The Habilitation Specialist enables children and young people with a vision impairment to live the life they choose by delivering specialist services that enable them to become more mobile and independent.

For this role you’ll be working 35 hours per week, worked 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday in a friendly and supportive team with other Habilitation Specialists, and offering excellent CPD opportunities. This role will support the Cambridgeshire team which covers Cambridgeshire, Suffolk and Norfolk. The ideal candidate would reside in Cambridgeshire or within a short commute of the boundary. Travel is generally within the working day, can be across all the team’s areas and on occasion may include some cross boundary working where reasonable.

We are accepting applications from those currently studying for the BCU top up qualification or from those who wish to undertake the the BCU top up course.

More details can be found in the attached candidate pack and job description.

We reserve the right to close adverts earlier than the closing date.

Diversity
Guide Dogs welcomes applications from all sections of the community and actively encourages diversity to maximise achievements, creativity, and good practice. We positively welcome and seek to ensure we achieve diversity in our workforce and that all job applicants and employees receive equal and fair treatment, regardless of age, race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, disability, or nationality.

We encourage applications from people with disabilities as they are currently under-represented in the organisation and guarantee an invitation to interview for all applicants with disabilities who demonstrate, within their application form, sufficient evidence to meet the essential criteria for the job.

Safeguarding
Guide Dogs is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all children, young people and adults at risk of harm with whom we work. We expect all our employees and volunteers to fully share this commitment.

At Guide Dogs, we believe in fair and equitable hiring practices. A criminal record will not automatically disqualify an applicant from consideration for a position. Each case will be evaluated individually, taking into account the nature of the offense, its relevance to the role, and the time that has passed since the incident. We encourage all candidates to disclose relevant information, and we assure you that it will be handled confidentially and fairly.

To be able to fulfil this role, the skills and experience we are looking for in a potential candidate include;

Evidence of qualification in one of the following or equivalent:

• Habilitation and Disabilities of Sight Graduate Diploma – IOE
• BSc Hons Top-up Degree Habilitation Studies (BCU Birmingham City University)
• Rehabilitation Officer Diploma / Advanced Certificate in Education (ACE) – Working with Children with Visual Impairment
• Recognised qualification in habilitation training for children and young people with visual impairment

Or hold one of the following and demonstrate the motivation and willingness to study for the BSc Hons Top-up Degree Habilitation Studies (BCU) or equivalent:

• Foundation Degree in Rehabilitation Work (Visual Impairment)
• Foundation Degree in Health and Social Care in Rehabilitation Studies (Visual Impairment)
• Both Mobility Officer and Technical Officer Certificates
• Diploma in Higher Education in Rehabilitation Studies (Visual Impairment)

In addition, be able to demonstrate all the following:

• Able to meet the travel requirements of the role. This may be through holding a valid full UK driving licence or alternative arrangements such as Access to Work support or public transport, if suitable for the role location
• Able to undertake physical demands of the role, including walking long distances daily for extended periods of time, in all weather conditions. Be able to handle equipment and specialist resource required for the role

For the complete list of essential and desirable criteria necessary to be successful in this role please see the Person Specification within the Job Description below. The candidate pack contains more information about this role & the recruitment process.

If you are successful you will need to provide evidence of your right to work in the UK. We cannot provide sponsorship for this role.

How to apply
If you have any accessibility issues, please contact our Recruitment Team on 0118 3540345 or TATeam@guidedogs.org.uk

Applications need to be made using the online application form, accessed using the ‘apply’ button.

As part of your application please provide evidence and examples of how your skills & experience meet the criteria as set out in the attached job description.

The system has a one-hour time limit. We would advise you to prepare your answers separately and then copy and paste into the online form once finalised.

Guide Dogs follow Safer Recruitment practices to ensure we are safeguarding the vulnerable people we work with. As part of this, we require a full work history with any gaps accounted for & a minimum of 2 professional referee details fully covering the past 5 years. If there is not enough space in your form to provide full information, please upload additional documentation containing the additional detail.

Please contact our Recruitment Team on 0118 3540345 or TATeam@guidedogs.org.uk if you require any support with your application.