07743 734510
ABOUT US
Jennifer Gill
Head Occupational Therapist
Jennifer Gill or Jen (Head Occupational Therapist at Building Blocks Therapy) started her career in Occupational Therapy at Teesside University and graduated in 2010.
Upon graduating Jen was lucky to be elected by her student body to represent the university on a national level as Teesside University Students Union Campaigns and Welfare officer, she held this role until July 2012.
Within this role she gained valuable transferable skills such as communication, active listening, confidence, managing expectations, and client centred campaigns, writing policies and representing students on a national stage. This work has since come in useful for when she has been asked to attend tribunals as an expert witness.
Supporting Children
Following this role she worked as a learning support assistant at an all-boys school in Sunderland. She supported children aged 11-16 years diagnosed with Autism Spectrum disorders and Sensory processing difficulties to access their education. She supported the development of their fine motor skills, handwriting, visual perception, working with education staff to build successful activity programmes and groups within the school.
Some groups including a developing handwriting skills group that is still in place today. She also provided training sessions for education staff from an Occupational Therapy point of view on managing sensory processing difficulties.
This is where her passion for working with children really kicked in, as she enjoyed supporting children to reach their full potential.
Paediatric Occupational Therapist
Whilst she was working at the school Jen was appointed as a band 5 paediatric occupational therapist within the NHS in Bedfordshire. It was here that she developed her assessment skills and knowledge in specialist seating, standardised and non-standardised assessments, working within a special school and report writing skills for children with a variety of disabilities and needs. Surrounded by a supportive team she was able to progress to a band 6 Specialist Paediatric Occupational Therapist position within the team and took on additional responsibilities including overseeing a special school and becoming an OT student educator as well as continuing to develop core skills and knowledge in assessment and intervention.
Jen quickly progressed through the banding and has recently worked within Hertfordshire as a Highly Specialist Children’s Occupational Therapist, leading within a local primary age special school supporting other members of Occupational therapy staff to provide provision with regards to EHCP, equipment, assessment, staff training and liaising and communicating with parents and other professionals whilst continuing to provide community assessments and home assessments for minor adaptations. She has helped to develop the service through the transition to a three tier service including developing drop in clinics, sensory awareness courses and developing masterclasses in cerebral palsy and preparing children for school transitions.
Community & Home Assessments
Jen has vast experience in detailed EHCP assessments and reports and has experience as an expert witness at tribunals. Jen is also able to undertake detailed independent assessments and reports for tribunals. Jen is a firm believer in ensuring the child and their families are at the heart of her assessment and this is reflected within her assessments.
Jen is currently an NHS band 7 Advanced Paediatric Occupational therapist within Bedfordshire, a role which she loves. She works within a multi-disciplinary team with physiotherapists, speech and language therapists, paediatricians, social care and education and believes that working in this way enables her to work effectively to provide high quality care.
Jen has a special interest in assessing and treating children with complex physical disabilities including children with cerebral palsy and muscular dystrophies.
Interests & Hobbies
Outside of work Jen has many interests and hobbies, including mantrailing (human searching), canicross (canine cross country) and taking long walks with her German Shepherd Thor. She has also recently developed a love of gardening and growing vegetables to use in homemade recipes.
Qualifications and continued professional development
BSC (hons) Occupational Therapy - Teesside University 2010
24 Hour Postural Management, Assessment and Levels of Ability - Active Design 2014
Motivational interviewing - University of Bedfordshire 2014
Two day introductory Bobath course to the Treatment and Management of Children with Cerebral Palsy - Bobath Centre 2014
Sensory integration level 1 - Sensory Integration Network 2015
Bobath Foundation Course, Bobath Therapist - Bobath Centre 2017
Apple Course for practice placement educators - University of Northampton 2017
RCOT SSIP Start up and succeed Course 2021
CO-OP Course - May 2021
School Amps (pending)
Our Memberships & Partners
RCOT
Royal College of Occupational Therapy
RCOT - SSIP
Royal College of Occupational Therapy Specialist Section Independent Practice
RCOT - CYPF
Royal College of Occupational Therapy Specialist Section - Children, Young People & Families
HCPC
Health & Care Professions Council Registered Occupational Therapist. Registration Number: OT62868
Our Building Blocks Superstars
