Paediatric Occupational Therapist (Home Visits, Contractor)

Seeds Occupational Therapy – Melbourne VIC

This is an independent subcontractor role in home-based paediatric OT, anywhere in Melbourne. You are paid $125 an hour, plus travel paid in full: travel time at $97 an hour (up to 30 minutes each way) and 97c a kilometre with no cap. You choose your days, your suburbs and which referrals you take, and Seeds helps with referrals, administration and clinical support.

Seeds is a small, therapist-led practice based in West Footscray. Nisha Bal, our Founder and Principal OT, has more than 15 years' clinical experience and started Seeds to bring therapy into the places children live. "I want our OTs to be thinking about what a child and family need, without the added pressure of meeting a weekly billing target," Nisha says.

How it works, stage by stage

01 Your week. Choose your availability, travel areas and the kinds of work you feel comfortable with. You can begin with one family, keep a small caseload alongside other commitments, or build a fuller week. There is no minimum caseload or weekly billing target.

02 Your referrals. A family gets in touch and Seeds gathers the referral information. When their needs match your area and current scope, we share the details, and you accept, decline or talk it through with Nisha before deciding. We offer you referrals; you decide which ones to take.

03 Your practice. You see children and families at home, plan therapy and keep clinical notes. We provide Halaxy for appointments and records, with help learning it, manage enquiries and handle invoicing and payment follow-up. Therapy decisions stay with you, guided by what the child and family need.

04 Your pay. You receive $125 an hour, paid fortnightly, plus travel paid in full. Each billed hour covers the session, pack-up and transition, and 10 to 15 minutes of notes. Travel is worked out from your location, not an office:

Travel time $97/hr, up to 30 min each way

97c per kilometre, with no kilometre cap

One-hour booking,



15 min/10 km each way: $192.90

One-hour booking, 30 min/20 km each way: $260.80

Kilometres have no cap, so $260.80 is an example and not a maximum. Families are charged $193.99 an hour, the same whether they are NDIS-funded or paying privately, and Seeds retains a share to cover administration, systems and access to clinical support. Seeds handles invoicing and payment follow-up, so you are not left chasing accounts.

05 Your marketing. If you would like more clients, we promote your availability in the areas you choose: Google Ads for your area, your own availability page with a map of where you visit, your therapist profile, and, depending on the area, contact with nearby GP clinics, allied health practices and schools, or social media. We plan this with you and it is optional. Referral numbers and timing vary, and client numbers are not guaranteed. You can see how a family would find you on our example availability page:

06 Your support. You can discuss cases with Nisha and the other Seeds OTs, ask questions and share resources. We can agree on mentoring or supervision that suits your experience and the work you are taking on. Formal supervision is available, but it is not compulsory.

How we work with children

We build trust before we build skills, notice regulation and read behaviour as communication, and start from what a child enjoys and does well. The Seeds OT Model, our clinical reasoning framework, sits alongside approaches such as PEO, MOHO and CMOP-E; its five parts, a CPD reflection log and a completion record are at seedsoccupationaltherapy.com.au/seeds-ot-model.

What you need before you start

AHPRA registration as an occupational therapist

An ABN

Working with Children and NDIS Worker Screening Checks

Professional indemnity and public liability insurance

A driver's licence and access to a car

These need to be in place before you start, not before you apply. Paediatric experience is welcome, but it is not essential. We can talk about your experience, the work you feel ready for and the support that would be practical.

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📌 Paediatric Occupational Therapist (Home Visits, Contractor) (Melbourne)
🏢 Seeds Occupational Therapy
📍 Melbourne