Job summary
Specialist Autism Assessor offering specialist autism assessments to adults within Hertfordshire .
The post is based alongside our community mental health services and works alongside multi-disciplinary colleagues and with partner agencies delivering pre and post diagnostic support.
The role offers great flexibility and would suit a return to practice candidate, or those wanting to develop specialist assessment skills working with individuals and their families.
Main duties of the job
The role of Autism Assessor is to work as part of the autism assessment service which is offered by a group of psychologists and other workers working collaboratively within HPFT alongside the broader MDT.
The role would suit an individual with a passion for working with individuals with autism, and there are opportunities around developing better systems for supporting diagnosis and post diagnosis support alongside our system partner, Autism Hertfordshire.
The post holder will work closely alongside our Autism triage worker and other qualified assessment clinicians.
The post holder will support the management of the autism waiting list and contribute to service improvement and audit processes connected to this.
There are opportunities for providing teaching and undertaking research.
About us
Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (HPFT) is an outstanding organisation with ambitions to match. We are one of just five mental health trusts to achieve an overall rating of 'Outstanding' from the Care Quality Commission, and our aim is to be the leading provider of mental health and specialist learning disability services in the country.
Our family of over 3500 members of staff provide health and social care for over 400,000 people with mental ill health, physical ill health and learning disabilities across Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, and Norfolk, delivering these services within the community and several inpatient settings. We also deliver a range of nationally commissioned specialist services including Tier 4 services for children and young people, perinatal services, plus medium and low secure learning disabilities services.
The care we provide makes a fantastic difference to the lives of our service users, their families and carers - everything is underpinned by choice, independence and equality, with our Trust values embedded throughout:
Our Trust values are:
Welcoming. Kind. Positive. Respectful. Professional.
These values are at the core of who we are, everything we do, and how we do it!
Would you like to be part of the HPFT family? Would you like work with us to ensure our service users live the fullest lives possible they can? Would you like to be supported in your career to be the best that you can be?
Then please read on...
Job description
Job responsibilities
Offer specialist autism assessment with the support of clinicians alongside clinicians trained in Autism assessment
Supervise and support the work of the autism triage worker
Oversee the autism waiting list and its management
Offer training and consultation to other staff around autism assessment
Work collaboratively with partner organisation: Autism Herts.
Participate within development of autism services
Job description
Job responsibilities
Offer specialist autism assessment with the support of clinicians alongside clinicians trained in Autism assessment
Supervise and support the work of the autism triage worker
Oversee the autism waiting list and its management
Offer training and consultation to other staff around autism assessment
Work collaboratively with partner organisation: Autism Herts.
Participate within development of autism services
Person Specification
KNOWLEDGE, TRAINING AND EXPERIENCE
Essential
- Doctoral/Masters level training in clinical/counselling psychology, including specific models of psychopathology, clinical psychometrics, two or more distinct psychological therapies and lifespan developmental psychology, as accredited by the HCPC OR NMC Registered CPN (LD or MH) OR Registered Social Worker OR HCPC Registered OT Or equivalent
- Experience of working with individuals with Autistic Spectrum Disorders and Individuals with Mental Health Difficulties
AREAS OF EXPERIENCE AND KNOWLEDGE
Essential
- Experience of specialist assessment and treatment of clients
- Experience of working with a wide variety of client groups, across the whole life span's presenting problems that reflect the full range of clinical severity including maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems, verbal abuse and the threat of physical abuse
- Experience of multi -disciplinary team working and inter -agency collaboration
- Ability to provide consultation to other professional and non -professional groups
- Ability to take the appropriate action to address any issues or risks
- Awareness of Child and Adult Safeguarding Procedures
- Knowledge and awareness of specific clinical practices with mental health problems and/or autism, and making reasonable adjustments for these groups
- Ability to work autonomously as well as part of a team
- Experience of working in a community mental health setting
Desirable
- Awareness of current NHS initiatives and Developments around Autism
- Knowledge of legislation and the national agenda in relation to Adult Mental Health
- Experience of service quality monitoring e.g. clinical audit, evaluative research, etc.
- Experience of teaching, training and/or offering supervision
- Experience of service development/project management
Person Specification
KNOWLEDGE, TRAINING AND EXPERIENCE
Essential
- Doctoral/Masters level training in clinical/counselling psychology, including specific models of psychopathology, clinical psychometrics, two or more distinct psychological therapies and lifespan developmental psychology, as accredited by the HCPC OR NMC Registered CPN (LD or MH) OR Registered Social Worker OR HCPC Registered OT Or equivalent
- Experience of working with individuals with Autistic Spectrum Disorders and Individuals with Mental Health Difficulties
AREAS OF EXPERIENCE AND KNOWLEDGE
Essential
- Experience of specialist assessment and treatment of clients
- Experience of working with a wide variety of client groups, across the whole life span's presenting problems that reflect the full range of clinical severity including maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems, verbal abuse and the threat of physical abuse
- Experience of multi -disciplinary team working and inter -agency collaboration
- Ability to provide consultation to other professional and non -professional groups
- Ability to take the appropriate action to address any issues or risks
- Awareness of Child and Adult Safeguarding Procedures
- Knowledge and awareness of specific clinical practices with mental health problems and/or autism, and making reasonable adjustments for these groups
- Ability to work autonomously as well as part of a team
- Experience of working in a community mental health setting
Desirable
- Awareness of current NHS initiatives and Developments around Autism
- Knowledge of legislation and the national agenda in relation to Adult Mental Health
- Experience of service quality monitoring e.g. clinical audit, evaluative research, etc.
- Experience of teaching, training and/or offering supervision
- Experience of service development/project management
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
Additional information
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
