Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The post holder is required to have a high level of communication skills which enables them to work with children with behavioural difficulties, and diagnosed or possible Neurodevelopmental difficulties. The post holder may also be expected to communicate with individuals who may have a diagnosed learning disability/difficulty and their families/carers who themselves may have similar needs.

 High levels of verbal and non-verbal skills enable therapeutic and trusting relationships to be formed with children who are often difficult to engage with due to, processing and understanding difficulties, or social communication or interaction difficulties due to a Neurodevelopmental condition.

The post holder requires communication skills using the highest level of interpersonal skills with both families and professionals. Examples include professional Multi-Disciplinary Team meetings where there is disagreement on treatment options, negotiation is required which requires communicating complex strands of information, ensuring that a full and true representation of the child’s complex presentation is communicated.

Communication is required in emotive atmospheres which can be highly sensitive including discussing information that may cause offence such as suspected safe guarding issues and communicating to parents/carers with issues of neglect or parental inability to keep their child safe.

The post holder is required to deliver progressive behavioural programmes/guidelines and family interventions which are evidence based, frequently to carers/families of clients with challenging behaviour, requiring sensitive communication especially if there is resistance. The post holder has skills in providing, receiving and assimilating complex and highly sensitive information where there can be significant barriers to acceptance. Complex judgment and sensitive communication is frequently required in situations where during the assessment process advice is sought about management of behaviours/sleep/routines etc

Communicate with issues regarding child protection with families/social workers/ schools and other professionals involved in the Childs welfare.

The post holder has to take in to account a number of complicated aspects which frequently do not have obvious solutions/ options. Highly complex analysis and interpretation and comparison of ranges of options are frequently required. This is also apparent if the post holder is looking for a range of options such as child family home break down and placement breakdown and liaising with an appropriate multi agency team. Assist practitioners in completing detailed specialist evidence based assessment when required in a variety of situations with the post holder assisting practitioners to devise evidence based packages of care and interventions.

Detailed specialist assessments include:

School observations; post holder is required to interpret and assess a child’s presentation and make an informed decision on whether the child is displaying Neurodevelopmental difficulties. The post holder is also expected to have a knowledge of child development to support differential diagnosis.

Highly sensitive and skilled analytic and judgment skills in initial screening is required in processing new referrals assessing the information given and making an informed decision and using judgement skills in when further assistance is needed from a more senior member of the team.

Completing formalised risk assessments as there could be a range of other issues such as self harming which requires screening and appropriate signposting and documentation. Different initial/screening assessment tools are used in the different teams and the postholder has worked with these varying approaches.

Assist Mental health practitioners with queries and advice within CAMHS, this requires the same level of skill and analytical judgements in working in partnership with the practitioner and the parent to identify the goals to be set. This can include information and guidance on the spot, drawing on own knowledge and experience, and gaging the families’ own skills, as well as decision making around signposting and further assessments to be taken back to team meetings where the post holder is in full position to be able to take forward the range of pathways.

The post holder is required to undertake consultation calls, making on the spot assessments on the callers needs. This can involve managing risk situations, containing parental frustrations and liaise with other health professionals to minimise situations that could pose risk to the caller and others under their own initiative as senior members of staff may not be immediately available.

Computer and IT skills.

Creating appropriate resources within a limited budget.

Trained in diffusion and breakaway techniques and need to maintain awareness of body positioning/proximity positioning when working alongside children/young people who may exhibit challenging behaviour.

Object and handling including moving and handling of play based assessment boxes of equipment (i.e.ADOS play boxes). Also, moving and handling of boxes of resources/training materials when doing training/group work.

Physical play based assessment requiring physical movement, at the child’s pace at the table and the floor, adapting own body movement to manage the child’s requirements.

Physical play and role play skills used to demonstrate to parents, the skills the principals of the incredible years parenting programme.

The post holder is responsible under the care programme for undertaking assessments for children with Neurodevelopmental needs, for planning, delivery, monitoring, and evaluate the care required of the child care package. It is also a requirement that the post holder formulate specialist care packages for those identified as highly challenging care needs from more senior staff, under supervision from senior members of staff direct and indirect.

The post holder is required to advise families/carers social workers, respite support staff, schools on the management of care provided for children with highly complex needs.

Understand the policies for vulnerable adults (parents) with learning disabilities.

Work within child safeguarding policies and always record, report and act where appropriate.

Post holder implements new service development and takes a role in implementing policies which impacts on the wider service, including embracing, practicing and seeking a positive way forward with regards to the team integration in to the wider Neurodevelopmental team.

Works to trust policies and procedures.

Knowledge of the children’s act.

Awareness of the legislation regarding the mental capacity act.

Demonstrates own duties etc to students on placement.

Demonstrates own duties to new starters within the service.

Professional qualification to NVQ Level 3 in Health and Social Care and experience working in this field of Neurodevelopmental conditions. The post holder will have a responsibility to keep all mandatory training up to date, and attend yearly risk assessment updates.

The post holder may be expected to undertake further professional development training including training around disorders such as Attachment Disorder, CAMHS risk assessments and training around interventions and groups for families.

Knowledge gained through continual professional development to be assimilated into practise and experience to enable the post holder to have a specialist knowledge across a range of interventions underpinned by theory and evidence based practise.

The particular specialist area included developing specialist understanding of ways of working within the area of Neurodevelopmental difficulties. These included self-esteem, depression, anxiety, phobias and communication/ behaviour. This allows the post holder to assist practitioners in care planning and pathways and guidance information to be used with parent/carer underpinning theory.

The post holder’s skills are used to analyse and interpret a child’s presentation and behaviour particularly within a school setting. The post holder is then required to make a clinical judgement on whether that child’s presentation is indicative of a Neurodevelopmental condition or whether there are any other factors including possible developmental difficulties or adverse childhood experiences. The post holder is then required to present this information in a way that contributes to the overall assessment and diagnostic decision.

Skill is required in relaying to the parents that there is sufficient assessment information to warrant a Neurodevelopmental assessment, without giving the impression that there will be a definite diagnosis as all information is discussed as part of the multi-disciplinary feedback process.

The post holder assists practitioners within the team and wider teams in matters relating to areas of particular specialism i.e. Autism and learning disability, in leading service development and service delivery. Regular discussion takes place through team meetings, of all the teams the post holder works into, and supervision. This includes assisting professionals when developing appropriate pathways and a service response underpinned by theory, providing advice around learning disability and autism to other specialists e.g. band 6 / 7 colleagues, newly qualified psychologists and also to non specialists i.e. parents/ cares other professionals.

The post holder has taken own initiative on becoming familiar and experienced with the Neurodevelopmental assessment process through shadowing other members of the team and perusing the training materials and seeking supervision and discussion.