Job summary
- Main area
- Administration
- Grade
- Band 6
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Full time - 37.5 hours per week
- Job ref
- 351-SPS1472-MS
- Employer
- Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Key Working Team, Greenbank Day Centre
- Town
- Preston
- Salary
- £38,682 - £46,580 per annum (subject to confirmation)
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 07/10/2025 23:59
Employer heading

Lead Designated Key Worker Development Officer
Band 6
Our Vision is to provide the best mental health, learning disability, autism and community based services for the populations we serve.
As an integrated mental health, learning disability and community Trust, Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust provides a range of services including:
• Primary and secondary mental health care for children and adults including specialist inpatient child and adolescent mental health provision, perinatal mental health, forensic services including low and medium secure care.
• Specialist community support for children and adults with learning disabilities and autism, including intensive support.
• Community physical health and well-being services for children and adults.
The Trust was first established in 2002 and employs approximately 7,000 staff who provide care from more than 400 sites. The organisation offers opportunities for medics, mental health and general nurses, allied health professionals, psychology, administration and clerical staff, apprentices and volunteers.
Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust supports flexible working, we believe that a positive work/life balance benefits NHS employees through improved health and wellbeing. We would consider working patterns such as; term time, part time, compressed hours, home/remote working, and flexi-time.
For more information visit our website via Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS FT.
Please note that further communication from Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust (LSCft) will normally be to the email address given on the application form. You should also ensure that email addresses and telephone numbers are provided for your referees, to enable LSCft to contact them.
Job overview
An exciting opportunity has arisen within the Keyworking Service for a full time Band 6 Lead Keyworking Development Officer which includes Projects and School Support. Do you have experience of providing interventions that are strengths based and solution focussed and tailored to meet the needs of the child/young person and their family/carer?
This Keyworking Service delivers a new way of supporting children and young people with complex needs involving behaviours that may challenge and a mix of mental health struggles, learning disabilities and autism. They may be inpatients or at risk of being admitted to hospital or into alternative care. The Keyworkers enable CYP and their family/carers to get the right support at the right time and ensure local systems are responsive to meeting their needs in a holistic and joined up way helping them remain in the community wherever this is safely possible.
This role as a Lead Keyworking Development Officer will be required to support a variety of projects and offer direct support to schools in their understanding of CYP with a learning disability, autism or who are neurodivergent. The post holder will also be expected to collate, co-ordinate data relating to the projects and services, liaising with and supporting key stakeholders.
Main duties of the job
Applicants must have direct experience of working with families with children or adults who have complex needs with a good understanding of the spectrum of relevant services, with an ability to support families and young people on their journey, helping them to navigate through systems and pathways. They must have an ability to empower parents/carers and individuals and to work in a co-productive style.
Applicants should have excellent communication skills and the ability to work well autonomously and well as part of a team.
We would like to invite all interested applicants to speak with the team to get an insight of what the day-to-day role of the team looks like.
We would be more than happy to answer any questions you may have via our email: [email protected]
Working for our organisation
Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust provides a range of services including secondary mental health care across this area. Specialist provision comprises inpatient child and adolescent mental health services, perinatal mental health and forensic services including low and medium secure care.
The Trust also provides a range of physical health and well-being services in the community alongside a range of partners in the Lancashire, Cumbria and Sefton area.
Lancashire & South Cumbria Foundation Trust encourages flexible working, we believe that a positive work/life balance benefits NHS employees through improved health and wellbeing.
For more information please visit our website via Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS FT.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Please see attached the job description and person specification for more information about this role.
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
- Educated to Degree level in a relevant subject or equivalent level of qualification or significant equivalent previous proven lived experience.
- Specialist knowledge and experience working in Social Care and Education environments
Experience
Essential criteria
- Significant experience working in Autism pathways
- Specialist knowledge of the application of Law to recommend strategies and pathways of care
- Specialist knowledge of statutory requirements to support and implement decision making
Desirable criteria
- Have experience and skills in undertaking holistic whole family assessments and risk assessments.
Knowledge
Essential criteria
- A proven understanding of the needs and characteristics of children and young people with a diagnosis of Autism and or complex communication difficulties
- Strong, holistic understanding of the education, health and care system to fulfil keyworking function of holding services to account
- Experience of working with children and/or young people with learning disability, autism or both and complex needs and their families
Desirable criteria
- Some experience of facilitating groups would be advantageous.
Applicant requirements
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Colette Gollcher
- Job title
- Manager
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Additional information
We would be more than happy to answer any questions you may have via our email: [email protected]
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