Job summary
- Main area
- Support Worker
- Grade
- NHS AfC: Band 4
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Full time
- Flexible working
- Job ref
- 363-TH7474612
- Employer
- East London NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Tower Hamlets Autism Service
- Town
- London
- Salary
- £33,094 - £36,195 per annum Inc HCAs
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- Today at 23:59
Employer heading

Support Worker
NHS AfC: Band 4
ELFT has long been recognised as a centre of excellence for mental and health care, innovation and improvement. So it is a very exciting time for you to come and work for us. Our mission is to make a positive difference to people's lives by improving quality of life for all we serve. Our values are: We Care, We Respect, We are Inclusive – so we are looking for people who live and breathe these qualities when supporting service users and carers, and in their relationships with colleagues in the Trust and our partner organisations.
Job overview
We are looking for an enthusiastic support worker, with relevant experience of and / or interest in working with autistic adults (without a learning disability).
The successful candidate will work in our friendly and passionate team, primarily working on the post-diagnostic support we offer newly diagnosed adults, whilst also contributing to the screening and assessment pathway where appropriate.
Tower Hamlets Autism Service (THAS) is a specialist diagnostic and brief intervention service. Designed in accordance with NICE guidelines we accept referrals from any source when it is thought that an adult living in Tower Hamlets may have an autistic spectrum condition. We use screening tools and specialist assessments alongside clinical experience and expertise to diagnose autism spectrum condition in adults.
We are a multidisciplinary team (MDT) comprising of speech and language therapy, occupational therapy, social work, clinical psychology, psychiatry, administration, and support work. The service aims to develop the provision and accessibility of support in Tower Hamlets in order to make it an autism friendly borough.
After diagnosis, we provide up to 12 sessions of autism specific interventions. Through a local third sector partner (The Tower Project) support and advice around employment is also available.
Main duties of the job
- To deliver a high quality specialist service to autistic service users and their families/carers as part of the multi-disciplinary team within THAS.
- Alongside the MDT, to support the team in the assessment process for those who may have a Autism Spectrum condition.
- To form professional relationships with service users and communicate condition related information to them in a way that respects their views, autonomy and culture.
- To ensure that identified needs are assessed and met in partnership with independent and voluntary sector specialist providers.
- To provide care to service users within the community under the direct or indirect supervision of qualified Autism professionals.
- To work within a philosophy of empowerment and provide a person-centred approach to care planning and interventions.
- To have an working knowledge of support services within the community for Autistic Adults.
- To work with voluntary and mainstream services within Tower Hamlets to promote an Autism friendly borough, for example, linking in to services that provide support with money management, social activities, sports, etc.
- To support the development of post diagnostic groups for autistic people.
- To contribute to the development of support for carers and families.
- To contribute to Autism awareness and training sessions delivered to other services in the borough.
- To work positively with people from the diverse communities in Tower Hamlets adhering to the anti-discriminatory practice.
Working for our organisation
Our mission is to make a positive difference to people's lives by improving the quality of life for all we serve. Our values are: We Care, We Respect, We are Inclusive – so we are looking for people who live and breathe these qualities when supporting service users and carers, and in their relationships with colleagues in the Trust and our partner organisations.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Please see detailed attached job description and person specification.
For more information or an informal discussion please contact Felicity Bowden, Operational Lead, on 020 7426 2440 / [email protected]
Person specification
Education / Qualification / Training
Essential criteria
- NVQ Level 2 in health and social care, or equivalent qualification
Experience
Essential criteria
- Experience of working in a health or social care setting
- Experience of working with Autistic adults
Desirable criteria
- Experience of working with people with mental health issues
- Experience of working within a multi-disciplinary team
- Experience of delivering training
Knowledge and Skills
Essential criteria
- Knowledge of Autism
- Evidence of good interpersonal skills and an ability to form relationships with service users
- Effective listening skills
- Empathic and compassionate
- Ability to communicate clearly both verbally and written on all levels and to a broad scope of individuals, both internally and externally to the Trust
- Ability to maintain clear, concise and timely written communication and care records
- Ability to work independently and also in a team
- Ability to manage time and organise and prioritise own workload
- Ability to use email, word, excel and co-produce new information resources as part of the service
- Ability to travel to and work within service users homes within the borough
- Cultural awareness including awareness of the potential impact of discrimination
Desirable criteria
- Knowledge of national policies and NICE Guidelines relating to Autism
- Awareness of local services and community organisations
- Knowledge of benefits/employment systems
- Ability to demonstrate a understanding of mental health issues
- Ability to speak other languages
Other
Essential criteria
- Mobility to travel across various locations around the borough
- Flexible working according to the needs of the service and to support work life balance
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
- Felicity Bowden
- Job title
- Operational Lead
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 020 7426 2440
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