About us: Oakdale was established nearly twenty-five years ago and is highly regarded as a professional therapy provider. We are a not-for-profit community-based organisation and our team is united by a commitment to provide flexible, bespoke, evidence-based, and high-quality clinical services to meet the particular needs of each of our clients as well as the requirements of commissioners for an appropriate, collaborative, value-for-money service. The Oakdale Group provides a wide range of specialist assessments, including for autism, ADHD, and developmental trauma. Oakdale also provides a wide range of psychological therapies for children, young people, and adults. Many of our services are commissioned by the NHS, Local Authorities, and schools, and include services for NHS staff. Others are accessed by members of the public who pay for them privately, through medical insurance, or through our charitable arm.
About you: Are you a passionate health professional ready to make a meaningful impact in a leadership role? Or perhaps you have leadership experience and are looking for your next step? Join our innovative and dedicated team as a Team Leader for Neurodevelopmental Assessments! In this role, you'll lead a talented team of professionals, guiding them to deliver ADHD and autism assessments. With your leadership, we'll help families have quicker access to high-quality assessment services. If you thrive in a supportive environment where your skills make a real difference, we'd love to hear from you. We would welcome applicants with Early Years and/or Adult ND assessment experience.
Apply today and be a part of something truly rewarding!
The role: The Neurodevelopmental Assessment Team Leader for the Neurodevelopmental Assessment Pathway is responsible for supporting the Clinical Lead in overseeing the delivery of comprehensive, high-quality clinical services for clients accessing assessments for autism and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). There will also be a requirement to undertake some assessment activity. This includes ensuring effective clinical governance, leadership of clinicians, and service development, working closely within a multidisciplinary leadership team to meet client needs and neurodevelopmental service objectives. You will provide leadership and management for a team of neurodevelopmental practitioners carrying out assessment activity, ensuring high-quality patient care and implementing best practice guidelines to ensure that clinical standards are maintained. You will work as part of the wider Neurodevelopmental Service Leadership Team to plan services to meet clients' needs, utilising your clinical expertise in shaping the development of new service models. You will support the Clinical Lead to carry out training, recruitment, clinical audits, and lead complex multi-disciplinary team (MDT) case reviews, ensuring that the pathway operates effectively, safely, and in line with best practices.
Team Leadership And Management
* Providing direct support to the clinical lead in a variety of leadership tasks and service development initiatives to ensure the delivery of high-quality patient-centered care that meets the needs of clients.
* To participate in making evidence-based recommendations to the multidisciplinary team regarding assessment, interventions, and skills required to deliver the plan of care and expected health/social outcomes.
* As a senior member of staff, to proactively contribute to service team meetings to ensure that these are informative and meaningful to the team.
* Provide supervision and oversight of clinical reports.
* To provide all clinical assessments and interventions in line with Oakdale's policies and operating procedures.
* To maintain adherence to NICE guidelines and Oakdale's clinical standards.
* To directly support the clinical lead with the analysis of audit outcomes and work on continuous improvement plans to enhance the quality of clinical practice.
* Collaborate with clinical leads to audit cases, pathways, and outcomes to assess quality, consistency, and adherence to guidelines.
* To review diagnostic reports to ensure they meet high clinical and ethical standards, including accuracy, clarity, and appropriateness of recommendations.
* To support safeguarding, information, and clinical governance matters as required.
Recruitment, support, and training
* Report to the clinical lead and provide line management and clinical supervision to ND practitioners in the neurodevelopmental service.
* Act as a mentor for less experienced practitioners and contribute to their professional development through supervision, advice, and feedback.
* Support the recruitment, induction, training, and retention of clinical staff within the neurodevelopmental pathway.
Service Development And Improvement
* To support the clinical lead in the development and expansion of the neurodevelopmental service by keeping up to date with advances in neurodevelopmental research.
* Where required, liaise with external agencies, partners, and stakeholders.
* Ensure effective service delivery through supporting the development and monitoring of clinical standards by proactively participating in clinical audits, quality improvement projects, and evaluations to monitor service performance and outcomes.
* Collaborate with the CPD champion within the neurodevelopmental service to help support the development of staff and training required to foster a culture of continuous professional development and up-to-date evidence-based practice in neurodevelopmental assessments.
Client And Family Engagement
* Ensure that patient-centred care is at the heart of assessment delivery, involving patients and their families in decision-making and care planning.
* Through supervision and mentoring, support practitioners work closely with families and carers to provide support, education, and guidance on neurodivergence and available support/interventions.
Ethos And Values
* Promote a compassionate, patient-centred, and inclusive culture throughout the neurodevelopmental pathway.
* Ensure the service aligns with the organisation's ethos, values, and commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion.
* Embed a culture of respect, integrity, and continuous improvement, ensuring all staff are committed to providing the highest quality care for service users and their families.
Assessments:
You will undertake an amount of face to face and online neurodevelopmental assessments (autism and ADHD) for children and/or adults as part of a multidisciplinary team alongside your leadership responsibilities. These will include some or all of the following depending upon professional background/ experience.
* Parental/developmental interviews to explore the client's developmental history relating to autism, ADHD, and learning. This may include service-structured interviews and ADI-R, ACE, ACE+, or DIVA/Young DIVA assessments.
* Assessments are undertaken by clinicians based at one of our centres, or online for some parts, with the play based assessment and developmental history being completed at the same time for early years assessments. MDT meetings take place within these clinics or online.
* 1:1 play-based/ activity sessions with the young person/ adult as part of neurodevelopmental assessments.
* ADOS-2 Assessments.
* QBCheck.
* Cognitive assessments, e.g. WISC-V and WAIS-IV (Psychology applicants only).
* School observations.
* Liaison with schools and other professionals.
* Additional psychometrics.
* Multidisciplinary team meetings.
* Report writing: full Neurodevelopmental Assessment reports.
Training will be provided where required in line with service needs alongside supervision:
Professional and Ethical Standards
* Adhere to ethical and professional standards as set by the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC).
* Maintain accurate and timely clinical records, ensuring confidentiality and compliance with data protection regulations.
* Ensure that all clinical practices adhere to safeguarding policies and procedures, particularly when working with vulnerable children and adults.
Person Specification
Essential
Qualifications and Experience:
* A Professional registration in a relevant field (e.g., Clinical Psychology, Psychiatry, Speech and Language Therapy, Occupational Therapy).
* Current registration with the relevant professional body (e.g., GMC, HCPC, NMC).
* Experience in neurodevelopmental assessments and interventions, particularly in complex cases (e.g., autism, ADHD).
* Experience of working as part of a multidisciplinary assessment team.
* Knowledge of clinical governance, safeguarding, and risk management processes.
* Experience of routine clinical outcome monitoring.
* Experience in conducting clinical risk assessment and having a good understanding of issues relating to capacity and consent.
* Experience of managing complex caseloads and applying a range of interventions.
* Experience of using Patient Management Systems to record clinical notes and contacts, book and outcome appointments.
* Training and experience in ADOS; ADI-R; DIVA / Young DIVA.
* Experience of providing clinical supervision.
Skills And Competencies
* In-depth knowledge of neurodevelopmental disorders, diagnostic processes, and evidence-based interventions.
* Strong team management and motivational skills.
* Good communication and problem-solving skills, with the ability to communicate effectively and engage with patients, families, and professionals in a supportive and empathic way.
* Ability to communicate clearly the outcome of assessments.
* Strong organisational and time-management abilities.
* Competence in conducting risk assessments and managing complex clinical cases.
* The ability to manage own time and workload, managing competing demands simultaneously to meet required outcomes.
* Ability to work as part of a team, contributing to effectiveness, quality of services, skills and expertise.
* Ability to lead and motivate others.
* Knowledge of clinical guidelines and best practice in the field of neurodevelopmental assessment and treatment.
* A working knowledge of child and adult safeguarding legislation.
* Excellent IT skills.
* Driving licence & access to a vehicle.
* Strong literacy and report writing skills, with excellent accuracy and attention to detail.
Qualities And Values
* Evidence of a positive and proactive attitude, motivated and solution-focused.
* Collaborative and flexible working style with a focus on improving patient outcomes and the ability to foster a supportive team environment.
* Demonstrates values consistent with those of Oakdale Commitment to Oakdale's values.
* Commitment to the principles of inclusivity, equality and diversity, demonstrated in practice.
* Recognition of the need to be accountable for work through supervision, performance management and other relevant processes.
* Demonstrates empathy, compassion and a commitment to delivering high quality services.
* Commitment to ongoing professional development and staying current with clinical advancements.
* Able to work according to organisational policies and procedures.
* Strong organisational and time-management skills, with a focus on patient-centred care.
Desirable
* Postgraduate qualifications or specialist training in neurodevelopmental disorders.
* Previous leadership or management experience within a clinical setting, with proven ability to lead multi-disciplinary teams.
* Knowledge of digital assessment tools and emerging trends in neurodevelopmental services.
* Experience in staff training and service development.
What we offer: In return for the hard work and dedication of our teams, we offer the following benefits:
* Salary of £55,000 - £65,000.
* 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays (rising after the length of service).
* Enhanced Occupational Sick Pay (OSP).
* Cycle to work & enhanced car schemes.
* Simplyhealth Programme including Employee Assistance Programme, GP and priority physiotherapy access.
* Fully funded flu vaccines.
* Enhanced Pension.
* Employee discount scheme.
* Technology salary sacrifice scheme for home appliances, tablets, mobiles, TVs, fitness trackers, and more.
* A supportive culture that values work-life balance including agile working and the option to apply for flexible working from day one.
* Ongoing CPD (internal & external) - we work with experts to bring high-quality CPD to our teams, to help further their skills and knowledge, and to improve the support we provide.
Interviews will be offered on an ongoing basis - please do not delay applying.
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