Package Description
We are looking for an experienced and highly skilled Clinical Psychologist, Registered Allied Health Professional or Registered Nurse to join our JADES (Journey of Autism Diagnosis and Early Support) Team within the Essex Child and Family Wellbeing Service.

This is an exciting opportunity to play a key role within a specialist multidisciplinary autism assessment service, providing highly specialist assessment for children and young people referred for autism assessment and contributing to diagnostic decision-making as part of a collaborative multidisciplinary team.

Based at the Florence Nightingale Child Development Centre in Harlow, you will work alongside Community Paediatricians, Clinical Psychologists, Speech and Language Therapists, Nurses and other experienced professionals to deliver high-quality, child-centred assessments and support for children, young people and families.

As a highly specialist practitioner, you will bring advanced clinical expertise in neurodevelopmental assessment, contribute to service development initiatives, support pathway performance targets and provide supervision, advice and specialist guidance to colleagues across the service.

We welcome applications from candidates seeking either full-time or part-time working arrangements.

Main Responsibilities
As a Band 7 Highly Specialist Autism Practitioner, you will:

• Provide highly specialist assessment for children and young people referred for autism assessment and contribute to multidisciplinary diagnostic decision-making.
• Manage complex clinical cases across a range of settings including Child Development Centres, Family Hubs, schools and, where required, home visits.
• Assess, analyse and interpret complex information to contribute to differential diagnosis and clinical understanding of autism.
• Develop clinical formulations and contribute to clear, evidence-informed recommendations within assessment reports.
• Support children, families and professionals throughout the assessment process, including communicating complex and sensitive information regarding outcomes and recommendations.
• Contribute specialist reports and recommendations, including reports that support Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) and tribunal processes where appropriate.
• Provide clinical advice, specialist knowledge and support to colleagues and partner agencies.
• Support and supervise junior colleagues and contribute to the delivery of training for professionals, carers and wider team members.
• Contribute to service development, clinical governance, audits and pathway improvements, including supporting key performance targets such as waiting times.
• Work collaboratively with health, education and community partners to ensure coordinated, child-centred care.

The Ideal Candidate
To be successful in this role, you will have:

• Registration as a Clinical Psychologist, Registered Nurse or Allied Health Professional, together with membership of your relevant professional body.
• Evidence of relevant postgraduate training within a specialist area and a commitment to continuing professional development.
• Highly specialist knowledge of neurodevelopmental assessment and the presentation of autism in children and young people.
• Knowledge of standardised autism assessment tools, including awareness of ADOS-2.
• Experience of managing a clinical caseload and working with children and young people within a relevant clinical setting.
• Experience supporting or supervising colleagues and contributing to training activities.
• Excellent communication, interpersonal and relationship-building skills, with the ability to communicate complex and sensitive information effectively.
• Strong analytical, clinical reasoning and problem-solving skills.

Desirable experience includes:

• Working within autism assessment services.
• Using standardised autism assessment tools such as ADOS-2.
• Contributing to service development or quality improvement initiatives.

Please note: The successful applicant will need to have a full valid UK driving Licence with access to a vehicle for work purposes.

If you would like to discuss the role further, please contact Sarah Eaton via email: sarah.eaton@hcrgcaregroup.com. We welcome applicants who may be interested in either part-time or full-time roles.

About the Company
We change lives by transforming health and care.

Established in 2006, we are one of the UK's leading independent providers of community health and care services, working with health and care commissioners and communities to transform services with a focus on experience, efficiency and improved outcomes.

We deliver and transform adult and children community health services, primary care services including urgent care, sexual health, dermatology and MSK services, as well as adult social care and wellbeing services. Across England, we support communities of many millions and directly help more than half a million people each year, guided by our simple values: We Care, We Think, We Do.

We're committed to equal opportunities and welcome applications from a broad, diverse range of people who want to join our team. We're a Disability Confident Committed employer and work to ensure our recruitment processes and workplaces are inclusive and accessible for everyone.

While it doesn't happen often, sometimes a role is very popular, and we'll need to close it earlier than advertised. If you're keen to join our team, we'd love to hear from you, so please apply as soon as possible.

As you'd expect, safeguarding and protecting the children, young people and vulnerable adults that we work with is of the utmost importance. Everyone who joins the team is subject to a safer recruitment process, including criminal records and vetting checks.

Finally, we need to let you know that the company you'll work for is part of HCRG Care Group Holdings Limited and by applying for this role we'll need to process and hold information about you. For more information about how we use your data, please refer to our website privacy policy.

Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
Registration as a Clinical Psychologist, Registered Nurse or Allied Health Professional, together with membership of your relevant professional body. Evidence of relevant postgraduate training within a specialist area and a commitment to continuing professional development. Highly specialist knowledge of neurodevelopmental assessment and the presentation of autism in children and young people.

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.

UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website.

Employer contact details
For questions about the job, contact:
Recruitment Team, HCRG Care Group, ask.hr@hcrgcaregroup.com

Closing date: 22 November 2026