Advertised role location: Unit HQ, The Cottage
Official document: NHSCT-Autism Therpaist Band 6 (docx)
Autism Therapist
Job Description

Autism Therapist
Job Description


The Northern Health and Social Care Trust (NHSCT) is responsible for the delivery of safe and effective health and social care (HSC) services to the population of the Northern Trust area in Northern Ireland.
We provide compassionate care with our community in our community. In order to do this we require the commitment of a highly skilled and professional workforce that meets the need of the service.
The diagram below outlines our values and our objectives which support the delivery of compassionate care within our community.

The below diagram details the values and associated behaviours that we expect staff working within Health and Social Care (HSC) to display at all times;

HSC Value
 What does this mean?
 What does this look like in practice? - Behaviours

Working Together

We work together for the best outcome for people we care for and support. We work across Health and Social Care and with other external organisations and agencies, recognising that leadership is the responsibility of all.
 

I work with others and value everyone’s contribution
I treat people with respect and dignity
I work as part of a team looking for opportunities to support and help people in both my own and other teams
I actively engage people on issues that affect them
I look for feedback and examples of good practice, aiming to improve where possible

 Compassion

We are sensitive, caring, respectful and understanding towards those we care for and support and our colleagues. We listen carefully to others to better understand and take action to help them and ourselves.
 

I am sensitive to the different needs and feelings of others and treat people with kindness
I learn from others by listening carefully to them
I look after my own health and well-being so that I can care for and support others

 
Excellence

We commit to being the best we can be in our work, aiming to improve and develop services to achieve positive changes. We deliver safe, high-quality, compassionate care and support.
I put the people I care for and support at the centre of all I do to make a difference
I take responsibility for my decisions and actions
I commit to best practice and sharing learning, while continually learning and developing
I try to improve by asking ‘could we do this better?’

Openness & Honesty

We are open and honest with each other and act with integrity and candour.

I am open and honest in order to develop trusting relationships
I ask someone for help when needed
I speak up if I have concerns
I challenge inappropriate or unacceptable behaviour and practice


JOB DESCRIPTION

JOB TITLE: Autism Therapist

BAND: Band 6

DIRECTORATE/DIVISION: Children and Young people’s

INITIAL LOCATION: Trustwide with Ballymena base (The Cottage)
REPORTS TO: Service Lead for Paediatric Autism Service
ACCOUNTABLE TO: Director of Childrens & Young People Vivision

FLEXIBLE WORKING
PROVISIONS AVAILABLE: Full-time working, Fixed working patterns, Part-time working, Compressed/elongated hours, Average hours working patterns.

JOB SUMMARY:

As a member of a multi-disciplinary team the post holder will be directly involved in the assessment and treatment of children/adolescents and their families referred to the service. He/she will take on a caseload and act as a key worker for those people (across the diagnostic and intervention service).

KEY RESULT AREAS / MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES

To be part of consultative team providing advice, support and help to those caring for children, adolescents and their families.

To be responsible for the specialist autism assessment and diagnosis in children & young people, including those with a complex presentation.

To provide specialist advice and treatment approaches including parent training programmes for autistic children & young people or those awaiting assessment, as appropriate and indicated.

To contribute to the multi-professional reports for carers and professionals involved with each child/young person.

To provide advice and support to parents/carers in relation to the experoences and dofferences autistic children and young people may experience through assessment of need appointments.

To participate in the delivery of intervention programmes into the Paediatric Autism Service.

To liaise with other professionals with regard to the future management of children & young people referred to the Paediatric Autism service as part of a tailored care plan.

To set up and monitor programmes to be carried out by other key workers, including parents/carers.

To provide clinical advice and support to other health care professionals.

To participate in interdisciplinary working and multidisciplinary /trans-disciplinary working with other professionals to ensure effective case planning for autistic children & young people or those on the waiting list for assessment.

To provide comprehensive reports when required.

To carry out domiciliary and playgroup/Nursery/school visits as required and as laid down in Local Guidelines.

To liaise formally and informally with other disciplines and voluntary agencies relevant to the client group.

To participate in case conferences/discussion meetings as required.

To participate in providing services to autistic children & young people with Autism, in conjunction with the Service Lead for Paediatric Autism.

To be committed to personal development and acquisition of further skills and knowledge as required, maintaining specialist knowledge in the area of Autism.

Participate in the approved system of staff development and performance review.

To be responsible for the maintenance of clinical records and collection of statistical data.

To evaluate and advise on materials to support autistic children & young people e.g. visual strategies.

To be responsible for the care and maintenance of assessment and therapeutic materials.

To recognise the boundaries of own clinical competence and seek advice, support, and second opinion as necessary.

To supervise undergraduate students within your profession.

To participate in the planning, provision and evaluation of teaching /training for other health & social care professionals involved with this client group in core services in conjunction with the Service Lead for Paediatric Autism.

To participate in the planning, provision and evaluation of teaching /training for parents/carers of autistic children/young people.

To participate in in-service Autism training for other professionals.

To participate in the induction and training of new staff as required.

To participate in research/audit /monitoring procedures as appropriate.

To support and supervise more junior staff in relation to the provision of services for autistic children & young people.

Contribute to service protocols, standards and guidelines of practice in conjunction with the Service Lead for Paediatric Autism.

Facilitate the effective transfer of information and cases between Autism services and core services.

Contribute to effective joint working protocols where complex children receive support from specialist core services.

In conjunction with the Service Lead, monitor and evaluate quality standards for the specialism.

To participate in recruitment and selection procedures as required.

To be aware of and adhere to current legislation in relation to the post.

To attend and participate in all staff meetings as required.

To carry out administrative duties pertaining to the post.

To contribute to the clinical governance activity of the Paediatric Autism Service.

To carry out other designated duties, which may be required from time to time relating to the particular needs of the service.

GENERAL RESPONSIBILITIES

Employees of the Trust will be required to promote and support the mission and vision of the service for which they are responsible and:-

At all times provide a caring service and to treat those with whom they come into contact in a courteous and respectful manner

At all times demonstrate practice the HSC values of Working Together, Excellence, Openness & Honesty and Compassion

Carry out their duties and responsibilities in a manner which assures patient and client safety

Comply with all instructions in regard to Infection Prevention and Control

Demonstrate their commitment by their regular attendance and the efficient completion of all tasks allocated to them

Comply with the Trust’s Smoke Free Policy

Carry out their duties and responsibilities in compliance with health and safety policy and statutory regulations

Adhere to equal opportunities policy throughout the course of their employment

Ensure the ongoing confidence of the public in service provision

Adhere to the Code of Conduct for HSC Employees which aims to guide staff, managers and employers in the work that they do and the decisions and choices they have to make. Professional staff are expected to follow the code of conduct for their own professions as well as this code.

The post holder will promote and support effective team working, fostering a culture of openness and transparency. The post holder will ensure that they take all concerns raised with them seriously and act in accordance with the NHSCT Raising Concerns Policy and their professional code of conduct, where applicable.


RECORDS MANAGEMENT

All employees of the Northern Health & Social Care Trust are legally responsible for all records held, created or used as part of their business within the Northern Health and Social Care Trust, including patient/client, corporate and administrative records whether paper based or electronic and also including e-mails. All such records are public records and are accessible to the general public, with limited exceptions, under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, the Environment Regulations 2004, the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. Employees are required to be conversant and to comply with the Northern Health and Social Care Trust policies on Information Governance including (for example) the ICT Security Policy, Data Quality and Data Protection Policy and Records Management Policy and to seek advice if in doubt.

SALARY
BAND 6 £38,682 - £46,580 per annum (pro-rata for part-time)

RIGHT TO WORK IN THE UK
Please note this role may not meet the requirements for a Skilled Worker visa (including a Heath and Care Worker visa) and the Trust therefore would be unable to employ anyone that requires Sponsorship. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/uk-visas-and-immigration).


HOURS
Normal full-time hours of duty are 37½ hours per week, exclusive of meal times

MEDICAL
Appointment will be subject to a successful pre-employment health assessment.

HOLIDAYS
27 days each year; 29 days after 5 years’ service; 33 days after 10 years’ service and 10 statutory and public holidays.

PENSION
The post-holder can participate in the Health Social Care Pension Scheme.

NORTHERN TRUST BENEFITS
You can explore the benefits on offer to you in the Northern Trust by clicking here

PROBATIONARY PERIOD
You will serve a probationary period of normally six months.

WAITING LIST
A waiting list may be compiled for similar permanent / temporary, full / part timeposts which may arise within the next 6 months in the Paediatric Autism Service.

PAY PROTECTION

Legacy Trust Staff who apply for a promotion after 1 April 2011 should be aware that they will lose their legacy protection arrangements and will be entitled to pay protection in accordance with circular HSS (JNF)(1) 2011. This circular will also apply to legacy staff who are currently in receipt of protection and who move post on promotion.

Completed application forms should be returned to the BSO Recruitment and Selection Shared Services Centre, on or before the closing date as stated in the advertisement.

Canvassing, either directly or indirectly, will be an absolute disqualification.

We will review this Job Description and it may include any other duties and responsibilities we determine in consultation with the jobholder. We do not intend it to be rigid and inflexible but rather to provide guidelines within which the jobholder works.

(Sept/2026)

PERSONNEL SPECIFICATION

Title of Post: Autism Therapist
Band of Post: Band 6

Notes to applicants:
You must clearly demonstrate on your application form under each question, how you meet the required criteria as failure to do so may result in you not being shortlisted. You should clearly demonstrate this for both the essential and desirable criteria.
Shortlisting will be carried out on the basis of the essential criteria set out in Section 1 below, using the information provided by you on your application form.
Proof of qualifications and/or professional registration will be required if an offer of employment is made – if you are unable to provide this, the offer may be withdrawn.
Volunteering experience may be considered appropriate in particular for roles within the context of direct patient/client care.

ESSENTIAL CRITERIA


SECTION 1: The following are ESSENTIAL criteria which will initially be measured at shortlisting stage although may also be further explored during the interview/selection stage. You should therefore make it clear on your application form whether or not you meet these criteria. Failure to do so may result in you not being shortlisted. The stage in the process when the criteria will be measured is stated below.

Factor
Criteria

Method of Assessment

Qualifications/ Registration

Experience
2 years’ post qualifying experience working with autistic children or adolescents.
Registered Nurse, Registered Social worker or Allied Health Professional in Speech & Language Therapy or Occupational therapy, which is recognised by the appropriate governing body.

Current Registration with appropriate governing body/bodies.

Shortlisting by Application Form

Other
Hold a current full driving licence which is valid for use in the UK and have access to a car on appointment. This criteria will be waived in the case of applicants whose disability prohibits driving but who have access to a form of transport approved by the Trust which will permit them to carry out the duties of the post.

Shortlisting by Application Form

SECTION 2: The following are ESSENTIAL criteria which will be measured during the interview/ selection stage:

Skills / Abilities
Excellent communication skills to meet the needs of the post in full.
Skills in the use of assessment, intervention and management of the client group.
Ability to use initiative
Ability to be innovative and work both independently and as part of a team
Ability to support junior staff
Flexibility in service delivery
Ability to work in a computer literate environment.
Interview / Test

Knowledge
Commitment to training and development relevant to post and Paediatric Autism.
Knowledge of current trends in the HPSS and Education including their impact on service delivery.
Knowledge of relevant legislation, national, regional and local strategies and policies relating to this client group .
Knowledge of autism diagnostic criteria & assessment used including awareness of assessments used e.g. ADOS , ADI-R, DSM 5
Knowledge of a range of supports for client group.
Knowledge of multidisciplinary and trans-disciplinary working.

Interview / Test

Value Based Recruitment
Value Based Recruitment is a process adopted by the Northern Trust to attract and select employees on the basis that their individual values and behaviours align with those of the Trust.
It focuses on the ‘how’ and ‘why’ people do what they do.
Candidates who are short-listed for interview will need to demonstrate at interview that they have the required knowledge, skills, competencies and values to be effective in this new role.
In answering the value based questions you have the opportunity to share examples of when you have demonstrated values relevant to the Northern Trust.

Criminal Offences, Investigations and Charges
Having a criminal record will not necessarily debar you from working with the Trust.  This will depend on the nature of the position, together with the circumstances and background of your offences or other information contained on a disclosure certificate.  Where it is necessary to obtain an Access NI disclosure the Trust operates in line with the Access NI Code of Practice (www.nidirect.gov.uk/publications/accessni-code-practice).

If you require further information or a copy of the policy on the recruitment of ex-offenders or the policy on the Secure Handling, Use, Storage and Retention of Disclosure Information, please contact the Trust Human Resources Department.

As part of the Recruitment & Selection process it may be necessary for the Trust to carry out an Enhanced Disclosure Check through Access NI before any appointment to this post can be confirmed.

THE NHSCT IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES EMPLOYER

Successful applicants:
may be required to attend for a Health Assessment
can expect to be placed at the minimum point of the pay scale, although a higher starting salary, within the range  of the pay band may be available if the person appointed has experience relevant & equivalent to the post.  If the successful candidate is an existing HSC employee moving to a higher band, AfC Pay on Promotion will apply.
have the right to request Flexible Working from the 1st day of their employment. A number of flexible working provisions are offered by all HSC Organisations including Full-time working, Fixed working patterns, Part-time working, Flexi-time, Compressed/elongated hours, Average hours working patterns, Term-time working, Job-share or Homeworking for some or all of the working pattern, depending on the role being undertaken. Successful applicants are encouraged to discuss with their manager what Flexible Working provisions may be available in the role they are taking up, prior to commencing employment, to help them achieve a positive Work/Life Balance.
(Sept 2026)