Job summary
Neurodivergent Lead
Adult Social Care Grade 5A (scp 43-45)
Location: Salford Civic Centre

Join us at an exciting time for Adult Social Care in Salford. Salford City Council is continuing to strengthen and evolve its Adult Social Care services, with a clear commitment to inclusion, innovation and person centred practice. As part of this, we are creating a specialist role that will play a pivotal part in improving outcomes for neurodivergent adults across the city. This is a unique opportunity to work in a forward thinking service that values professional expertise, partnership working and creative approaches to support.

Main duties of the job
As Neurodivergent Lead, you will:

• Hold a direct, complex caseload of neurodivergent adults, offering specialist interventions and advocacy that go beyond traditional models of support, whilst indirectly supervising front-line staff in their interventions with neurodivergent adults
• Promote strengths based, person centred and anti-oppressive practice across Adult Social Care
• Provide expert advice, consultation and guidance to colleagues working with neurodivergent people
• Develop and deliver training, guidance and resources to improve understanding and practice across services
• Undertake statutory duties under the Care Act, Mental Capacity Act and safeguarding legislation, using your specialist knowledge to support positive risk taking and rights based practice
• Work closely with partners with a focus on prevention across childrens services, health, housing, the voluntary sector, public health, the police and commissioning to ensure coordinated, multidisciplinary support
• Contribute to service development, gathering intelligence to enhance quality improvement, research and innovation in line with local and national priorities

About us
The interview process has been co-produced with neurodivergent people to ensure it is inclusive, accessible, and reflective of diverse perspectives.

The interview will consist of three short panel discussions. Each panel will include a combination of an Adult Social Care Senior Manager, Experts by Experience, and representatives from commissioned services. Candidates will rotate between the panels, discussing a specific topic at each one.

Details of the interview topics will be provided following a successful application and invitation to interview.

If you are invited to interview, we would be grateful if you could provide a short bio, no more than 200 words, to share with the panel members. This should include information about yourself, your interests, and any relevant skills, knowledge, or work experience that you would like the panel to be aware of.

This vacancy will remain open for up to one month; however, we reserve the right to close the advert early.

Interviews are scheduled to take place on the 7th October 2026. Due to the coordination required to support the participation of Experts by Experience and representatives from commissioned service providers, we are unfortunately unable to offer alternative interview dates.

We would therefore encourage applicants to ensure they are available on the advertised interview date before submitting an application.

Job responsibilities
Join us at an exciting time for Adult Social Care in Salford. Salford City Council is continuing to strengthen and evolve its Adult Social Care services, with a clear commitment to inclusion, innovation and person centred practice. As part of this, we are creating a specialist role that will play a pivotal part in improving outcomes for neurodivergent adults across the city. This is a unique opportunity to work in a forward thinking service that values professional expertise, partnership working and creative approaches to support.

We are recruiting a Neurodivergent Lead to provide specialist practice leadership and direct support to neurodivergent adults, including people with autism, ADHD and learning difficulties. The role will also support future strategic intentions. This is a highly impactful role, combining direct social work practice with service development, training and consultation. You will work across teams and with partner organisations and people to influence practice, challenge traditional models of care and help shape a more inclusive system that recognises and builds on the strengths of neurodivergent people.

About the role
As Neurodivergent Lead, you will:

• Hold a direct, complex caseload of neurodivergent adults, offering specialist interventions and advocacy that go beyond traditional models of support, whilst indirectly supervising front-line staff in their interventions with neurodivergent adults
• Promote strengths based, person centred and anti-oppressive practice across Adult Social Care
• Provide expert advice, consultation and guidance to colleagues working with neurodivergent people
• Develop and deliver training, guidance and resources to improve understanding and practice across services
• Undertake statutory duties under the Care Act, Mental Capacity Act and safeguarding legislation, using your specialist knowledge to support positive risk taking and rights based practice
• Work closely with partners with a focus on prevention across childrens services, health, housing, the voluntary sector, public health, the police and commissioning to ensure coordinated, multidisciplinary support
• Contribute to service development, gathering intelligence to enhance quality improvement, research and innovation in line with local and national priorities

You will play a key role in shaping how Adult Social Care responds to neurodivergence, ensuring services are accessible, legally compliant and focused on meaningful outcomes.

What we're looking for
We are seeking a skilled and values driven leader who:

• Has in depth experience of working with neurodivergent adults
• Brings strong knowledge of relevant legislation, including the Care Act 2014, Mental Capacity Act 2005 and Equality Act 2010
• Demonstrates empathy, integrity and a strong commitment to social justice and inclusion
• Is confident working in complex, multi-agency environments
• Has advanced communication skills and can adapt approaches to meet diverse communication and sensory needs
• Can influence, support and challenge practice through consultation, mentoring and training
• Is motivated by innovation, bringing energy to learning and to continuous improvement

You will be reflective, resilient and comfortable working at pace, balancing statutory responsibilities with creativity and compassion.

About the interview
The interview process has been co-produced with neurodivergent people to ensure it is inclusive, accessible, and reflective of diverse perspectives.

The interview will consist of three short panel discussions. Each panel will include a combination of an Adult Social Care Senior Manager, Experts by Experience, and representatives from commissioned services. Candidates will rotate between the panels, discussing a specific topic at each one.

Details of the interview topics will be provided following a successful application and invitation to interview.

If you are invited to interview, we would be grateful if you could provide a short bio, no more than 200 words, to share with the panel members. This should include information about yourself, your interests, and any relevant skills, knowledge, or work experience that you would like the panel to be aware of.

This vacancy will remain open for up to one month; however, we reserve the right to close the advert early.

Interviews are scheduled to take place on the 7th October 2026. Due to the coordination required to support the participation of Experts by Experience and representatives from commissioned service providers, we are unfortunately unable to offer alternative interview dates.

We would therefore encourage applicants to ensure they are available on the advertised interview date before submitting an application.

Why Salford?
Working with us means:

• Being part of a service that genuinely values inclusion, lived experience and specialist expertise
• Having the opportunity to influence practice and service design at a systems level
• Working in a supportive environment with a strong emphasis on learning, development and collaboration
• Making a tangible difference to the lives of neurodivergent adults in Salford

We recognise the demands of specialist social work roles and are committed to providing high support alongside high challenge.

Interested?
We welcome informal conversations prior to application and encourage interested candidates to explore whether this innovative role is the right fit for them. For any questions or to arrange a conversation, please email Lisa Sherlock at Lisa.Sherlock@nca.nhs.uk, who will arrange for the appropriate recruitment panel member to respond.

Please be aware that this post is subject to a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check. If you have lived or worked abroad for 3 months or more in the last 5 years or 12 months or more (whether continuously or in total) in the last 10 years whilst aged 18 or over, please refer to the link below for details for how to obtain your Certificates of Good Character. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/crimi

Want to know more about Salford?
As an authority we are dedicated to improving the lives of our residents, and as an employer we are passionate about helping individuals to thrive in their work. We are committed to developing a diverse and inclusive culture and are proud of our professional accreditations which champion this.

Find out about our city as a place to live, work & grow, and learn more about the amazing work we are doing. You'll also find out about the wealth of benefits we have to offer you on our Salford pages!

Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential

• You must hold a current registration with Social Work England.

Desirable

• Possession of a recognised Social Work or other qualification; Degree, CQSW, CSS, Dip SW or equivalent.

What we need from you.
Essential

• To model and demonstrate our values and behaviours.
• You must clearly evidence an understanding of the principles and values underlying the Care Act 2014, Mental Capacity Act 2005 and other relevant legislation.
• You must clearly evidence an understanding of the integration agenda and the promotion of the independence (enablement) model of health and social care.
• You must clearly evidence an understanding of the integration agenda and the promotion of the independence (enablement) model of health and social care.
• Demonstrate a thorough understanding of personalisation and a person-centred approach.
• You must clearly demonstrate that you can maintain accurate records and communicate complex information clearly and concisely, both verbally and in written form.
• You must clearly demonstrate that you have a clear understanding of the social work role in a multi-disciplinary setting.
• Experience of working with adults/older people.
• Have a good standard of computer skills.
• You have additional qualifications: Best Interest Assessors, AMHP, Practice Educator, Post Qualifying courses, or other professional development qualifications.
• You can evidence an innovative approach to the development of new methods of working to support people in the community.
• You can show knowledge of relevant Welfare Rights Legislation.
• You must clearly evidence your ability to develop effective working relationships with service users and their carers, and show evidence of good assessment practice. Demonstrate the ability to develop effective working relationships with other professionals and colleagues.
• Possess skills of negotiation, mediation and de escalation and seeking constructive approaches to problem solving.

Desirable

• Undertake research and collate intelligence on good practice, service gaps and service models to inform service development and redesign. Presenting this information strategically to inform future commissioning initiatives and wider support.
• Be a representative at partnership boards and people forums.
• Undertake external service benchmarking against comparable organisations.

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 (opens in a new window).

Privacy Statement and Data Protection: Our core data protection obligations and commitments are set out in the council's primary Recruitment and Employment Privacy Notice which can be found at https://www.salford.gov.uk/gdpr.