Highly Specialist Neurodevelopmental Practitioner

Due to fixed‑term funding, we are looking to recruit part‑time or full‑time B7 ND Practitioners to join our Paediatric Neurodiversity Assessment Service. Applicants will be SLTs, OTs or Nurses with significant clinical experience in working with and supporting children and young people with neurodivergent profiles and their families, and experience in contributing to/leading on the neurodiversity assessment and diagnostic process.

We have strong links with our partners in education, social care and the third sector and as a whole system we are committed to altering the narrative around reliance on ND diagnoses, and exploring new and innovative ways of working with a focus on impact and outcomes. You will join a team of SLTs, Nurses, an OT, a Pharmacist, a HCSW, Paediatricians and Psychiatrists. Operational management will be provided by the AHP and Nurse leads and professional supervision will be provided as appropriate from your relevant specialty. These posts are fixed term/secondments until the end of April 2027 due to funding. If you are interested in applying for it as a secondment, please obtain permission from your current line manager prior to applying.

Main duties of the job

• Provide highly specialist detailed and expert assessment as part of the ASD and/or ADHD diagnostic pathways, within a multi‑disciplinary setting.
• Attend and fully participate in multi‑agency referral and assessment panel meetings.
• Utilise highly specialist skilled evaluations and decisions to negotiate and contribute to differential diagnoses.
• Communicate in a highly sensitive manner, information concerning the assessment outcomes and diagnosis plan including written reports.
• Work as part of the multi‑disciplinary team to provide a high standard of service to children, young people and their families of Cwm Taf Morgannwg UHB.
• Autonomously manage a caseload of children and young people presenting with neurodivergent profiles, with highly specialist complex needs, using evidence‑based principles.
• Being trained to undertake ADOS assessments is desirable but not essential as this training will be funded if needed.
• Nurses joining us with an interest in undertaking their nurse prescribing qualification would also be welcomed and funding would be considered to pursue this.

CTM employees enjoy benefits including; a leading pension, generous leave, flexible work, career growth, and access to ongoing learning and development.

Job responsibilities

The post holder will work within the Paediatric Neurodiversity Assessment Service, which is part of the Child and Family Care Group. As a service we cover the CTM footprint, across Bridgend, Merthyr Tydfil and Rhondda Cynon Taf Local Authorities. The named base for the successful applicant will be negotiable, but likely to be Keir Hardie Health Park in Merthyr Tydfil. Cross cover across the whole CTM region will be required to support the needs of the service.

The post holder will be expected to deliver highly specialist detailed and expert assessment as part of the Neurodiversity Service, within a multi‑disciplinary setting. The post holder will be expected to work collaboratively with the multi‑disciplinary team and use highly specialist skills to negotiate and contribute to differential diagnosis. The post holder will work with the wider therapies and nursing services to ensure access to the appropriate level of assessment. The post holder will work autonomously to provide a differential diagnosis to children with complex needs including those required on the ASD and/or ADHD pathways, using evidence‑based principles. This will include domiciliary visits to home, school or appropriate venue.

Welsh Skills Desirable: This post is advertised as Welsh Desirable. This doesn’t mean essential; whilst the candidate doesn’t need to have skills in Welsh, we’ll consider it an advantage when short‑listing and selecting candidates. This isn’t fluency, just Speaking & Listening skills at Level 3 (equivalent to CEFR B2) or above. Level 3 means basic conversations with patients about their everyday health.

Person Specification

Knowledge

• Specialist knowledge of professional assessments and interventions relevant to the Paediatric setting and specialist area of Neurodevelopmental Disorders especially ASD and/or ADHD; knowledge and understanding of current agenda for health and social care policy including legislation and application into clinical area; detailed knowledge and application of principles of clinical governance and risk management; detailed understanding of the principles of partnership working.
• Detailed knowledge and understanding of the principles of working within the specialist area of Neurodevelopmental Disorders within an MDT approach; knowledge of national and professional drivers for service provision for client group e.g. NICE Guidelines; up‑to‑date knowledge of assessments and interventions particularly for children/young people with Neurodevelopmental Disorders.
• Knowledge of standardised and non‑standardised assessments that can be used with client group; interest and involvement in quality, audit and service evaluation; detailed knowledge and understanding of professional ethics/standards and code of conduct, and their application in practice.

Qualifications

• Speech and Language Therapy/OT/Nursing Degree; Member of HCPC/NMC; Ability to work at Masters Level; Post‑graduate training in a wide selection of clinical conditions and advanced training in area of specialism – ASD/ADHD; Member of RCSLT/NMC/RCOT.

Experience

• Extensive post‑graduate clinical experience with appropriate experience in specialist area related to post; demonstratable experience at professional grade equivalent or at B6; awareness of current professional issues; experience of advising/teaching; experience of supervisory skills; experience of managing complex caseloads; experience of MDT/multi‑agency working; experience of supervision of junior/support staff/students; experience of research and audit.
• Experience of advising/teaching; experience of supervisory skills; management experience and service development.

Skills

• Ability to lead a team; professional confidence to represent service on relevant issues; ability to reflect and appraise own performance; demonstrable interpersonal and communication skills; ability to reflect and critically appraise own performance; highly effective written and verbal communication skills and the ability to communicate in a way which will neither offend nor antagonise; autonomous practitioner with excellent personal organisational skills for caseload.
• Welsh language skills in Speaking/Listening at Level 3 or above.

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.

Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board £50,129 to £57,365 a year per annum, pro rata for part time.