Autism Family Support Practitioner

HOURS

21pw part time, fixed term contract for 1 year with possible extension

Reports to

• Family Support Manager
• About Resources For Autism (Rf A)

Since 1997 when we started as a small playgroup set up by parents dismayed at the lack of provision for their autistic children, Rf A has grown into a major deliverer of services and support in London and the West Midlands with a turnover of around £2.5m per year.

Our mission is to support and enable autistic people to live happy and fulfilling lives.

We want to change society’s attitude to autism whilst also providing essential services and enriching opportunities to autistic people.

We are a values-driven organisation which employs values-driven people who want to make a difference.

Our values are: Inclusion, Creativity, Compassion, Courageousness and Expert.

You will play a vital part in ensuring that we can resource and sustain this amazing work.

Our Services

All of our services across children and adults and parent/carers, mirror the wider organisational mission of providing safe, fun and meaningful support that enables personal development.

We provide this support by ensuring our staff are skilfully trained, meet the highest safeguarding expectations and are encouraged to develop and upskill throughout their career with Resources for Autism.

The Role

To deliver a specialist autism early intervention family support service for families known to Hackney Disabled Children's Service.

The postholder will work directly with autistic children and young people, parents, carers and siblings to de-escalate emerging crises, improve family functioning, strengthen parental confidence, and promote sustainable family independence.

Using a strengths-based, neuro-affirming and trauma-informed approach, you will undertake assessments, deliver home and community-based interventions, model practical behaviour support strategies, and contribute to successful step-down plans that reduce reliance on intensive statutory services.

• Main Responsibilities
• Deliver intensive short-term family support interventions lasting approximately 4-12 weeks.
• Work with approximately 10-15 families annually (depending on complexity and intensity).
• Undertake initial assessments alongside the Senior Practitioner and relevant professionals.
• Support families to identify strengths, needs, goals and desired outcomes.
• Collaboratively develop intervention plans and measurable objectives.
• Build trusting relationships with families who may be resistant to services or experiencing crisis.
• Provide practical support to improve routines, communication, emotional regulation, sleep, boundaries, transitions and daily living skills.
• Maintain a whole-family focus, considering the wellbeing of parents, carers and siblings alongside the autistic child.
• Deliver home-based and community-based sessions that model practical autism strategies.
• Demonstrate co-regulation techniques, visual supports, sensory strategies and communication approaches.
• Support parents and carers to understand behaviour as communication.
• Use approaches such as body doubling, parallel play, structured prompting and visual supports.
• Gradually build family confidence and independence through coaching and collaborative practice.
• Promote neuro-affirming and strengths-based approaches at all times.
• Professional Partnership Working
• Work closely with Hackney Disabled Children's Service and other professionals.
• Attend multi-agency meetings as required.
• Contribute observations and recommendations to support planning and decision‑making.
• Signpost and connect families to local community services, support groups and universal provision.
• Promote smooth step‑downs into lower-level or community-based support.
• Recording & Outcome Measurement
• Maintain accurate and timely case records.
• Use agreed outcome‑monitoring tools to evidence progress.
• Complete intervention plans, reviews and closure reports.
• Gather family feedback and outcome data.
• Contribute to service monitoring and evaluation requirements.
• Safeguard children, young people and vulnerable adults in accordance with organisational policies.
• Recognise and respond appropriately to safeguarding concerns.
• Report concerns immediately through established procedures.
• Undertake risk assessments and contribute to risk management plans.
• Maintain professional boundaries and confidentiality.
• Quality & Professional Development
• Participate in supervision, reflective practice and team meetings.
• Attend mandatory training and continuous professional development activities.
• Contribute to service development and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Keep up to date with developments in autism practice and neurodiversity.
• General
• Uphold and adhere to the values of Rf A at all times
• Ensure there is always compliance with Rf A’s safeguarding policies and procedures
• All staff are expected to promote equality in the workplace and in our services
• Undertake any other duties asked of you that are commensurate with your grade

This role may require occasional out of hours working at evenings, however this would be planned ahead.

Person Specification

Essential skills

Relevant qualification in social care, youth work, education, psychology, health, family support or related field, or equivalent experience.

Good understanding of autism and Neurodivergence.

Understanding of behaviour as communication.

Knowledge of safeguarding children and young people.

Understanding of strengths-based and person-centred practice.

Awareness of the challenges experienced by families of autistic children and young people.

Experience supporting autistic children, young people and/or their families.

Experience delivering direct support in family homes, schools or community settings.

Experience building positive relationships with parents and carers.

Experience managing challenging situations and supporting emotional regulation.

Experience maintaining case records and reports.

Ability to work independently and manage a caseload.

Ability to balance empathy with a clear focus on outcomes.

Knowledge of PDA, ADHD and sensory processing differences.

Understanding of local authority pathways and disabled children’s services.

Experience supporting families in crisis or at risk of breakdown.

Excellent communication skills (written and verbal) adaptable to different populations including: colleagues, external professionals, service users, families, volunteers, donors

• Strong organisational and prioritisation skills
• Good understanding of Safeguarding
• IT skills: proficient with Office 365
• Self-starter and able to work independently, using own initiative
• Non-judgemental, compassionate
• Confidentiality and safeguarding

You will have access to confidential information concerning families and other service users and will be required to maintain confidentiality at all times.

• All staff have the following safeguarding responsibilities
• Actively promote the safety, wellbeing and inclusion of all children, young people and vulnerable adults accessing our services.
• Follow organisational safeguarding policies, procedures and codes of conduct at all times.
• Maintaining clear professional boundaries and model safe, respectful and appropriate behaviour.
• Recognise and respond appropriately to safeguarding, welfare or behaviour-related concerns, reporting these promptly and in line with organisational procedures.
• Work in a way that reduces risk and supports positive behaviour, emotional regulation and individual communication needs.
• Contribute to a culture where safeguarding concerns are shared appropriately, listened to, and taken seriously.

90% of our staff say that Resources for Autism is “a great place to work”.

Not only will the work you do ensure we are making vital differences and inspiring others, but our other benefits also include:

• flexible working patterns with the option to work in a hybrid way (only available for some roles)
• 25 days of leave (pro rata for part time roles) each year plus 8 bank holidays and an additional 3 Celebration days that could be used between Christmas and new year, but may be used for other religious days or significant days such as your birthday
• access to ongoing training and progress in the areas that interest you
• access to our wellbeing initiatives and an Employee Assistance Programme
• enrolment on to our pension scheme
• a supportive, warm and fun working environment made up of values driven people who are passionate about changing the world for autistic people
• Application process

In order that we adhere to Safer Recruitment processes, all applicants are required to complete an application form which must include your full employment history with clear details, any gaps in employment need to be outlined and explained. You are also required to provide details of your full education history.

We particularly welcome applications from global majority candidates, LGBTQIA+ candidates and disabled candidates, because we would like to increase the representation of these groups at RFA.

We want to do this because we know greater diversity will lead to even greater results for our community.

As you would expect, we are a neuro-affirming employer, with a strengths and rights based approach to neurodiversity which affirms neurodivergent identity – we don’t want to “fix” or “cure” autism, and we don’t see it as a “disability” however we do recognise it can be “disabling”.

We are working to improve the ways in which we recruit and support neurodiverse employees and those with lived experience of neurodiversity.

Rf A is a Disability Confidant employer and candidates who meet the minimum essential criteria, that have a disability will be guaranteed an interview.

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