Children & Young Peoples ASD Assessor in Redditch

We’re looking for a skilled and compassionate clinician to join our Children & Young People’s Autism (ASD) Assessment Service. You’ll play a key role in delivering high quality, evidence‑based autism assessments for children and young people, working within a governed MDT pathway aligned to NICE guidance and local commissioning requirements. Your day might begin by reviewing referral information and planning assessment activity, followed by meeting a family to explore developmental history and functional impact. Later, you could be gathering school‑based evidence, contributing to MDT diagnostic discussions, or writing a clear, neurodiversity‑affirming report. Throughout, you’ll be supported by experienced colleagues, structured governance, and a collaborative multidisciplinary team. This role exists because demand for CYP autism assessments continues to rise nationally and locally. By joining us, you’ll help reduce waiting times while maintaining the highest standards of safety, quality, and defensible clinical decision making.

Main duties of the job

• Deliver structured ASD assessments in line with NICE guidance and service SOPs.
• Review referrals and identify when alternative pathways are required.
• Gather multi‑informant evidence across home and education settings using validated tools.
• Lead initial appointments and coordinate assessment activity where required.
• Contribute to MDT diagnostic decision making using DSM‑5/ICD‑11 criteria.
• Identify co‑occurring needs and elevate safeguarding concerns appropriately.
• Produce high quality, timely assessment reports and communicate outcomes sensitively to families.
• Maintain accurate clinical records and follow governance processes, including consent, confidentiality and incident reporting.
• Work with Operations to support smooth pathway flow and reduce avoidable delays.
• Liaise with CAMHS, paediatrics and education partners to support safe onward planning and signposting.

This role does not include prescribing responsibilities.

About us

Vertis Health is a GP‑owned organisation in Primary Care Worcestershire. We deliver safe, evidence‑based community services through clinician‑led teams, robust governance, and practical, data‑driven improvement.

Job responsibilities

To deliver high‑quality autism (ASD) assessments for children and young people in line with NICE guidance, Vertis Health SOPs, and commissioned service requirements. The postholder will contribute to safe, timely diagnostic decision‑making through structured assessment, multi‑informant evidence gathering across settings, MDT discussion, and high‑quality reporting. Outcomes and recommendations will be communicated clearly to families and shared with GPs, with appropriate signposting and onward referral routes used where unmet needs are identified.

Key working relationships:

• Neurodevelopmental Service Lead
• Consultant Psychiatrist / designated senior clinical oversight
• Operations and administration teams (booking, communications, pathway flow)
• MDT clinicians across ASD and ADHD pathways (psychology, nursing, SALT, OT and assistants as applicable)
• Safeguarding and governance leads
• Referring GPs
• Education partners (information gathering and reasonable adjustments, within consent and information governance)

Main duties and responsibilities:

Clinical assessment and diagnostic contribution:

• Undertake CYP ASD assessments in line with service SOPs and NICE guidance, integrating developmental history, neurodevelopmental history, functional impact and differential considerations.
• Review referral information and supporting evidence to determine suitability for assessment, including identifying when assessment should be delayed or redirected due to instability or complexity that requires alternative routes.
• Gather and integrate multi‑informant evidence across settings (home and education), including use of validated questionnaires and objective assessment measures as required by the pathway model.
• Conduct an initial appointment to establish background and contextual information and coordinate assessment activity as required by the pathway (including acting as case coordinator for the family during the assessment episode where this is part of the model).
• Participate in MDT discussion and contribute to diagnostic decision‑making within governed diagnostic processes aligned to DSM‑5/ICD‑11 criteria, ensuring conclusions are evidence‑based and defensible.
• Identify co‑occurring needs and risk factors (including safeguarding), escalating appropriately via clinical governance routes.

Documentation and communication:

• Produce high‑quality ASD assessment reports within agreed timeframes, written in clear, neurodiversity‑affirming language, including the child’s needs, reasonable adjustments/support recommendations, and outcomes tailored to the individual.
• Communicate outcomes (diagnosis or non‑diagnosis) sensitively to families and share results with the GP in line with consent and information governance requirements.
• Provide practical, age‑appropriate advice and signposting (for example, sensory needs, emotional wellbeing, sleep routine strategies and other self‑help strategies) within service remit.
• Ensure records are accurate, timely and complete, using agreed templates and documentation standards.

Governance, safeguarding and quality

• Practice within safeguarding legislation and organisational safeguarding procedures, identifying concerns promptly and escalating appropriately.
• Work within clinical governance requirements including consent, capacity, confidentiality, incident reporting, learning review processes and escalation routes.
• Participate in supervision, reflective practice, audit/service evaluation and pathway improvement activity to strengthen quality and consistency.

Pathway working and interfaces

• Work closely with Operations to support smooth pathway flow (reducing avoidable delay, DNAs and rework).
• Support safe interface with CYP ADHD assessment pathways where dual presentation is suspected, following agreed internal processes and ensuring clarity with families about remit and next steps.
• Liaise appropriately with partner services (for example CAMHS, community paediatrics and local support organisations) primarily to ensure safe onward planning and signposting, not to provide ongoing treatment outside scope.

This post does not include prescribing responsibilities. Any medication‑related decisions sit with the appropriate medical or prescribing services within the wider NHS system, in line with agreed pathways and commissioning arrangements. The postholder is responsible for ensuring that assessment documentation is clear and complete, and that any clinical concerns relevant to medication consideration are communicated appropriately via governance routes.

Professional standards and safeguarding.

The postholder is required to practice within professional scope, maintain registration, and follow all Vertis Health policies, NHS‑aligned governance standards, and safeguarding procedures. The postholder will maintain mandatory training, attend supervision, and evidence ongoing CPD appropriate to the role.

Indicative job plan (37.5 hours per week)

• Clinical activity (assessments/feedback): 18 hours a week
• Report writing and clinical documentation: 8 hours a week
• MDT/governance/audit/incident learning: 3.5 hours a week
• Service contribution/admin/liaison (information gathering, letters, calls): 2.4 hours a week

The job plan will be reviewed at 3 months and annually to ensure alignment with service need, quality standards, and clinical risk.

Person Specification

• Professional qualification and registration appropriate to role (e.g. HCPC/NMC registered professional with relevant CYP experience).
• Significant post‑qualification experience working with children and young people in neurodevelopmental, paediatric, CAMHS or closely related settings.
• Direct experience contributing to ASD assessments and/or structured neurodevelopmental assessment pathways, including multi‑informant evidence gathering across settings.
• Ability to integrate information from multiple sources into clear clinical reasoning and defensible conclusions aligned to DSM‑5/ICD‑11 diagnostic criteria within MDT governance.
• Strong report‑writing skills with evidence of producing high‑quality clinical documentation to deadlines.
• Sound understanding of safeguarding, risk identification and escalation within CYP services.
• Confident MDT working and ability to follow governed diagnostic pathways and service SOPs.
• Commitment to equality, reasonable adjustments and neurodiversity‑affirming practice.
• Experience using objective ASD assessment measures and validated questionnaires within a diagnostic pathway model.
• Experience of coordinating assessment episodes (case coordinator approach) and delivering feedback appointments.
• Experience working with dual presentation (ASD and ADHD) and navigating pathway interfaces safely.
• Experience of audit, service improvement or documentation standards work in neurodevelopmental services.

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.