Senior Practitioner in the Neurodevelopmental Assessment Team

Job Description

Job title:  Senior Practitioner in the Neurodevelopmental Assessment Team

Location: Harrogate/ Leeds/ Halifax/Hybrid

Hours: Flexible (part-time/full-time)

Salary: £55,000 - £60,000

About us:

Oakdale was established nearly twenty-five years ago and is highly regarded as a professional therapy provider. We are a not-for-profit community-based organisation and our team is united by a commitment to provide flexible, bespoke, evidence-based, and high-quality clinical services to meet the particular needs of each of our clients as well as the requirements of commissioners for an appropriate, collaborative, value-for-money service.

The Oakdale Group provides a wide range of specialist assessments, including for autism, ADHD, and developmental trauma. Oakdale also provides a wide range of psychological therapies for children, young people, and adults. Many of our services are commissioned by the NHS, Local Authorities, and schools, and include services for NHS staff. Others are accessed by members of the public who pay for them privately, through medical insurance, or through our charitable arm.

The role

This senior role focuses on providing clinical leadership, supervision, and oversight within Oakdale’s neurodevelopmental services. Rather than undertaking direct neurodevelopmental assessments, the post holder will provide clinical support and guidance to non-clinical staff or junior practitioners at the outset of an assessment process to ensure safe, effective, and high-quality service delivery.

Key responsibilities will include:

• Providing supervision, clinical support, and guidance on issues such as risk management, safeguarding, triage screening, and case management.

• Taking a lead role in clinical decision-making in relation to triage screening and watchful waiting.

• Link with clinical leads who hold overall responsibility for clinical governance and safeguarding oversight to ensure adherence to policies and procedures

• Supporting consistent, evidence-based practice across triage and assessment support pathways.

• Acting as a source of expertise for non-clinical staff and/or practitioners when complex clinical presentations or safeguarding issues arise.

• Ensuring that service users and families experience safe, patient-centred, and compassionate care at all points of their pathway

• Line management of team members may be required

Senior responsibilities

As a senior practitioner in the team, you will also be responsible for:

Leadership and Service Delivery

• Support the clinical lead with service development initiatives to ensure the delivery of high-quality patient-centred care.

• Provide oversight and supervision of clinical decision-making in triage, case management, and safeguarding matters.

• Contribute to service team meetings to ensure they are informative and meaningful to the team.

Clinical Governance and Quality Assurance

• Ensure all clinical supervision and oversight is in line with Oakdale’s policies, NICE guidelines, and professional standards.

• Support the clinical lead with audit outcomes and continuous improvement initiatives.

• Review and provide feedback on triage screening processes and related documentation.

• Support safeguarding, information governance, and clinical governance matters as required.

Recruitment, Support, and Training

• Provide clinical supervision to Specialist Assessment Support Workers.

• Mentor junior members of the ND assessment team, supporting their development in areas such as triage screening, risk assessment, and safeguarding.

• Support recruitment, induction, training, and retention of staff within the neurodevelopmental pathway.

Service Development and Improvement

• Assist the clinical lead in developing and refining triage and assessment support services in line with advances in neurodevelopmental practice.

• Liaise with external agencies and stakeholders as required.

• Participate in clinical audits, quality improvement projects, and evaluations to monitor service performance.

• Collaborate with the CPD champion to support staff training and professional development.

• Engage with continuous improvement activities and digital delivery developments to ensure development is informed by operational needs

Client and Family Engagement

• Ensure patient-centred care is at the heart of triage and case management decisions.

• Support practitioners to work closely with families, carers, and other professionals, ensuring communication is clear, supportive, and inclusive.

Ethos and Values

• Promote a compassionate, patient-centred, and inclusive culture.

• Ensure alignment with Oakdale’s ethos, values, and commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion.

Professional and Ethical Standards

• Adhere to professional body standards of practice.

• Maintain accurate and timely supervision records.

• Ensure safeguarding policies and procedures are consistently followed.

About you

• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills.

• Proven experience in managing teams in health, education or social care

• Experience in triage screening, safeguarding, and case management.

• Well-developed decision making abilities in the field of triage, referral management and safeguarding

• Confidence in the use of electronic patient management systems 

• A collaborative and supportive leader 

• A good understanding of neurodevelopmental presentations, pathways and services.

• Experience of working within a multidisciplinary service.

• Ability to manage complex risk and safeguarding issues.

• Experience in managing a diverse team and working as part of a geographically dispersed leadership team

• Ability to build partnership both within and external to the organisation

• Strong literacy skills with attention to detail.

• Excellent IT skills, including use of practice management systems and G Suite.

Qualifications

Essential

• Educational qualification (i.e. Specialist Teacher)  with a strong understanding of neurodevelopmental presentations OR

• Professional qualification (clinical, therapeutic or equivalent)

Desirable

• Training/experience in clinical supervision.

• Experience in triage screening, safeguarding, and risk management.

• Experience of supporting service development.

• Ability to travel (full driving licence & access to a vehicle).

What we offer

In return for the hard work and dedication of our teams, we offer the following benefits:

• Salary of £55,000 - £60,000

• 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays (rising after the length of service)

• Enhanced Occupational Sick Pay (OSP)

• Cycle to work & enhanced car schemes

• Simplyhealth Programme including Employee Assistance Programme, GP and priority physiotherapy access

• Fully funded flu vaccines

• Enhanced Pension

• Employee discount scheme

• Technology salary sacrifice scheme for home appliances, tablets, mobiles, TV’s, fitness trackers, and more

• A supportive culture that values work-life balance including agile working and the option to apply for flexible working from day one

• Ongoing CPD (internal & external) - we work with experts to bring high-quality CPD to our teams, to help further their skills and knowledge, and to improve the support we provide.

  
  

  Interviews are scheduled for Tuesday 14th October