• Clinical
• Permanent
• Full Time
• Competitive

Post Outline

This is a permanent post supporting the Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT) in the delivery of an effective clinical service by supporting assessments and carrying out core administrative tasks prior and following our assessment process.

The role will involve close collaborative working with the Children and Family Services Department, Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT), Applications Department and Volunteer Department, along with external organisations such as health, social care and educational services and mainstream statutory and independent sector services.

About Caudwell Children

Established in 2000, Caudwell Children is a National Charity which works to transform the lives of disabled children and their families, enabling them to challenge the barriers they face throughout childhood by providing practical and emotional support.

Our facilities provide a state-of-the-art base within the grounds of Keele University where ground-breaking research can be undertaken into multi-disciplinary programmes for neurodevelopmental conditions and childhood disability.

The services of Caudwell Children enrich the lives of our children and families through the delivery of high-quality person-centred care and support services that promote independence and achieve valued outcomes. We seek to create a safe, homely and supportive environment that enhances the lives of children with autism and associated conditions.

Under supervision you will:

• Proofread reports and other relevant documentation.
• Assist with assessments.
• Have oversight on referrals into the service.
• Monitor shared email inbox.
• Deliver structured and unstructured play sessions.
• Carry out clincial observations
• Contribute to case formulation meetings and provide these to the MDT for clincial formulation.
• Support the team with the production of resources and materials that support needs of children and families.
• Assist with holistic assessment of service users utilising verbal and non-verbal methods of communication, technology, analytical skills, observation skills and clinical reasoning skills.
• Attend and contribute to meetings and work collaboratively as a member of the MDT.
• Contribute to clinical records and maintain standards of record keeping in line with policy.
• Identify and communicate to wider team any issues, concerns or risks relating directly to a child/family as a result of clinical observations.
• Assists with ad hoc administrative tasks, e.g. telephones, scanning, scheduling.
• Create resources to support assessment and feedback appointments.
• Adapt practice to meet needs of individuals with due regard for cultural and linguistic differences and modes of communication such as ESL, signs and symbols.
• Demonstrate empathy with children, carers, families ensuring that effective communication is achieved, including where barriers to understanding exist.
• Motivating children and/or carers to engage in the assessment and related activities.
• Demonstrate an understanding of child development and apply this understanding in practice.
• Maintain sensitivity at all times to the emotional needs of the child and their carers and provide emotional support as required.
• Support the management of children with behaviours that challenge, including the application of appropriate preventative management strategies.
• Liaise with families, professionals, voluntary groups and external agencies as required.
• Prepare rooms in readiness for sessional work in line with pathways and clear away safely at the end of sessions.
• Participate in regular stock maintenance and cleaning maintenance tasks as part of the wider team.

Customer Care/Quality Assurance:

• Support service teams to ensure, where possible and appropriate, children and families are involved in future programme planning and delivery.
• Communicate with children, families and all stakeholders in a way that respects their views, autonomy and culture.
• Uphold the principles and practice of customer care and continuous improvement.
• At all times to afford service users, colleagues and stakeholders the dignity and respect to which they are entitled with full regard to the organisations Equality and Diversity Policy.
• Ensure that customers/stakeholders are enabled to comment and complain about any of the services they receive, ensuring all comments and complaints are dealt with promptly and in accordance with organisational policy and procedures.
• Confidentiality and data protection regarding all personal information and Caudwell Children activities must be maintained at all times (both in and out of working hours) in accordance with professional codes of conduct and relevant legislation such as the General Data Protection Regulations 2018.
• Contribute and co-operate fully with any regulatory or organisational inspections/audits.

Health & Safety

In addition to the organisations overall responsibility for your health and safety, you have a personal responsibility for your own health and safety. As such you are required to:

• Have an awareness of relevant health and safety regulations and legislation.
• Be responsible for your own health and safety and that of anyone else whom your acts and omissions may affect and maintain a professional and hygienic personal appearance at all times.
• Inform your line manager and facilities of any safety issues you identify that could affect you or others in the workplace.
• Co-operate fully with management and colleagues at all times in achieving safer working practices.
• Have knowledge of a range of safer handling and mobility skills relevant to the management of children, young people and families in your care, including safe use of transfer equipment.
• Use equipment when necessary and as instructed (as appropriate to your role), which will include checking the equipment is safe to use, prior to its use, reporting any defects immediately to your line manager/facilities.
• Be responsible for the implementation and adherence to organisational health and safety policies and procedures for areas within your remit.
• Ensure suitable and sufficient risk assessments are completed for all areas within your remit. The controls identified must be evaluated and implemented where necessary.
• Ensure your work adheres to Health and Social Care Act 2008, Code of Practice for the Prevention and Control of Infections and Related Guidance as applicable to your role.
• Report any concerns of potential abuse of a service user in line with the organisations Safeguarding Policy and procedures.

Resource Management:

• Ensure maintenance and security of physical, financial and information resources, where applicable.
• Effectively maximise all resources available in the course of your duties, minimising waste and working within budgets.
• Ensure that all resources and utilities are used prudently and that any waste is minimised. Manage, monitor and maintain budgets agreed by management.
• Ensure stock levels of equipment are maintained and checked regularly, as appropriate to your role.
• Where appropriate, participate in the recruitment, induction and retention of team members as appropriate to your role.

General:

• If applicable, ensure compliance with professional standards in relation to your relevant professional governing body (RCOT, RCSLT, NMC, BPS, CIPD, CIMA, ACCA, AAT, CIM, etc.) or equivalent.
• Adhere to your professional body’s regulations, ensuring registration is maintained at all times, where applicable.
• Demonstrate commitment to ongoing personal and professional development, maintaining professional portfolio’s and training profiles.
• Keep up to date and integrate any relevant new initiatives, regulations and legislation as appropriate to your role.
• Where appropriate, develop and maintain links with other professionals in the same specialist field of work.
• Keep comprehensive and accurate records in relation to your role and in accordance with organisational policies and procedures as well as local, professional and national guidelines.
• Attend training as appropriate to the role, applying knowledge gained to the workplace.
• Engage in Support and Supervision sessions, where appropriate, to reflect on practice enhancing communication and quality of service.
• To work effectively and collaboratively as a member of the team, building and maintaining good working relationships with all colleagues, stakeholders and professionals from external agencies.
• Collation and analysis of complex information derived from multiple sources to create robust service monitoring and achievable action plans that deliver results.
• Creation of comprehensive and robust information monitoring that is shared at all levels of the Charity and allows clarity and understanding of performance. Understanding what information is important to all other functions, including the CEO, and leading on how this is best delivered. Understanding how performance might affect delivery in other parts of the Charity and working closely to provide it.
• Ensure compliance with statutory and non-statutory bodies, including CQC, ISO 9001 and the Health & Safety Executive.
• Adhere to all Caudwell Children policies and procedures.
• Demonstrate commitment to Caudwell Children’s mission, vision and values.
• On occasion and when necessary work flexible hours to meet the needs of the business.
• Willingness to travel in order to meet the needs of the post.

This Job Description indicates only the main duties and responsibilities of the post and is not intended as an exhaustive list. The post holder may be asked to carry out other duties from time to time. The Charity reserves the right to amend this Job Description from time to time, according to business needs.

Person Specification

Essential Criteria:

• Level 3 qualification, e.g., A level/s, NVQ 3 in Health or Social Care or equivalent.
• Experience of proof reading reports or similar professional documents.
• Experience of working with children with special needs in education, health or social care settings,
• Experience of verbal and non-verbal methods of communication, ability to use these in practice and be calm in situations of high arousal and expressed emotions.
• Knowledge of childhood development and additional needs.
• Knowledge of safeguarding principles and their application when working with children and families.
• Ability to work on own initiative and part of a wider team.
• Excellent team-working and communication skills.
• Excellent time management and organisational skills.
• Excellent interpersonal skills.
• Ability to work under pressure.
• Ability to plan and prioritise workloads.
• Good information technology skills, Excel, Word, Outlook etc.
• A personal commitment to the organisation’s values and principles including diversity and inclusion.
• A commitment to the principles and practice of continual improvement and the provision of personalised services.
• A commitment to uphold the rights of children; vulnerable and disabled people.
• A commitment to professional development, learn new skills and put these into practice.
• A positive can-do attitude.
• Ability to demonstrate a flexible approach to work.
• Able to meet the physical requirements of the role after reasonable adjustments have been made for illness or disability.
• Undertake personal and professional development in order to meet the changing demands of the role.
• Able to travel to meet the needs of the role.

Desirable Criteria:

• Additional relevant training or qualifications in health, social care or education.
• Experience working with volunteers and students.
• Experience of working in the Charity/Third Sector.
• Experience of working in ISO regulated organisations.
• Experience of working in CQC regulated organisations.

Disclosure & barring service checks

The Charity is committed to safeguarding children and young people and therefore adopts a safer recruitment approach through a robust recruitment and selection process. All posts within the Charity are subject to DBS checks, in line with the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (1974). This role is eligible for a Enhanced with barred lists disclosure DBS check.

Equal Opportunities

Caudwell Children is a Disability Confident employer committed to offering an interview to all applicants who meet the minimum criteria and declare they have a disability as defined in the Equality Act 2010. We are committed to creating a diverse environment and will not discriminate for any reason against any person because of their age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion and belief, sex or sexual orientation. We particularly encourage applications from people who identify as Black, Asian or from a Minority Ethnic background and other underrepresented groups.