Job Description

We are looking for a Speech and Language Therapist who is experienced and enthusiastic about autism to join a friendly and supportive team who are passionate about neurodiversity. We would love to hear from you if you want to develop your career in autism and to be part of a team that is forward thinking about neurodiversity and committed to excellence across all ages .



You will join an experienced and dedicated team who work in a number of locations across Berkshire to provide autism assessments across the age, ability and complexity range. The Autism Assessment Team works closely with partnership agencies and voluntary services to facilitate continued support and advice for families pre-assessment and beyond diagnosis and provides online support pre-assessment and post-diagnosis via the innovative BHFT online platform 'SHaRON' (Support Hope and Resources Online Network).



You will be self-motivated and able to work autonomously at pace; be effective in managing your time, workload and priorities and motivated by your drive to deliver the highest quality care while ensuring the best possible patient experience . We are striving for our service to be innovative, creative and young person and family focused. We are inspired by some of the best practice and emerging evidence from around the country and are not afraid to trial some new and original thinking for the benefit of our young people.



Conducting autism assessments for children and young people from 2-18 years, across the ability range. All assessments are conducted with 2 clinicians



This will include complex and second opinion autism assessments



Identifying when onward referral is required and managing this



Provision of high-quality assessment reports with recommendations



Clinicians in the Autism Assessment Team also offer training, consultation and supervision and clinical moderation on our online support platform



Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is a specialist mental health and community health services trust. Rated 'outstanding' by the CQC, we're committed to providing the best possible care to people across Berkshire. As an employer, we're committed to offering an inclusive and compassionate environment where our people share in a sense of belonging and are supported to flourish.

Our values at Berkshire Healthcare are:

Caring for and about you is our top priority



Committed to providing good quality, safe services



Working Together with you to develop innovative solutions



Your wellbeing is important to us. Some of the benefits of working for us include:



Flexible working options to support work-life balance



27 days' annual leave rising with service + opportunity to buy and sell



Generous NHS pension scheme



Excellent learning and career development opportunities



'Cycle to Work' and car leasing scheme including electric vehicles



Access to a range of wellbeing tools and services



Discounts at hundreds of popular retailers and restaurants



Staff networks for race, diversity, disabilities, the environment and armed forces community to support equality



Generous maternity, paternity, adoption and special leave



Free parking across Trust sites

The " must haves" for this role:

Recognised qualification in Speech and Language Therapy along with HCPC registration



Previous experience in assessment and/or intervention with autistic children and young people (pre-school and school age)



Excellent communication and interpersonal skills



Good organisational and time management skills



For further information about the role, please see attached job description and person specification.



We strongly encourage you to review how you meet the criteria in the person specification and write about this point-by-point in your supporting statement for the best chance of being shortlisted.



We are committed to equal opportunities and welcome applications from all sections of the community. Our commitment to inclusion is reflected in our accreditations: Race Equality Matters Silver Trailblazer, Neurodiversity in Business Corporate Member, Disability Confident Leader, Carer Confident Level 2, and the Armed Forces Covenant Gold Award. Reasonable adjustments will be provided to candidates as needed .



We welcome a conversation about flexibility and any other questions you may have. Please don't hesitate to call: Liz Pitts on 0118 931 5800 or email: liz.pitts@berkshire.nhs.uk who'll be delighted to help.



Please note, if we receive a high number of applications, we may close this role earlier than the advertised closing date, so please submit your application as soon as possible.



We can consider both full time (37.5 hours per week) and part time applications.