Job Description

These six posts will be within the Autism in Schools Team, which is part of the Educational Psychology Service. The successful applicants will work alongside the Autism Advisors, Autism Support Workers, ADHD Advisors and ADHD Support Workers, and will initially be line managed by a Senior Educational Psychologist. The team works to meet the needs of neurodivergent children and young people throughout Cornwall, in order to improve their access to education and the wider community, support them to thrive, and improve outcomes.

We are a proudly neurodiverse team and welcome applications from neurodivergent applicants with relevant skills, experience and qualifications as outlined in the role profile. We recognise the value of lived experience.

The purpose of the role is to support children and young people’s inclusion, wellbeing and participation in education and the wider community by enabling earlier identification of need, increasing understanding of neurodivergence, and supporting the consistent use of practical, neurodiversity‑affirming approaches in everyday contexts. The role will include proactive work with children, families, education providers and other professionals.

Through training, modelling and direct support, NEST Workers help children, families, education settings and other professionals to recognise strengths and needs without reliance on diagnosis, reduce barriers to learning and belonging, and put timely support in place so that children and young people can thrive.

Key duties will include:

• Supporting children, families and professionals to understand children’s needs, set goals and create personalised action plans, through completing and reviewing the Neurodevelopmental Profiling Tool.

• Establishing supportive relationships with children, their families, and wider professionals.

• Supporting education and community settings to promote the inclusion of all children and young people with a particular focus on neurodivergence, including through modelling and facilitating strategies e.g. the use of visuals and structure.

• Supporting parents and carers to establish and embed effective approaches to promote the wellbeing of the child or young person and their family. This may include both individual and group work with parents and carers.

• Modelling, encouraging and promoting neurodiversity-affirming adaptations and positive experiences across settings.

• Co-delivering a range of group interventions in schools and community settings on topics such as anxiety / exam stress, navigating the social world, and self-advocacy.

• Participating in the delivery of training offered by the wider team, including delivering some pre-written training sessions independently.

• Supporting universal understanding of neurodivergence and diversity more generally, for example co-delivering psychoeducation workshops at a whole-class level.

The successful applicants will need to be able to travel independently around their area of county, taking into account that many of our schools are remote and difficult to access by public transport. There will also be occasional travel required across the wider county, e.g. for team meetings or training.

We have a number of key office bases around the county which the successful applicant could use alongside hybrid working. A mutually-agreed base will be identified.

• Qualification at NVQ Level 3 or equivalent is preferred, ideally in a relevant subject such as Childcare and Education; however, we may consider a Level 2 qualification plus significant experience (5+ years) in a closely related field
• Knowledge of neurodiversity and experience of working with neurodivergent children and young people, with or without any particular diagnosis, including at early stages of support
• Familiarity with the UK education system
• Experience of working with parents / carers / families, and knowledge of the challenges they may be experiencing navigating their child’s needs
• A commitment to working in a neuro-affirming way, demonstrating respect to children and adults of all neurotypes
• Experience of delivering training and/or other types of group work, ideally for groups of children/young people and groups of adults
• Able to communicate information to individuals and groups both in writing and verbally, including school staff, families, and children/young people
• Knowledge and experience of collaborative working between families, education settings and other professionals (this could be professional and/or lived experience)
• Understanding of safeguarding and experience of working within organisations with safeguarding procedures in place.

Cornwall Council deliver services to more than half a million local people and over five million visitors a year. Working here - Cornwall Council

We are happy to talk about flexible working options such as part-time or compressed hours. More examples of our flexible working opportunities can be found here - flexible working options

Fairness and inclusion are at the heart of our vision for Cornwall. In order to best serve our communities, we are striving to achieve a diverse workforce that is inclusive of all backgrounds, cultures and identities; e.g., race, disability, sex, gender reassignment status, age, religion and sexual orientation. We are an equal opportunities and Disability Confident employer, and we will assess applicants on their merits.

Cornwall Council is committed to safeguarding and following safer recruitment principles to help make sure our staff and volunteers are suitable to work with children, young people and adults at risk. It’s a vital part of creating a safe and positive environment and making a commitment to keeping all service users safe from harm.