About this role
Job summary
Job Title: Neurodevelopmental Pathway Navigator
Band: 4
Full time
Fixed term: Until 31st March 2027
There are two vacancies to recruit to.
This post is based in Dragon Square, Newcastle Under Lyme, it will also include some home working to be agreed with operational/clinical lead and some possible home visits.
The post holder will be expected to work with multi-disciplinary colleagues across the existing Autism and ADHD services. The post holder will liaise with other services in North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare where appropriate and with wider professionals and services including charities and educational settings.
The post holder will work collaboratively with children and young people, their parents/carers, and other professionals to provide support for those waiting over 104 weeks for a neurodevelopmental (ND) assessment. This will include contacting them and offering information and guidance and ensuring timely and appropriate signposting to relevant services and sources of support throughout the waiting period.
The post holder could be required to liaise with a wide range of partner agencies and service providers, including Local Authorities, education settings, Specialist Children, Young People and Families' Services (e.g. Speech and Language Therapy), Primary Care, voluntary and charitable organisations, and other healthcare providers, to ensure a coordinated approach to care and support.
Main duties of the job
The successful candidate will have a comprehensive knowledge of local and national support services and will use this expertise to provide effective, person-centred signposting, helping children, young people and their families access the most appropriate support while awaiting assessment.
To offer needs-led support and signposting to families and young people within the neurodevelopmental pathways/service, this includes the well-established CYP autism service and the newly developing ND pathway including ADHD. The pathway navigator will ensure that the children and young people are well while waiting for their Neurodevelopmental assessments by signposting parents, carers and young people to further support. To also liaise closely with the internal and wider multidisciplinary teams to ensure the family and young person have the correct support in place. To work together with other members of the MDT.
About us
As a Trust we remain bold and ambitious with plans for both service and system collaborative transformation over the coming years to improve the health and wellbeing of our local people through high quality care.
We pride ourselves onensuring our team has their wellbeing put first and as such provide a range of wellness opportunities including flexible working.
We are committed to the Greener NHS national ambition to becoming the world's first 'carbon net zero' national health system by 2045 (Greener NHS (england.nhs.uk). As part of this, sustainability is embedded in our strategy as one of our four key enablers. In order to deliver on this commitment, we recognise that we need a workforce that is as passionate as we are about achieving these goals, for the benefit of our service users, workforce, local communities and the planet alike.
The Trust is committed to ensuring that a diverse workforce is representative and inclusive at all levels. We would very much welcome applications from all under-represented groups including women, people with disabilities, people from global majority backgrounds, and those from the lesbian, gay, bi and trans communities.
The Trust is committed to the Step into Health scheme and actively encourages applicants from the Armed Forces Communities to apply.
Job description Job responsibilities
As an integral and highly valued member of the ND pathway team, the Pathway Navigator will provide guidance to Family carers in order for them to access timely support and understanding of the assessment pathway process.
They will support the team to ensure that families are kept informed of the support and options available to them and supporting them to make informed choices on how they and their child or young person are supported.
They will support the understanding of the autism and other ND assessment processes with external agencies, partner organisations and referrers.
The Pathway Navigator will support children, young people and family/carers to understand the autism and other ND assessment pathways through the provision of information and advice and enhance connection to the local communities.
Person Specification
Qualifications Essential
Educated to NVQ Level 4, Level 4 Certificate or Foundation Degree in a relevant field such as health, health and social care or child development, or equivalent demonstrable experience working within children's neurodevelopment, autism or community health services
Experience Essential
Significant experience supporting children, young people and families within health, education or community services, demonstrating the ability to independently assess individual need, determine appropriate support options, prioritise referrals and escalate safeguarding or clinical concerns appropriately.
Knowledge Essential
Excellent interpersonal, verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to adapt communication to meet the individual needs of children, young people and families, including those with neurodevelopmental differences.
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.
Employer details Employer name North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare Trust
Address Dragon Square
Stoke on Trent
ST5 7HL
United Kingdom
Employer's website https://www.combined.nhs.uk/working-together/join-our-team/ (Opens in a new tab)