About this role
## Job summary
Are you keenly interested in Autism and differential diagnosis? Do you want to work with children, young people and families? Do you want to be part of a supportive, reflective and developing multi-disciplinary service in Hertfordshire?
We are recruiting for 1 WTE permanent Band 5 Assistant Psychologist to the multidisciplinary Autism Assessment Service.
We have opportunities for dynamic and passionate individuals to provide support to Children and Young People (CYP) of all ages who may be autistic. HCT is working closely with system partners to implement a transformed diagnostic pathway for neurodivergent CYP. The vision in Hertfordshire is to ensure CYP and their families can access early support, advice, and information including timely provision of diagnostic assessments where clinically needed. We are an innovative and flexible team working to develop neuro-affirmative practices.
*HCT will prioritise recruitment of workers living in England under the new immigration rules for care workers effective from 9 April 2025. Employers must first prove that they have attempted to recruit a worker from within England who needs new sponsorship. This ensures that those who came to the UK to pursue a career in adult social care can do so.*
### Main duties of the job
You will work closely with the MDT / other agencies to contribute to autism assessments and the psychology provision within the service.The ideal candidate will:o Be experienced in working with autistic children and young peopleo Be confident to work independently in schools and community settingso Be highly professional when working in settings that can be highly emotiveo Be flexible in their approach and have resilience under pressureo Work both in a team environment and autonomouslyWe can offer you:o Regular clinical and professional supervision from a clinical psychologisto Personal development planning and opportunities for continuing professional developmento Support and guidance in transitioning into your new posto Opportunities to work closely with a multi-disciplinary team, which includes other psychologistso Involvement in service development including undertaking clinical audits, project work and service forums
### About us
You'll find it a great place to work with many benefits offered to you as a member of our staff
We put our service users, their families and carers at the centre of our vision - Outstanding Services and Healthier Communities
Our staff are proud to be Pioneering, Caring and Inclusive in their work to help achieve the Trust vision
We welcome diversity in our workforce and are interested in applicants from all backgrounds and ages
We don't want you to miss out so we'd like you to know that if we have a high level of interest in this role, the vacancy may close prior to the advertised closing date, so please make your application as soon as possible - Apply now
You've made a great decision to apply to join to HCT - we're looking forward to taking the next steps of the journey with you.
You can apply to Access to Work to get money for communication support at a job interview - please use this link for more information: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/apply-for-communication-support-at-a-job-interview-if-you-have-a-disability-or-health-condition-access-to-work
**The use of AI is monitored and if you have used it then you are required to declare this, as well as what type of AI tools you have used and for what purpose. We reserve the right to further test your individual knowledge and skills in relation to the requirements for the post through robust and thorough interview and assessment.**
## Job description
### Job responsibilities
This is a permanent post based across Hertfordshire. The base will be agreed to meet service needs and demand. There might also be an opportunity for a proportion of your time to be home working (to be discussed with your manager).
**For this role you will need to have a full valid driving licence and access to a car to use regularly for business purposes is essential (unless you have a disability as defined by the Equality Act 2010)**
Please refer to the attached job description and person specification for more specific information about this role.
Are you interested in developing your skills further? If so, apply now to be part of this friendly and forward-thinking Trust.
Full time/part time working patterns/secondments will be considered.
**Interviews to be held on 8th October2026**
For further details / informal visits contact:
Sarah Cole, Clinical Psychologist. [email protected]
Laura Jackson, East & North Herts Team Lead. **[email protected]**
## Person Specification
### Qualifications and training
#### Essential
* An upper second class honours degree or higher in psychology. * Entitlement to graduate membership of the British Psychological Society.
#### Desirable
* Training in Autism Spectrum Disorder
### Experience and Knowledge
#### Essential
* Experience as an Assistant Psychologist or Honorary Assistant Psychologist * Experience of working with people with Autism Spectrum Disorder * Experience of working with individuals who are non-verbal or who have significant communication difficulties. * An ability to apply existing psychological knowledge to caseload population.
#### Desirable
* Experience of multi-disciplinary team working * Experience of undertaking clinical audit.
### Skilles and Abilities
#### Essential
* Practical computing skills including the use of databases and spreadsheets.
#### Desirable
* High standard of report writing.
### Personal Qualities
#### Essential
* Ability to accept and use supervision appropriately and effectively.
### Other Requirements
#### Essential
* Hold a full, valid, UK driving licence and have access to a car to use for business purposes (unless you have a disability as defined by the Equality Act 2010)
### 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.
### Certificate of Sponsorship
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the [UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab)](https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/uk-visas-and-immigration).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. [Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab)](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/criminal-records-checks-for-overseas-applicants).
## Employer details
### Employer name
Hertfordshire Community NHS Trust
### Address
Howard Court
14 Tewin Road
Welwyn Garden City
AL7 4LU
United Kingdom
### Employer's website
[https://www.hct.nhs.uk (Opens in a new tab)](https://www.hct.nhs.uk)
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