Resources for Autism (RfA) has grown into a major deliverer of services and support in London and the West Midlands with a turnover of around £2.5m per year. Our mission is to support and enable autistic people to live happy and fulfilling lives. We want to change society’s attitude to autism whilst also providing essential services and enriching opportunities to autistic people. We are a values-driven organisation which employs values-driven people who want to make a difference. Our values are: Inclusion, Creativity, Compassion, Courageousness and Expert. You will play a vital part in ensuring that we can resource and sustain this amazing work.
Our Services
All of our services across children and adults and parent/carers mirror the wider organisational mission of providing safe, fun and meaningful support that enables personal development. We provide this support by ensuring our staff are skilfully trained, meet the highest safeguarding expectations and are encouraged to develop and upskill throughout their career with Resources for Autism.
Main Responsibilities
The role of an Autism Support Worker is integral to RfA fulfilling its mission as it is the key role that determines a service user’s experience of the organisation. With strong values and openness to training you will receive from us, you will be responsible for delivering direct practical support to our service users and their families. You will work in both 1:1 outreach and group settings and be able to work independently and as part of a team. You will receive further training in order to develop your career progression within the organisation either as a leader/mentor of other workers or a specialist in another autism related specialism including behaviour, mental health, trauma, or training. While you will receive all the training and support you need to develop in your role, you will be expected to demonstrate the values of acceptance and patience in your interactions with service users, their families and RfA team members.
Support Worker – Key Responsibilities
Group Support & Delivery
* Support the delivery of group sessions for autistic children and young people, ensuring a safe, inclusive, and fun environment.
* Assist in setting up and packing down activities and resources.
* Engage with young people in a person-centred way, adapting support to meet individual needs.
* Promote confidence, independence, and enjoyment through meaningful activities.
Key Working & Communication
* Act as a key worker for one or more children or young people, building a trusting and supportive relationship.
* Ensure all relevant information (e.g., progress, incidents, support needs) is accurately recorded and communicated in a timely manner.
* Liaise with families and colleagues to ensure consistent and joined-up support.
* Keep individual support plans and records up to date, reflecting any changes in needs or strategies.
* Work closely with group leaders and other staff to ensure smooth running of sessions.
* Participate in pre- and post-session briefings to reflect on activities and young people’s needs.
* Communicate effectively with colleagues to share observations and contribute to planning.
* Follow safeguarding procedures and report concerns promptly.
* Support implementation of individual support plans, medical plans, and behaviour support strategies.
* Help maintain a safe environment by being aware of risks and acting responsibly.
Professional Conduct & Development
* Uphold RfA’s values and promote dignity, respect, and inclusion.
* Attend training and supervision sessions to develop skills and understanding.
* Reflect on practice and seek feedback to improve support delivery.
Administrative Support
* Assist with basic record-keeping (e.g., attendance, incident reports).
* Support monitoring and evaluation by contributing feedback and observations.
Skills and experience
* Experience of Working with autistic people (paid or voluntary)
* Experience of working in youth and play work settings
* Experience of autism strategies and skills for communication, behaviour, sensory differences
* Values driven and with a passion to make a difference to the lives of those whose voices are often marginalised.
* Positive attitude, motivating and creative
* Understanding and knowledge of mental health and wellbeing for autistic people
Standard skills expected of all staff
* Excellent communication skills (written and verbal) adaptable to different populations including: colleagues, external professionals, service users, families, volunteers, donors
* Strong organisational and prioritisation skills
* Good understanding of Safeguarding
* Self-starter and able to work independently, using own initiative
* Non-judgemental, compassionate
Preferred Skills
* IT skills: proficient with Office 365
Confidentiality
You will have access to confidential information concerning families and other service users and will be required to maintain confidentiality at all times.
90% of our staff say that Resources for Autism is “a great place to work”.
Not only will the work you do ensure we are making vital differences and inspiring others, but our other benefits also include:
* flexible working patterns with the option to work in a hybrid way (only available for some roles)
* 25 days of leave (pro rata for part time roles) each year plus 8 bank holidays and an additional 3 Celebration days that could be used between Christmas and new year, but may be used for other religious days or significant days such as your birthday
* access to ongoing training and progress in the areas that interest you
* access to our wellbeing initiatives and an Employee Assistance Programme
* enrolment on to our pension scheme
* a supportive, warm and fun working environment made up of values driven people who are passionate about changing the world for autistic people
Application process
To adhere to Safer Recruitment processes, all applicants are required to complete an application form which must include your full employment history with clear details, any gaps in employment explained, and details of your educational history.
In your personal statement we would like to see how you feel you meet the person specification and the requirements of the role.
If for any reason, such as due to accessibility, you feel you would struggle to complete an application form you can contact us via the below email and we will explore other options.
To discuss the role informally, please email: recruitment@resourcesforautism.org.uk
We particularly welcome applications from global majority candidates, LGBTQIA+ candidates and disabled candidates, because we would like to increase the representation of these groups at Resources for Autism. We want to do this because we know greater diversity will lead to even greater results for our community.
As you would expect, we are a neuro-affirming employer, with a strengths and rights based approach to neurodiversity which affirms neurodivergent identity – we don’t want to “fix” or “cure” autism, and we don’t see it as a “disability” however we do recognise it can be “disabling”. We are working to improve the ways in which we recruit and support neurodiverse employees and those with lived experience of neurodiversity.
RfA is a Disability Confidant employer and candidates who meet the minimum essential criteria, that have a disability will be guaranteed an interview.
Seniority level
* Entry level
Employment type
* Part-time
Industries
* Mental Health Care
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West Midlands, England, United Kingdom
We’re a neuro-affirming employer with a focus on diversity and inclusion to better support autistic people and families.
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