Are you an experienced practitioner looking for a dynamic role that makes a positive early impact on the lives of neurodivergent children, young people and young adults up to the age of 18 or have significant experience of delivering brief interventions to parents and carers of neurodivergent children and young people?
Do you believe in and are confident in delivering person centred, needs led interventions for neurodivergent children, young people and their parents and carers?
We are recruiting, and we have the next role for you.
Barnardo's is recruiting four dynamic and experienced neurodevelopmental Connectors who will be passionate about improving the lives of neurodivergent children, young people, young adults and their families in West Yorkshire.
Three roles will work with children and young people; with one role working with parents and carers.
The roles are:
1. 37 hours – full time over 5 days per week - delivering our work with neurodivergent children and young people in Wakefield.
2. 37 hours - full time over 5 days per week - delivering our work with neurodivergent children and young people in Bradford.
3. 37 hours - full time over 5 days per week - delivering our work with neurodivergent children and young people in Kirklees and Calderdale.
4. 37 hours - full time over 5 days per week - delivering our work with parents and carers of neurodivergent children and young people across West Yorkshire.
Please indicate on your application which role you are applying for.
These are exciting opportunities to be part of a Service that offers direct early support to meet the needs of neurodivergent children and young people.
As our Neurodevelopmental Connector you will:
5. Work in a fast pace environment
6. Manage change when families might cancel at short notice
7. Deliver direct interventions to children and young people and parents/carers.
8. Work effectively as a team member and use initiative as practitioner.
9. Effectively manage your diary and have excellent time management skills.
10. Use recording systems effectively; having experience of recording within required timescales.
As part of the increased offer of the West Yorkshire Keyworker Service, the development and delivery of the West Yorkshire Neurodevelopmental Connections Service provides early support in Bradford, Calderdale, Kirklees, Leeds and Wakefield for neurodiverse children, young people, young adults up to the age of 18, and their families in their local communities.
Our aim is to offer support to families from the start of and throughout their journey (whether this is prior to a neurodevelopmental assessment, during or after) to navigate the system, encourage shared decision making and informed choices, understand who to go to for help and if their situation changes. Support is based on needs and strengths that will be in place following the completion of the assessment.
Our outcome is for individuals and families to feel informed to make decisions and know where to access early support to maintain their emotional wellbeing and prevent crisis.
We will:
11. Align to the current Neurodevelopmental Family Navigator provision being delivered in Bradford, Calderdale, Kirklees and Leeds – the focus on waiting well.
12. A Self-referral pathway across Service to empower and give choice to families as well as a simplified referral process for professionals working with parent/carers.
13. Supporting parents/carers where children, young people and young adults should be referred onto the Dynamic Support Register due to needs identified.
14. Offer a hybrid approach for face to face and online support for families.
15. Offer strengths-based advice, signposting, onward referrals and de-escalation of crisis.
16. Working with and in partnership with Place-based Parent Carer Forums.
17. Peer support groups and networks developed in partnership with Place-based Parent Carer Forums – local and West Yorkshire wide.
18. Where appropriate, signpost to Right to Choose information.
In your role as Neurodevelopmental Connector, you will be:
19. Aspirational for every child, young person, young adult and their families
20. Passionate to enable people to reach their potential and have the best life they want.
21. Approachable
22. Non-judgemental, respectful and person-centred
23. Compassionate and creative
24. Honest and transparent
25. A great facilitator
26. Treat parents/carers as equals
27. Providing peer support to parents and carers
28. Holding knowledge of local services and developing an offer for parents and carers to access local support available to them, this will include introducing them to services and being able to access their services.
29. Valuing lived experience, being an active listener when parents need support, offering unconditional positive regard and empathy.
As Neurodevelopmental Connector you will have the following main functions:
30. Focus on key areas of need and support and develop/deliver a schedule of sessions to children and young people as well as parent and carers.
31. Understand health, social care, education and voluntary sector delivery linked to neurodiversity and how our interventions support needs.
32. Develop a place-based delivery model with the aim to share learning and key themes from our work.
The offer will be:
33. Sessions for parents/carers as well as children andyoung people - delivery online and at Place.
34. Place-based interventions which are supported by multidisciplinary cross-sector partners and organisations.
35. Where a high need is identified, looking at wider targeted support and services available at Place.
Please note due to the high volume of applications for some posts, this advert might close before the displayed closing date. We recommend that you apply for this role as soon as possible.
Pay & Reward Framework
We know that our colleagues go above and beyond in delivering our vital work, driven by their passion and commitment to Barnardo's . We also know that we can only realise our ambitions and achieve better outcomes for more children, thanks to the talent, hard work and creativity of our people.
For all these reasons, we are committed to a new approach to pay and reward, to ensure it is fair, attractive and progressive, which was rolled out in April 2023. This is a positive change for the charity, and a part of our Strategy. It will assist us in supporting colleagues to belong, thrive and grow in their colleague journey at Barnardo's and in time will offer clear routes of progression for colleagues in both their career and their pay.
Whilst the full pay band and salary range is advertised, our approach to starting salaries is to appoint between the minimum to mid-point of the pay band – this ensures that pay steps are available to reward our colleagues annually based on their contribution to excellence and alignment to our values and behaviours. More details on Barnardo's pay framework can be found upon application.
Benefits
Workplace Offer: What it means for you
The world of work has changed. We are understanding of what works best for our colleagues both current and future as we look to embrace this new way of working. Our hybrid working initiative is based on trust, flexibility and empowerment. We understand our workplace offer means different things to different people, and we encourage those conversations. This may mean working at one of our stores, services, working at home, at one of our Collaboration Hubs or any combination of these.
36. Barnardo's believe in creating equality of opportunity in the workplace and supporting people to manage their work-life balance; we are therefore open to offering flexible working arrangements.
37. Annual Leave entitlement for full-time colleagues is 26 days per annum, increasing to 27 days per annum, after 3 years Barnardo's service, 29 days per annum, after 5 years Barnardo's service and 30 days per annum, after 7 years Barnardo's service. Those working less than full time are entitled to the same level of holiday pro rata
38. The ability to buy up to another 5 days annual leave via our HolidayPlus scheme
39. A host of family friendly leave options including company Maternity Paternity and Adoption pay; together with all family additional leave options
40. Service related sick pay from day 1
41. Access to a Group Personal Pension with a matched 4% or 6% contribution from Barnardo's. Ability to pay via salary sacrifice to garner both tax and NI savings on your own contribution
42. Death in service cover of 4x annual earnings for all staff contributing to our Group Personal Pension
43. Cycle2work scheme
44. Interest free season ticket loans
45. Discounts and cashback from at high street shops including major supermarkets, cinemas, gyms, leisure/theme parks, holidays and much more via our Benefit Portal
46. 20% discount at Barnardo's stores
47. Opportunity to purchase a health cash plan to claim towards dental, glasses, therapy etc
48. Free access to round the clock employee assistance program for advice and support
49. Access to Barnardo's Learning and Development offer
*T&C's