Autism Outreach Service Practitioner

Job Description

Organisation: Leicestershire County Council

Work Location: County Hall, Glenfield, Leicester LE3 8RF

Salary: £29,550 - £32,055 Per annum (Pro rata for part time)

Working Hours: 37 hours a week, term time only

Contract Type: Permanent

Closing Date: 20/09/26

Interview Date(s): W/C 28/09/26

An exciting opportunity has arisen for highly skilled and experienced specialist SEND practitioners to join Leicestershire’s Specialist Teaching Service. These posts within the expanding Learning, Communication and Autism Team will play a central role in supporting the delivery of SEND reforms and the Experts at Hand programme, helping schools build capacity and improve outcomes for children and young people with SEND across the 5-19 age range.

We are looking for experienced Teaching Assistants with strong expertise in communication and interaction and / or cognition and learning with a secure understanding of how these may interact with other areas of SEND, including SEMH and sensory needs.

About the Role

The Learning, Communication and Autism Team is well-regarded and welcoming, consisting of specialist teachers and practitioners with a wealth of knowledge and experience and a passion for inclusion. We are committed to understanding autism and other forms of neurodiversity as difference rather than deficit and, as part of the Specialist Teaching Service, aim to improve opportunities, outcomes and experiences for children and young people with SEND in partnership with families, educational settings and organisations.

Successful applicants will use their specialist knowledge, skills and experience to support the learning, communication and autistic strengths and differences of children and young people across the 5–19 age range. Working within an evolving Experts at Hand model, you will support schools and post-16 settings to strengthen inclusive practice and improve outcomes for learners with SEND.

At a whole-school and targeted level, you will work alongside specialist teachers to collaborate with leaders, SENCos and staff teams to develop inclusive practice, implement evidence-informed teaching and learning approaches, and build capacity to meet a diverse range of learning, communication and autistic profiles. You will support consultation, advice, training and professional development that supports both strategic improvement and effective provision for groups of learners requiring additional support, including supporting settings to implement, monitor and evaluate evidence-informed interventions and approaches.

At an individual level, you will have casework responsibility under the supervision and support of a specialist teacher, which will focus on enabling schools to implement a range of teaching and learning strategies to support the progress and inclusion of pupils with special educational needs. You will provide support for educational settings through coaching, modelling of good practice, sharing knowledge, approaches, and resources as well as contributing to the APDR cycle of support.

The role requires collaborative working with schools, families, Educational Psychologists, health professionals and a wide range of other agencies. We therefore welcome applications from highly motivated, creative practitioners who enjoy working in a collaborative, solution-focused way and are confident in supporting schools to develop effective provision for learners with SEND.

The role also involves maintaining accurate records, contributing to service development, engaging in ongoing professional development and developing resources that promote curriculum access for learners with a range of communication and interaction needs.

An enhanced with barred list DBS check is required for this post.

For information on our approach to the recruitment of ex-offenders, please see our policy statement.

About You

To apply for this post, you must:

• NVQ 3 level qualification or equivalent in a study related to the role, with evidence of further training and development in Special Educational Needs and Disabilities.
• Substantial experience of working directly with pupils with a diagnosis of autism, communication and interaction and / or cognition and learning needs, including knowledge of effective teaching and learning approaches and resources to support attainment and inclusion.
• Good interpersonal skills, with the ability to relate positively to children, young people, parents and other professionals and establish effective working relationships with colleagues, educational settings and partner agencies.
• Ability to manage a caseload effectively, prioritise work and demonstrate effective time management, using own initiative to plan and work in an organised manner.
• Significant experience of working appropriately in accordance with relevant statutory and local policies and procedures for SEND and the ability to carry out all duties in line with LCC Safeguarding policies and procedures and fulfil relevant safeguarding competencies.
• Ability to actively demonstrate the values of the authority: Positivity; Trust and respect; Flexibility; Openness and Transparency.
• Must be able to perform all duties and tasks with reasonable adjustment, where appropriate, in accordance with the provisions of the Equality Act 2010. This will include requirements to work flexibly around holiday periods in line with the service requirements and access to a vehicle with the ability to travel to temporary bases such as schools, touch-down bases etc.

Interviews for this post will take place in person. Shortlisted candidates will be provided with further information

In addition, we also expect you to share our commitment to our values and to delivering accessible and inclusive services which meet the needs of all of our residents. You will be asked to demonstrate your understanding of these commitments as part of the selection process.

Reasonable adjustments will be considered for applicants with a disability. We are a Disability Confident Employer.

Interested in Flexible Working?

We are open to discussions about flexible working, which may include part time working, job sharing, term-time working, flexible start and finish times, and hybrid working, depending on the requirements of the role and the service. If you would like to discuss the possible flexible working options that might be applicable to this role, please contact the person named below.

For more information or an informal discussion, please contact:

Angela Shipley, ND Strategic Lead or Simon Wilson, Lead Practitioner

Email: angela.shipley@leics.gov.uk, Simon.Wilson@leics.gov.uk

How to Apply

At Leicestershire County Council we’re looking for top talent from all walks of life. Whoever you are, wherever you’re from, and whatever your background - we care about what you bring to our organisation, not just what’s on your CV. That’s why we’ve designed a recruitment process that’s fair, accessible, and focused on potential. And with benefits that support people at every age and stage of life, we make sure you can thrive - both personally and professionally.

If you share our passion to make a difference for the people of Leicestershire, we’d love to hear from you. Click the apply button to submit your application, ensuring that you upload a supporting statement that explains how you meet the criteria listed in the ‘About You’ section above. Without this information, we won’t be able to assess your suitability for the role, and your application will be rejected. For tips on how to write your statement, see the How to Apply section on our career site.

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible.

If you have any technical issues when trying to apply for this post or you want to request an application pack in an alternative format, please contact our Employee Service Centre by telephoning 0300 3030222 (select option 2) or raising a ticket via our online portal: https://emss.org.uk/support.

By applying for this post, you agree to our Terms and Conditions.

About us

About Leicestershire County Council

At Leicestershire County Council, we're committed to making a real difference in people's lives. Our aim is to work with communities and partners to deliver public services that make Leicestershire the best possible place to live and work for everyone.

Our employees play a key role in supporting this goal and helping us deliver the vital services we provide to the people of Leicestershire. Whether you're starting your career or looking for your next challenge, you'll find a place with us where your ideas are valued, and your work has purpose.

For further information on what it’s like to work for us and the benefits we offer, please refer to the following:

Our Recruitment Process
Our Organisational Values
Our Employee Benefits
Working for Us