Keyworker Assistant

North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare Trust; Stoke-on-Trent; On-site; GBP 24,000 - 29,000; Full time

Job summary

North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare Trust is seeking a Band 4 Keyworker Assistant to support a CYP LD/Autism Keyworker Team in Stoke-on-Trent. The role involves step-down care for complex cases, liaising with families and professionals, and contributing to a safe transition across services.

The post is full-time and based at Dragon Square, Chesterton. Applicants should have direct experience with LD/Autism or as a carer, and demonstrate empathy, tact and strong communication.

Qualifications

• NVQ Level 3 / BTEC National or equivalent in childcare, social care, youth work or education.
• Experience or training in learning disabilities and autism is desirable.
• Experience working with families and carers of CYP with LD/Autism preferred.

Responsibilities

• Support step-down clients from CYP LD/A Keyworker Team against amber/green flags.
• Bring parents or families' perspectives into care discussions.
• Coordinate with social care, NHS, education and voluntary sector partners.
• Maintain caseloads and escalate changes in rag ratings as needed.
• Communicate using Makaton/PECS or other methods as required.
• Assist in MDT meetings and meetings by exception in DSR.

Skills

NVQ Level 3

BTEC National

Childcare background

CYP with LD/Autism training

Education

NVQ Level 3 / BTEC National

Early Intervention Practitioner apprenticeship

Tools

Lorenzo database

MS Office

Job description

Go back North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare Trust

Keyworker Assistant

The closing date is 29 September 2026

An exciting opportunity has arisen to appoint 1 full time band 4 Keyworker Assistant to support our established Keyworker Team, based at Dragon Square, Chesterton.

The Learning Disability and Autism Keyworker Team, works with Children and Young People with a Diagnosis of a Learning Disability and/or Autism who are on the Dynamic Support Register due to being at risk of Tier 4 Hospital admission or care package breakdown.

The Keyworker Assistant role is varied and the postholder experience may be as a result of:

Direct experience of caring or living with a child or young person who has either a learning disability, autism or both

Experience of being a Parent or carer for someone with a learning disability, autism or both

Experience of working to support people who present behavioural challenges in the community

Please see the job description for a full understanding of expectations within the role

Main duties of the job

The NHS Long Term Plan (LTP) includes commitment that children and young people with a learning disability, autism or both with the most complex needs will have a designated keyworker, implementing the recommendation made by Dame Christine Lenehan. Initially, keyworker support will be provided to children and young people who are inpatients or at risk of being admitted to hospital. Keyworker support will also be extended to the most vulnerable children with a learning disability and/or autism, including those who face multiple vulnerabilities such as looked after and adopted children, and children and young people in transition between services. This role will offer the step-down service from the keyworker team, to extend our pathway by offering support to clients moving down to amber and/or those flagging as green on the Dynamic Support Register (0-25 age range)

North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare are hosting half of the Keyworker Team working in partnership with MPFT and liaising across all relevant agencies to support the client and their families/cares (as required).

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 on ensuring 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 responsibilities

A Keyworker Assistant will receive step-down clients from the CYP LD/A Keyworker Team at North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare to address those moving down to amber and those flagging as green on the Dynamic Support Register. The Keyworker Assistant should have the ability to bring the Parents or Childs viewpoint into every care discussion, either from their own personal experience or on behalf of the family they are representing. Keyworker Assistant experiences are varied though may come from:

Direct experience of caring or living with a child or young person who has either a learning disability, autism or both

Experience of being a Parent or carer for someone with a learning disability, autism or both

Experience of working to support people who present behavioural challenges in the community.

The Keyworker Assistant functions will be supporting families to achieve:

A voice to ensure families and CYP are sewn into all discussions around them and have a high level of empathy and tact.

Gather information and feedback to further support their ongoing stabilisation

Gather the right information to ensure the right services are engaged with and are involved

Offer practical solutions

Emotional support, to be able to offer that support whilst maintaining resilience.

Escalate to keyworkers if there is a change in need and requires a change in rag rating.

Establish and maintain good relationships with the CYP, their Family and carers and with the providers supporting the CYP (For example Social Care, NHS, Education and the Voluntary Sector Colleagues)

Advocate for the families and CYP in keyworker team meetings, and Multi-Disciplinary Team Meetings and also Meetings by Exception DSR)

Highlight with your Team Lead any issues that you are aware of where services fail to deliver agreed care packages to children and young people with learning disability/autism or both.

Proactively work with step-down ambers and those flagging as green on the DSR- as directed by the Team Lead. The Postholder will hold own caseload.

The post holder will work closely with the Keyworker Team and Team Lead to ensure safe transition of clients stepping down from key working and in the safe discharge and/or stepping up of clients as appropriate.

The post holder will be able to use tact and persuasive skills and have experience in situations that require these.

The post holder will be willing to adapt their communication style to meet the need of the CYP, i.e. Makaton/PECS/Social Stories, and will have the skills or willing to be trained in this. For example, when the CYP is in crisis they will need to manage conflict, and deal with heightened emotions. Need tact and to be able to think on the feet.

Qualifications

• A minimum of a NVQ Level 3 / BTEC National, Certificate/Diploma, Vocational A-LEVELS/ An ONC (Ordinary National Certificate) / OND (Ordinary National Diploma) qualification in one of the below: - o childcare, o social work, o youth work, o counselling or o education
• A relevant apprenticeship, such as the Early Intervention Practitioner or Children, Young People and Families Practitioner apprenticeships

Experience

• Good understanding of the pilot and of the needs of LD/A children, and young people, including their parents/carers
• Experience in responding effectively in emails, letters and documents, to parents, professionals and the operation of Lorenzo which is the trust database.
• Experience in Learning Disabilities and Autism, with evidence of training.
• Experience (paid or voluntary) of working with families and children in either a health, social, education or voluntary role.
• Experience of working/caring for CYP with a LD or AS diagnosis.
• Experience of dealing with Parents in person on the phone.
• Experience of facilitating multi-disciplinary

Knowledge

• Good organisational and planning skills Empathy in good communication and written form.
• Flexible and adaptable approach to work. Excellent IT skills essential including MS office and zoom/Teams/Skype.
• Excellent time management and organisational skills.
• Ability to organise and prioritise workload to achieve agreed deadlines with a minimum of supervision.
• Highly developed verbal and written communication skills.
• Knowledge of issues concerning CYP with learning disabilities and autism.
• Knowledge of social media platforms.
• A level of training in nonverbal communication or willingness to participate in the training. For example, PECS, Makaton, tac pac.

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.

North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare Trust