Specialist Autism Practitioner

LSCft; Preston; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 48,000; Full time

Job summary

Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust in Preston seeks an Autism Practitioner to join the Specialist Autism Team. You will manage a varied caseload of autistic adults with complex needs across community and inpatient settings, providing specialist autism-informed assessments, interventions, and tailored care.

You will also participate in the team's duty system, conduct urgent assessments, support discharge planning, and collaborate with multidisciplinary teams, families and partner

Qualifications

• Professional qualification in Nursing, Social Work or Occupational Therapy.
• Registered with NMC, Social Work England or HCPC.
• Post-registration experience.
• Experience with autistic adults and complex needs.

Responsibilities

• Managing a caseload of autistic adults in community and inpatient settings.
• Delivering specialist evidence-based interventions.
• Undertaking assessments and developing person-centred care plans.
• Completing urgent assessments as part of the duty function.
• Supporting hospital admission avoidance and discharge planning.
• Assessing and managing risk in a range of environments.
• Contributing to multidisciplinary formulation and case discussions.
• Building effective relationships with service users, families, carers, and partner agencies.
• Producing high-quality assessments, reports, and clinical documentation.
• Supporting service development, quality improvement, and learning initiatives.

Skills

Autism knowledge

Risk assessment

Interdisciplinary teamwork

Communication and reporting

Discharge planning

Education

NMC/SWE/HCPC registration

Job description

Site Specialist Autism Team Town Preston, Salary £39,959 - £48,117 per annum (subject to confirmation) Salary period Yearly Closing 28/10/2026 23:59

Our Vision is to provide the best mental health, learning disability, autism, community, and physical health services for the populations we serve.

As an integrated Trust, Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust (LSCFT) delivers a comprehensive range of services, including:

• Primary and secondary mental health care for children and adults, including specialist inpatient child and adolescent mental health provision, perinatal mental health, and forensic services with low and medium secure care.
• Specialist mental health inpatient care for individuals with learning disabilities, alongside specialist community support for children and adults with learning disabilities and autism, including intensive support.
• Extensive community physical health and well-being services for children and adults, covering prevention, treatment, rehabilitation, and long-term condition management.

The Trust was first established in 2002 and employs approximately 7,500 staff who provide care from more than 400 sites. The organisation offers opportunities for medics, mental health, general nurses, children’s nurses, allied health professionals, psychology, administration and clerical staff, apprentices and volunteers, as well as those specialising in learning disabilities and community physical health services.

Are you passionate about improving the lives of autistic adults and their families? Do you thrive in a role where no two days are the same?

We are looking for an enthusiastic and motivated Autism Practitioner to join our Specialist Autism Team. This is an exciting opportunity to become part of a highly skilled multidisciplinary team dedicated to delivering specialist autism support across community and inpatient settings.

Working collaboratively with mental health services, local authorities, inpatient teams, and partner agencies, you will play a key role in preventing unnecessary hospital admissions, supporting safe and timely discharges, and helping autistic adults achieve positive outcomes.

About the Role:
As an Autism Practitioner, you will manage a varied caseload of autistic adults with complex needs across both community and inpatient settings. You will provide specialist autism-informed assessments, interventions, consultation, and support tailored to individual needs.

You will also participate in the team's duty system, responding to urgent referrals and supporting acute mental health services through timely assessments and intervention planning.

This role offers excellent opportunities to develop specialist skills in autism, risk assessment, formulation, discharge planning, and multidisciplinary working. We understand that not everyone has specialist experience however we keen to develop people who have a strong interest and motivation to work with autistic people.

Main duties of the job

What You'll Be Doing:

• Managing a caseload of autistic adults in community and inpatient settings.
• Delivering specialist evidence-based interventions.
• Undertaking assessments and developing person-centred care plans.
• Completing urgent assessments as part of the duty function.
• Supporting hospital admission avoidance and discharge planning.
• Assessing and managing risk in a range of environments.
• Contributing to multidisciplinary formulation and case discussions.
• Building effective relationships with service users, families, carers, and partner agencies.
• Producing high-quality assessments, reports, and clinical documentation.
• Supporting service development, quality improvement, and learning initiatives.

About You:

• Holds a professional qualification in Nursing, Social Work, or Occupational Therapy.
• Is registered with the NMC, Social Work England, or HCPC.
• Has post-registration experience.
• Has experience working with autistic adults and individuals with complex needs.
• Is confident in assessing and managing risk.
• Has excellent communication, report-writing, and organisational skills.
• Enjoys working collaboratively within a multidisciplinary team.
• Is committed to delivering person-centred and evidence-based care.
• Is passionate about continuous learning and professional development.

Working for our organisation

LSCFT values diversity and inclusion, recognising that talent from varied backgrounds creates a flexible, creative, and effective workforce. We actively challenge discrimination and welcome applications from all, regardless of age, disability (including those with experience of accessing or caring for someone who has accessed mental health or learning disability services), ethnicity, gender, religion, belief, or sexual orientation.

Our aim is to reflect the communities we serve, so we particularly encourage applications from under-represented groups. If you’d like to discuss your application, please ask.

We also welcome individuals with lived experience relevant to the role or service area, as your insight brings authenticity to our services.

LSCFT support flexible working, we believe that a positive work/life balance benefits NHS employees through improved health and wellbeing. We would consider working patterns such as term time, part time, compressed hours and flexi-time.

The wellbeing of our people is at the heart of everything we do. We offer a wide range of resources, tools and support to help you thrive both in and out of work.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Please see attached the job description and person specification for more information about this role.

Person specification

Education/Qualifications

• Relevant professional qualification in Nursing, Social Work or Occupational Therapy
• Registered with the appropriate professional body (NMC, Social Work England or HCPC)
• Evidence of post qualifying experience of working with autistic adults and/or post qualifying qualifications in autism

Knowledge

• Knowledge of current autism legislation, policy and best practice
• Knowledge and experience of risk assessment and risk management
• Knowledge of safeguarding principles and procedures

Experience

• Experience of supporting autistic adults with complex needs on an individual basis
• Experience of working with individuals who may present behaviours that challenge services
• Experience of delivering evidence-based interventions

Personal

• IT competent

Employer certification / accreditation badges

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

For all posts which require a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check please be aware of the Disclosure and Barring Service Code of Practice, a copy of which is available by logging on to the DBS website. If the post is subject to DBS disclosure, a charge will be made to the successful candidate(s).

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.