POST: Education Other Than At School (EOTAS) Specialist Support Worker
LOCATION: Wandsworth, Lewisham - with the possibility of working in other areas of London.
Salary : £19,995 pro rata (£31,571 FTE)
HOURS: Full time (Mon-Fri 9-3:30) term time only
Duration: 1 academic year fixed term, with the possibility of extension.
Reports to: EOTAS Co Ordinator
Direct Reports: None
About Resources for Autism (RfA)
Since 1997 when we started as a small playgroup set up by parents dismayed at the lack of provision for their autistic children, 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.
The Role
We are seeking compassionate, trauma-informed Specialist Support Workers with extensive experience supporting Autistic children and young people. You will work on a 1:1 or 2:1 basis with children with varying levels of need, within a bespoke Education Other Than At School (EOTAS) package, helping them re-engage with learning through a highly personalised and flexible, child / interest-led approach.
Note: Annual leave is paid as part of the salary allowance so no annual leave can be taken during the specified term time working hours.
Main Responsibilities:
Deliver educational and life skills activities based on a tailored timetable.
Build a trusting, respectful relationship with the young people using low-demand, flexible approaches and strategies we know are effective with autistic individuals.
Support the development of independence and confidence in home and community settings.
Collaborate with a small team, communicating effectively and being flexible.
Maintain clear communication with the EOTAS manager, Behaviour Support and Lead Teacher.
Contribute to regular reviews and progress updates.
Keep daily logs and complete target tracking on the Individual Learning Plan (ILP) liaising with the Lead Teacher when needed.
Uphold and adhere to the values of RfA at all times
Ensure there is always compliance with RfA’s safeguarding policies and procedures
All staff are expected to promote equality in the workplace and in our services
Undertake any other duties asked of you that are commensurate with your grade
Person Specification
Essential Skills
- Proven experience working with autistic children with varying needs and who could display distressed behaviours
- Understanding of and experience in supporting children with a PDA profile of autism
- Deep understanding of trauma-informed practice and low-arousal approaches.
- Ability to work flexibly and creatively in a non-traditional educational setting.
- Strong communication and teamwork skills.
- Commitment to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children.
- Experience supporting children in EOTAS or alternative provision settings.
Desired Skills
- Have Physical Intervention training (for example Team Teach)
- Relevant qualifications in education, psychology, or therapeutic disciplines.
- Familiarity with EHCP processes and person-centred planning.
- Experience supporting children who have been out of mainstream education for a significant period of time
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
- IT skills: proficient with Office 365
- Self-starter and able to work independently, using own initiative
- Non-judgemental, compassionate
Confidentiality and Safeguarding
You will have access to confidential information concerning families and other service users and will be required to maintain confidentiality at all times.
All staff have the following safeguarding responsibilities:
· Actively promote the safety, wellbeing and inclusion of all children, young people and vulnerable adults accessing our services.
· Follow organisational safeguarding policies, procedures and codes of conduct at all times.
· Maintain clear professional boundaries and model safe, respectful and appropriate behaviour.
· Recognise and respond appropriately to safeguarding, welfare or behaviour-related concerns, reporting these promptly and in line with organisational procedures.
· Work in a way that reduces risk and supports positive behaviour, emotional regulation and individual communication needs.
· Contribute to a culture where safeguarding concerns are shared appropriately, listened to, and taken seriously.
Staff Benefits
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:
In order that we 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 need to be outlined and explained. You are also required to provide details of your full education history.
Regulated activity roles statement (anyone working directly with children or vulnerable adults such as support workers, group leaders): This role is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. All applicants will be subject to an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check, including a check of the relevant Barred List(s), in line with DBS eligibility criteria and the DBS Code of Practice.
In your personal statement we would like to see how you feel you meet the and the of the role.
If for any reason, such as due to accessibility, you feel completing an application form will present a challenge, you can contact us via the below email and we may explore other options with you.
To discuss the role informally or if you need to contact us you can contact the HR team via [email protected]
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 Confident employer and candidates who meet the minimum essential criteria, that have a disability will be guaranteed an interview.
Pay: £19,995.00 per year
Application question(s):
- How many years of working with autism experience do you have?
- Do you have Proven experience working with autistic children with varying needs and who could display distressed behaviours ?
- Do you have good understanding of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children?
Experience:
- working with autistic individuals: 1 year (required)
- supporting children in EOTAS or alternative provision : 1 year (required)
- supporting children with a PDA profile of autism: 1 year (required)
Work authorisation:
- United Kingdom (required)
Work Location: In person
