Neurodevelopmental Practitioner – Children and Young People - Transform Lives with Oakdale
Location: Oxford/Hybrid, with occasional travel to West Yorkshire
Hours: Flexible
Salary: £49,811 - £61,676 per annum (FTE)
Make a Difference Every Day
At Oakdale, we believe in care that changes lives. For over 25 years, we’ve been delivering trusted, evidence-based therapies and assessments for children, young people, and adults. As a values-driven organisation we work with the NHS, schools, local authorities, and private clients, always putting people first.
Now, we’re looking for a compassionate and skilled Neurodevelopmental Practitioner to join our supportive, forward-thinking team. If you’re passionate about clinical excellence, wellbeing, and making a genuine impact, we’d love to hear from you.
The Role – What You’ll Do
The role will be to undertake neurodevelopmental assessments (autism and ADHD) for children and young people as part of a multidisciplinary team. The role is offered on a hybrid basis, with a mix of home working and working from our clinical site in the Oxford area. Oakdale is an agile organisation able to offer full or part time employment with flexible hours.
The assessments may include some or all of the following depending upon professional background/ experience. Training will be provided where required in line with service needs alongside supervision:
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Parental/carer/client interviews to explore the client's developmental history relating to a neurodevelopmental/neurodivergent profile. Wider and potentially co-morbid presenting needs are also explored.
- Direct observations are undertaken by clinicians based at one of our centres. This may include the delivery of standardised assessments such as the ADOS- 2 or DIVA/Young DIVA, or play based sessions for younger clients.
- Liaison with any other relevant professionals or agencies involved in supporting a child/young person or adult. This may include phone calls with other support services (e.g. social care).
- Multi-disciplinary meetings form a key part of our assessment process. All information is gathered and mapped onto the relevant diagnostic criterias.
- Diagnostic outcome report writing including individualised formulation
Working Location
The role will require you to be able to offer the face to face elements of assessment (e.g. the ADOS) at our premises in the Oxford area. Other elements of the assessment can be delivered remotely.
Your initial induction and onboarding will take place face-to-face at one of our clinical sites in West Yorkshire for up to one week. We will cover any reasonable travel and accommodation costs associated with this.
Following induction, there will be an expectation that you occasionally travel to West Yorkshire to attend team away days and other key meetings. Travel and accommodation costs for these trips will also be covered.
Skills and Experience Required
Essential
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HCPC registration and /or Professional qualification in one of the following professions:
- Speech and Language Therapy,
- At least 1 year of experience of autism and/ or ADHD assessments in children/young people using DSM-5 diagnostic framework
- ADOS trained
- Experience of working as part of a multidisciplinary assessment team
- Excellent interpersonal and communication skills and the ability to work with adults/ families and young people in a supportive and empathic way.
- Ability to communicate clearly the outcome of assessments
- Ability to communicate effectively as part of a team
- Excellent IT skills
- Experience of using patient record systems to record clinical notes and contacts.
Desirable
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Further recognised training in neurodevelopmental assessment tools
- Experience of using Google Suite
- Driving licence & access to a vehicle
Why Join Oakdale?
At Oakdale, your well-being and growth matter as much as the clients you support. We offer a package designed for balance, flexibility, and long-term career satisfaction, including:
- 33 days’ annual leave (including bank holidays), increasing with service
- Flexible and agile working from day one
- SimplyHealth: 24/7 GP access, counselling, physiotherapy, and more
- Exclusive, heavily discounted rates for you and your family on private ADHD and autism neurodevelopmental assessments, through our own expert service.*
- Fully funded flu vaccines
- Employee Wellbeing Initiative with trained mental health champions
- Smart Pension & Rewards: plan for your future with discounts and cashback
- Enhanced Occupational Sick Pay
- Cycle to Work & Technology Salary Sacrifice schemes
- Employee discount scheme
- Protected CPD days, annual away days, and high-quality training
- Professional registration fees covered (where applicable)
- Opportunities to influence service improvement and innovation
- Laptop, monitor, keyboard, and any additional equipment you need to do your best work *Discounts apply to dependents living within the same household.
Apply Today
This is more than just a clinical role; it’s a career with purpose, flexibility, and impact. Join Oakdale and help us continue transforming lives. Apply now and make a real difference
Oakdale is proud to be a registered Disability Confident Committed Employer.
At Oakdale, a leading private mental health service provider, our people are at the heart of everything we do. We’re more than a team - we’re a community of passionate, talented professionals committed to delivering excellence in mental health care, case management and service development
