Start: September/October 2026
Job title: Keyworker
Working base: Elms Farm Industrial Estate, 1 Hammond Road, Bedford MK410UD – With UK Wide Travel
Reports to: Keyworker Operational Lead
Job purpose: To provide person-centred, coordinated support to autistic children and young people and/or those with a learning disability and their families, ensuring the right support is provided at the right time, to improve outcomes and reduce unnecessary hospital admissions.
Contract type: 23 months fixed term (potential to renew)
Salary: £34,540 - £41,189 Full Time Annual Equivalent
Contracted Hours: 30 - 37.5 hours per week
Working Pattern: Monday – Friday, 9am – 5pm (Occasional evenings and weekends will be required)
Checks needed: Enhanced DBS and 2 satisfactory references.
Closing date: 1st September 2026
Please note: Autism Bedfordshire reserves the right to close this vacancy early should we receive a sufficient number of suitable applications. Previous applicants need not apply.
About us -
Autism Bedfordshire is a charity dedicated to creating a world where autistic people are accepted, understood, and celebrated for who they are. We believe that autism is a natural part of human diversity, and that society is stronger when it embraces neurodivergent voices and perspectives.
Autism Bedfordshire’s services help break down the barriers to social participation for autistic people and their families by providing places where they can go and feel comfortable, accepted and not judged by society. With the encouragement and support of specialist trained staff we help autistic people build their confidence, self-esteem, and social skills through taking part in social activities and mixing with other people. Furthermore, we help them to develop practical skills and independence which will improve their prospects in life and help them be part of the community. Our aspirations are for them to have the same opportunities as people who are not autistic, so that they can enjoy fulfilled and rewarding lives.
About the Role -
We're looking for a proactive, compassionate, and highly organised Keyworker to join our dedicated team. This is a rewarding and varied role where you'll support autistic children and young people, and/or those with a learning disability, alongside their families, to navigate complex health, education and social care systems. Working with children and young people (CYP) aged 0–25 who have complex needs, you will provide personalised, coordinated support to ensure they receive the right care at the right time. Our support helps to prevent unnecessary hospital admissions, facilitate timely discharge where admission is required, and promote positive outcomes within the community.
As a Keyworker you will build strong, trusting relationships with children, young people, families and professionals, coordinating support across multiple agencies to ensure services work together effectively. You will empower CYP and their families by ensuring they feel listened to, informed and fully involved in decision-making, while advocating for their needs and helping them navigate often complex systems. Wherever possible, you will promote community-based care with the right support, ensuring that care is personalised, coordinated and centred on the voice of the CYP
This role is ideal for someone who is confident, empathetic and thrives in a fast-paced, collaborative environment. You'll be comfortable managing competing priorities, taking initiative, and working both independently and as part of a multidisciplinary team to deliver high-quality, person-centred support that improves outcomes for children, young people and their families.
About the Keyworker Function -
The Keyworker Programme is a national initiative under the NHS Long Term Plan, aimed at ensuring that all CYP with a learning disability, autism, or both who are inpatients or at risk of admission, have access to a named Keyworker. This support is designed to provide personalised, coordinated care that places the voices of young people and their families at the centre.
1. Keyworker Functions
- Working with children, young people (0-25) and families identified as medium or high risk on the Dynamic Support Register including those who have complex needs, at risk of harm and those with adverse childhood experiences
- Work proactively with inpatient teams, transition coordinators, and community services to create and implement robust discharge and aftercare plans
- Maintain involvement pre, during, and post-discharge, ensuring continuity of care and avoiding breakdowns that lead to readmission
- Monitor progress closely, with regular reviews and crisis planning with the Multi-Disciplinary Teams
- Implementing Care, Education and Treatment Review (CETR) recommendations
- Coordinating support at pace to avoid admission. Where admission is deemed necessary following a community CETR, the Keyworker should continue their involvement throughout inpatient treatment, to facilitate timely discharge, well managed transition and full implementation of CETR recommendations for community support
- Undertake assessment of individual cases to ascertain what support is already in place and identify what additional support might improve outcomes
- Identifying if the CYP may be eligible for Children’s Continuing Care funding
- Support the implementation of Personal Health Budgets (PHB)
- Be responsible for improving outcomes for children and young people by providing advice and support to ensure the effective use of assessments across the local children’s system
- Providing cross system knowledge and experience to help families navigate services and have a degree of independence from those services, to facilitate family focussed support, as well as challenging system partners when necessary
2. Keyworking Relationships
- The post holder will be required to proactively engage with young people and their families, Local Authority and Integrated Care Boards (ICBs), Acute Trusts and Community Services, Education providers, in-patient units as well as a range of other internal and external stakeholders:
- Service Users (Young People / Young Adults and Parents/Carers)
- CAMHS staffing and leadership team
- Clinical Leads and Practitioners within hospital and in-patient settings
- Professional Leads
- Supported Living providers
- Social Care
- Transition Teams
- Other professionals working with children and young people in social care, health, education, the third sector and NHS Trusts
3. Family Support
- Navigate the system to ensure families receive the required support at the right time
- Ensure professionals listen to parents/carers and CYP to understand what they need
- Support families to understand which professionals they go to, as there are often so many involved
- Support parents and carers of 18–25-year-olds to understand adult service pathways and entitlements
- Advocate across child and adult services to ensure a smooth handover of care responsibilities
- Ensure transition assessments and planning are embedded in the discharge process
- Identify which current services and support the young people are accessing
- Identify which services and support they feel would benefit them and their family
- Begin to co-produce and tailor an appropriate family support plan where required
4. Operational
- To provide and receive highly complex clinical and social information relating to young people and explain this to Multi-disciplinary (MDT) meetings, team meetings, other agencies, young people and family members/carers
- Work flexibly within a team and communicate well with colleagues, ensuring all records are comprehensive and that colleagues are briefed on potential issues which may arise during any planned absence
- Manage difficult relationships with other parties which arise out of case management, reporting difficulties and seeking support to manage as required
- Follow policies, procedures and guidance issued by the Department of Health and Social Care, Integrated Care Boards (ICBs), Local Authorities and other relevant statutory and regulatory bodies to ensure high-quality assessment, case management, care coordination, review and follow-up
- To ensure effective care management within the local system
- To assist the Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) and Local Authority with jointly funded packages
- To ensure any safeguarding or examples of poor-quality care are appropriately reported and followed through with
- To participate in arranging emergency placements should the need arise
5. Service Management
- Ensuring effective caseload management is in place
- Be able to support the MDT approach for complex CYP in line with national frameworks i.e., Transforming Care and Children’s Continuing Care
- Attend and contribute to Care Education and Treatment Reviews and Local Emergency Area Protocols meetings
Ensure CETR recommendations are monitored and achieved
- Challenge the systems and escalate concerns when appropriate support is delayed or refused
- To receive regular supervision (clinical / professional) in accordance with good practice guidelines and NHS Trust/Autism Beds policy and participate in CPD and other training activities, keeping up to date with relevant research and national guidance
- To be accountable for own professional actions and work within professional boundaries
- Identify training needs and recommending appropriate training courses in accordance with core competency requirements and service development
6. Policy and Service Development
- To follow local policies, procedures and guidance always
- To have up-to-date knowledge and the ability to research and and stay up to date on a wide range of medical conditions
- Understand policies that affect delivery of care, such as Children Act 1989/2004; Working Together to Safeguard Children 2026; Children and Families Act 2014; Mental Health Act 2025; Section 117 Aftercare; and the SEND Code of Practice
7. Planning and Organisation
- Contribute to the strategic planning of services, identifying interdependencies across services, potential impacts on the wider organisation, and resource requirements.
- Contribute to evaluation of the Keyworker Function, evidencing and achieving quality
8. Data Protection & Confidentiality
- All staff are required to respect the confidentiality of all matters that they may learn relating to their employment, other members of staff and to the public
- All staff are expected to adhere to the regulations regarding the Data Protection Act 2018 and ensure that information is stored correctly
9. Safeguarding
- Autism Bedfordshire is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults in its care
- The post holder is required to be the named officer for caseload they are overseeing and attend relevant training
- Report and share any safeguarding concerns immediately to the Autism Bedfordshire Designated Safeguarding Officer
- To ensure that this is achieved we expect all employees to share this commitment and staff working with these vulnerable groups will be recruited and selected in line with safer recruitment policies and practises including the completion of an Enhanced DBS check
10. Health & Safety
- Employees have a legal responsibility not to endanger themselves, fellow employees or the families they are supporting and should always adhere to relevant policies
- Risk Assessment should be carried out, signed off and shared with others in advance of any visits or community support taking place with CYP and their families
11. Equal Opportunities & Diversity
- Autism Bedfordshire is an equal opportunities employer. The aims of the equal opportunities policy are to ensure that no job applicant or employee receives less favourable treatment on the grounds of race, colour, nationality, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, age, religion or any disability, nor disadvantaged by conditions or requirements which cannot be shown to be justifiable.
How to apply
If you are passionate about making a difference in the lives of autistic children and young people and have the skills to keep a busy team running smoothly, we would love to hear from you. Please complete our online application form and submit to [email protected]
Entitlements/Benefits
Annual Leave: 25 days (pro rata). Increasing 1 day each year/20% of your weekly hours, for up to 3 years
Bank Holidays: All (pro rata)
Staff wellbeing: Weekly wellbeing programme
Parking: Free office-based onsite parking
Learning & Development: Extensive CPD opportunities across a variety of subject areas
NEST pension scheme: Auto-enrolment (employer contributes 4%, employee contributes minimum 4%)
Pay: £34,540.00-£41,189.00 per year
Benefits:
- Free parking
- Health & wellbeing programme
- On-site parking
Work Location: Hybrid remote in Bedford MK41 0UD
