Children's ASD Services Team Lead

Location: Sutton Coldfield

Contract: Full time, Permanent, 37.5 hours per week

Work Pattern: Hybrid. The service operates 7 days a week, 12 hours per day, so flexibility to work shifts is required.

About Us

HealthHarmonie, part of the Medinet Group, is a leading private healthcare provider committed to delivering high quality care across the UK. We partner with the NHS and ICBs to deliver innovative, patient centred solutions that improve outcomes and streamline healthcare pathways.

Our Children's Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Assessment Service provides timely and compassionate support for children, young people and their families throughout the autism assessment journey. As our service continues to grow, we are seeking an experienced Team Lead with a background in children's services and a strong understanding of autism to support our Patient Liaison team and help deliver an efficient, supportive and high quality service.

Role Overview

As Children's ASD Services Team Lead, you will oversee a team of Patient Liaison Officers (PLOs), ensuring the smooth, compassionate and compliant delivery of services across our children's autism assessment pathway.

You will provide day to day leadership, oversee referrals and assessment coordination, and act as the main escalation point for complex queries from children, young people, parents and carers.

Working closely with clinicians, families, GPs and internal teams, you will ensure families receive clear communication and appropriate support throughout the assessment process. Your experience of autism and children's services will help you understand the individual needs of children and their families, promote accessible communication and support the continued development of the pathway.

Key Responsibilities

Team Leadership and Line Management

Lead, supervise and support a team of Patient Liaison Officers, promoting a positive and accountable working environment.

Monitor team performance, conduct regular 1:1s and support staff development through coaching and feedback.

Manage rotas, workloads and staffing levels to maintain effective service coverage.

Support the onboarding and training of new team members.

ASD Service and Operational Oversight

Oversee the coordination of referrals, triage, appointments, virtual consultations and follow up activities across the children's ASD pathway.

Ensure children, young people, parents and carers receive timely updates and clear information about the assessment process and next steps.

Monitor referral progress and identify delays or barriers that could affect the assessment journey.

Ensure patient records, correspondence, clinical report uploads and data entries are accurate and completed within agreed timeframes.

Support the team in managing queries relating to autism assessments, waiting times, appointments and pathway progression.

Promote an understanding of the different communication, sensory and accessibility needs that autistic children may experience.

Support the development of processes that improve the accessibility, consistency and efficiency of the service.

Communication and Stakeholder Management

Act as the main escalation point for complex or sensitive queries from parents, carers, clinicians, GPs and internal teams.

Build effective working relationships with clinicians and professionals involved in children's autism services.

Ensure communication is clear, empathetic, accessible and tailored to the needs of individual children and families.

Support the team in managing challenging conversations and resolving concerns professionally.

Safeguarding, Governance and Compliance

Promote a culture where children's welfare, safeguarding and confidentiality remain a priority.

Ensure safeguarding concerns are escalated promptly in line with relevant procedures.

Support compliance with data protection requirements, internal policies and applicable healthcare standards.

Participate in audits, quality assurance reviews and service improvement initiatives.

Maintain accurate records and ensure adherence to operational procedures and service level agreements.

Essential

What You'll Need

Previous experience working with children and young people in a healthcare, mental health, neurodevelopmental, educational or related support setting.

Experience supporting autistic children, with a good understanding of their individual needs and the challenges families may experience throughout the assessment journey.

Previous experience supervising, mentoring or coaching colleagues in a busy service environment.

Strong organisational skills and the ability to manage competing priorities.

Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, including experience handling sensitive queries.

An understanding of safeguarding children, confidentiality and appropriate escalation procedures.

The ability to work collaboratively with clinicians, families and multidisciplinary teams.

Confidence using patient record systems, booking platforms and Microsoft Office or similar systems.

Desirable

Experience within a dedicated children's ASD assessment or neurodevelopmental service.

Experience coordinating referrals, triage, assessments or follow up care.

An understanding of sensory needs, accessible communication and reasonable adjustments for autistic children.

Familiarity with systems such as EMIS Web and Hero Health.

Experience supporting audits, quality assurance or service development.

What We Offer

Competitive salary.

A supportive hybrid working environment.

The opportunity to help shape and develop a growing children's ASD service.

The opportunity to make a positive difference to children, young people and their families.

25 days annual leave plus Bank Holidays.