Specialist Helpline Adviser

As a Specialist Helpline Adviser, you will respond to calls with multiple concerns which may require specific expertise from parents/carers seeking support for their child’s mental health. You will use your expert knowledge and professional experience to offer vital support to parents/carers. Based on your professional experience, you will be specifically routed calls that relate to the following topic areas: autism spectrum disorder (ASD), attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), attention-deficit disorder (ADD), learning difficulties and disabilities, speech and language problems. You should have a good level of understanding around these key topic areas and be able to offer general advice around them. You will also be expected to respond to general helpline calls during busier periods, to help the team respond to service demand.

You will also use your knowledge, expertise and professional experience of working with individuals who are diagnosed (or suspected to have) neurodivergent conditions, Special Educational Needs (SEN) and/or speech and language problems to provide specific advice to parents and carers. You will inform service users on how they can access and navigate statutory support services, signpost to other organisations, provide practical tips and strategies that can be used at home, and offer lots of emotional support and validation.

You will be trained as a safeguarding officer for the service and take responsibility for ensuring safeguarding concerns are identified and appropriately responded to.

The Specialist Helpline Adviser role is a part-time position to allow successful candidates to continue working within clinical/professional settings and maintain their appropriate level of registration and/or accreditation.

To be eligible for the position, candidates must continue working within a relevant professional setting for the duration of the role.

To ensure you are able to fulfil the requirement of working from our London based office for one day per week, please ensure you check the travel time and journey costs from your home address prior to applying.

About you
Candidates will be shortlisted based on:

Significant experience of working with SEN and Neurodivergence in child, adult or community settings/services. Experience in diagnostic assessments and/or supporting families post-diagnosis.
Experience/expertise in at least one of the following areas is essential (please note that you do not have to have expertise in all of these additional areas to be considered for the position):
eating problems and disorders
major mental illness for example bipolar disorder
schizophrenia and emotionally unstable personality disorder (EUPD)
obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and body dysmorphic disorder (BDD)
inpatient care
substance misuse and addiction
school avoidance
youth offending and involvement with the criminal justice system
Current experience of working with and providing interventions to young people and their families in a professional or clinical setting e.g. mental health services, community services, specialist units, school. Ability to demonstrate continued employment within a professional setting and fulfilment of CPD opportunities.
Experience of responding to safeguarding concerns effectively, following protocols, reporting concerns and ability to identify risk within young people and adults.
A relevant professional/clinical qualification in young people’s mental health. Must hold and be able to maintain current registration and/or accreditation with a relevant professional body.
Within your application, you should make it clear which topic areas listed above you have expertise in and outline your experience in working with young people and their families who have these concerns.