Autism Session Lead

Autism Session Lead

Job brief

The Autism Session Lead will play a key role in the planning and delivery of tailored, engaging sessions that support the social, emotional, educational, and personal development of autistic and/or neurodivergent young people. Working across our main site, including the barn and garden environment and wider Daisy Chain services, they will inspire and
encourage young people through personalised 1:1 and small group programmes. In the barn, the post holder will also work collaboratively with animal technicians, applying their autism knowledge to co-develop animal-assisted interventions and experiences that benefit the young people. These sessions aim to promote well-being, confidence,
responsibility, and curiosity through interaction with animals and nature. The role includes weekday and weekend delivery (with either Saturday or Sunday worked each week, and a day off during the week). The post holder will also be involved in afterschool social clubs, family activity days, holiday programmes, and high needs sessions
across the site. The Autism Session Lead will also be expected to attend at least one residential stay during school holidays, supporting a group of young people in a setting away from home. This includes supporting their social development, engagement in planned activities, and overall well-being throughout the residential experience.
Daisy Chain is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of everyone in our care.

Hours- Full Time 37.5 hours per week

Salary-£25,400 per annum

Daisy Chain is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of everyone in our care and therefore this post is subject to an enhanced DBS check

Early Applications advised, this post will be closed as soon as we have received enough suitable applications.

Key Tasks

Autism Support and Session Delivery

• Deliver personalised sessions that promote communication, social interaction,
  emotional regulation, and independence for autistic and/or neurodivergent young
  people.
  
• Plan and facilitate activities in areas including sensory exploration, healthy living,
  emotional regulation, transitions, relationships, and autism understanding.
• Provide 1:1 or small group support in a variety of settings, including afterschool clubs, holiday sessions, weekends, and residentials.
• Encourage participation in both structured and informal educational, social, and recreational activities across all facilities.
• Maintain detailed and accurate records of sessions, progress, and safeguarding matters in line with Daisy Chain procedures.
• Barn and Animal-Based Programming
• Support and supervise safe animal interaction sessions for young people.
• Collaborate with animal technicians to design and deliver bespoke, animal-focused interventions that promote confidence, responsibility, and engagement.
• Ensure animal supervision and safety standards are consistently met.

Teamwork and Leadership

• Work independently or alongside other session leads to ensure a cohesive and supportive programme offer.
• Provide guidance and support to volunteers and support staff as needed.
• Build and maintain supportive relationships with young people and their families.

Additional responsibilities:

• Attend at least one residential holiday stay with a group of young people.
• Comply with Daisy Chains Health and Safety, Safeguarding, and GDPR policies at all times.
• Promote equality of opportunity and inclusion in all activities.
• Maintain and protect the integrity of the Daisy Chain brand and ethos.
• Attend regular staff meetings and contribute to service development and continuous
  improvement.
• Undertake training and development relevant to the role.
• Carry out any other duties commensurate with the role as required.

This job outline is intended to indicate the broad range of responsibilities and requirements of the post. It is neither exhaustive nor exclusive but, while some variation can be expected in particular duties, the outline is considered to provide a reasonable general description of the post.

Person Specification

Successful candidates will have a strong work ethic, and share our Company values of Passionate, Inclusive, Empowering, Ambitious, Open and Innovative. If you have worked in a similar setting before all the better, but most importantly we are looking for people who share our Ethos of improving the lives of families affected by Autism. The below details what we are looking for in an ideal candidate if it is Essential (E) Desirable (D) and how we will assess that skill, via your application (A) at Interview (I) or as part of a task during the interview process (T)

Experience

• Proven experience working directly with young people in a formal or informal setting E&I
• Experience supporting autistic and/or neurodivergent individuals E&I
• Demonstrated ability to develop and deliver personalised development sessions E&I
• Experience working with or caring for animals D&I
• Experience in the voluntary or charity sector D&A
• Familiarity with safeguarding procedures E&I

Qualifications

• Relevant Level 3 childcare/education qualification or equivalent experience E&A
• Willingness to undertake a Level 3 Autism qualification if not already held E&I
• Animal care qualification D&A
• First Aid Certificate D&A
• Team Teach or equivalent behaviour training D&A

Knowledge & Skills

• In-depth understanding of autism and associated needs E&I
• Knowledge of effective strategies to support personal development for neurodivergent individuals E&I
• Understanding of safeguarding legislation and procedures E&I
• Ability to plan, organise and deliver engaging, appropriate activities E&I
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills E&I
• Knowledge of legislation relevant to working with both young people and animals D&I
• Ability to work flexibly, including evenings, weekends, and overnight residentials E&I

Other

• Excellent written and verbal communications skills -E&A
• IT literate and able to use all appropriate software packages -E&A
• Willingness to be flexible about the work undertaken -E&I
• Understanding of and commitment to the aims, ethos and philosophy of Daisy Chain-E&A
• Ability and willingness to work during the evening and weekends, if needed. -E,A&I

Company Benefits

Our staff do amazing jobs and as such we want to reward our staff that is why we offer

• Enhanced holiday leave of 33 days annual leave (pro rata for part time employees) rising to 35 after 5 years service.
• Birthday day off
• A bespoke induction plan specific to you and your role which starts as soon as a job offer is accepted.
• Alongside your induction plan new members of staff have a 6 month induction programme and planned meetings with their line manager to ensure the employee is settling in and offer any support needed to fulfil their role.
• Ongoing training and development.
• Our Employee Assistance Programme offers a full range of confidential services designed to ensure you receive professional support that may affect work and home life.
• Company Pension Scheme.
• Staff discount.
• Free on-site car parking and refreshments.
• Social and charitable events.
• Company sick Pay after successful completion of probationary period.
• Savings Club
• Give as you earn scheme for staff to make donation to a charity of their choice if they wish.
• If your role requires membership of a professional Body we will pay your membership fees.

ETHOS & CULTURE

Vision: Our shared vision is for every person we support to live a life they enjoy and is meaningful to them at every stage

Mission: To support and empower autistic and neurodivergent individuals through the provision of holistic person-centred services, whilst promoting training, wellbeing, inclusion and acceptance regionally and nationwide

Values: Passionate; Inclusive; Empowering; Ambitious; Open; Innovative

Daisy Chains Six Core Values

Passionate Caring deeply about what you do and where you work. Having a personal investment and motivation to see Daisy Chain succeed.

Open Welcoming discussion, inquiry, and criticism. Having a mind open to new ideas and thoughts.

Inclusive Including many different types of people whom we treat all fairly and equally.

Empowering To give power to someone to enable them to be stronger and more confident within their role.

Ambitious Having or showing a strong desire and determination to achieve.

Innovative Bringing new ideas and creating improved products and services.

To be considered for the role click on the apply button above and submit your CV and details alongside our Daisy Chain Application Form. If you have any gaps within your employment history, please state the reasons for these gaps within your CV. If you have any questions or require further information, please contact us on 01642 531248.

We are committed to equality of opportunity for all and do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, colour, gender, age, disability, sexual orientation or marital status.

If you require any adjustments to the recruitment process, to enable you to perform to the best of your ability, please let us know when submitting your CV.