Evaluation manager and research manager jobs

Role Summary

We are looking for a passionate and effective Autistic Lived Experience Trainer to support us to deliver an exciting new programme of work. We have been commissioned by an NHS organisation to deliver and support the roll out of autism-informed care training to all staff working in their mental health inpatient settings. This programme of work will run for 9 months, and will include the delivery of various half day and full day autism-informed training sessions both in-person and online. We will also be working closely with Experts by Experience to become skilled and confident in delivery of this training to support the organisational sustainability of this knowledge. The programme of work will also embed an evaluation of the training to demonstrate learning and impact.

The Autistic Lived Experience Trainer will be working closely alongside our Lived Experience Lead to deliver all aspects of the programme, with support from our wider staff team.

Role Description

• Co-facilitate training sessions both online and in-person to staff from various professions and in various roles across mental health in-patient settings.
• Deliver pre-prepared content and facilitate reflective conversations.
• Monitor feedback and adjust content and delivery as necessary.
• Collect and analyse feedback data, both qualitative and quantitative.
• Support Experts by Experience to become confident with delivery of content.
• Ensure training content remains relevant and includes the latest research, alongside lived experience insight.
• Use own lived experience insight to supplement content and support reflection and catalyse change.
• Liaise with NHS colleagues to support training session logistics
• To represent Neurodiverse Connection nationally, regionally and locally as appropriate and to promote the work that we do.
• To work alongside the Neurodiverse Connection staff and associate team to ensure delivery of high-quality work.
• Frequent travel within Norfolk and Suffolk to deliver in person training.
• Some national travel may also be required to support training and delivery on other projects.

​Recruitment details

Recruitment Timeline

1. Deadline for applications: Monday 7th July, 9am
2. Applicants notified if shortlisted no later than: Friday 11th July, 5pm
3. Dates of interviews: Friday 18th and Monday 21st July
4. Interviewees notified if they have been appointed no later than: Monday 28th July, 5pm

Proposed start date for successful applicant: Start of September

How to apply

The application process is two stages.

Stage 1: download and complete application form.

• You will be asked to confirm you met some of the essential criteria.
• You will be asked to enter your contact details and details of previous work.
• You will then be asked to answer 4 questions.
• Email the completed form to our recruitment email address.
• You will also be asked to complete an equity and diversity form. This is optional.

Stage 2: If you are shortlisted you will be invited to attend an online interview. You will be sent the interview questions 5 days ahead of the interview date.

As part of the interview, you will be asked to deliver a 15-minute virtual training session. We will share the training topic when we invite you to attend the interview.

About Neurodiverse Connection

Neurodiverse Connection is a neurodivergent led Community interest Company.

Our mission is to:

• Listen to and amplify neurodivergent views and voices.
• Give additional consideration to intersectionality and how we can support the amplification of views and voices that are often unseen and unheard.
• Support people from different neurologies to understand each other, facilitating solutions to the double empathy problem.
• Lead on changing understanding of sensory and social processing differences, particularly in relation to the built environment.
• Challenge the common misunderstandings and misconceptions of autism and support an improved understanding of neurodiversity within health and social care.
• Promote an improved understanding of neurodivergent culture and communication.
• Support neurodivergent people to have equal opportunities in life.
• Support neurodivergent people to have equal opportunities and outcomes in health.
• Support neurodivergent employment, including in leadership positions and facilitating change for the neurodivergent community.

How we work

Neurodiverse Connection is a new Community Interest Company. We are working to be a neurodiversity affirming and supportive organisation. We want to support you as an important team member to work on projects that you love, that align with your interests and skills and enable you to have a balanced and rewarding work and personal life. We welcome you working with us and providing gentle challenge if we don’t get this right, so we can learn together. We want to see neurodivergent people treated better, and that starts with us. We hope you’ll work with us to champion this approach for other people, too.

Our commitment to you

It’s part of our mission to be a great place to work and to demonstrate how to work in neurodivergent affirming ways. We believe this is beneficial to everyone, regardless of neurology.

We aim to:

• Enable you to shape your role to your strengths and interests.
• Offer flexibility in delivery hours, within agreed parameters.
• Work to make Neurodiverse Connection an organisation that you enjoy being part of, that supports you in your role, that recognises your contribution and that delivers great outcomes for the neurodivergent people we work to support.
• Support to develop in your role through access to training, shadowing and mentoring.
• Access to supervision and a reflective space to support you in a lived experience role.
• Involve you in shaping and directing the organisation.
• Listen when we don’t get it right, and welcome constructive feedback.
• Involve team members in development opportunities and spending the social value we’ve accumulated together.
• 35 hour working week (pro rata).
• 4% work place pension contribution.
• 26 days annual leave plus bank holidays (pro rata).
• Access to a wellbeing fund.

Application deadline: Monday 7th July, 9am

Sensory Services by Sight for Surrey has been established for over 100 years.  We enable and empower people who are Deaf, hard of hearing, blind, partially sighted, and deafblind to overcome barriers and to be as independent as possible.

An exciting opportunity has arisen within our Children and Young People’s Service.  The team enables and empowers children, young people and families to thrive, by providing a variety of vibrant and impactful services, activities and events.

This role would suit someone who enjoys and is skilled at supporting families to overcome barriers they face as a result of having a disabled child, including providing one to one support, practical assistance, and group workshops.  Candidates should have experience of working with children, young people and families in a support role.

Key responsibilities

· Ensure parent carers have someone to work alongside them to help to overcome barriers they are facing as a family as a result of their child/’s sensory impairment.

· Provide practical assistance (such as letter writing and attending meetings with a parent carer) where this is needed.  This will include assisting with the Education & Health Care Plan (EHCP) to ensure it accurately reflects their needs.

· To assess and identify when the needs of the children and their families are not being met and work with parents, other professionals, and organisations as appropriate to address the issues with the aim of ensuring that the children have the opportunities and environments that will enable them to reach their potential and achieve their aspirations.

· Reduce loneliness and social isolation for parent carers by both connecting them with wider parent carer support services, and by organising and facilitating opportunities for them to come together, such as through drop-in events at community café’s and parent led support groups.

· Empower and enable parent carers to have the knowledge, skills, confidence, and support they need to advocate for their child/children through organising group training workshops and development around specific topics, creating and sharing resources that will help, and through our Power to The Parents event.

· To support children and young people through transition from children’s services into adult services, engaging with SEND services and adult services where appropriate.

· To follow all policies, including those focused on confidentiality, equality, and diversity. 

· Keep accurate and up to date records of work completed and support provided.

· Create, share and store two anonymised case studies each month which demonstrate the barriers faced by families, and the impact of the service.

· To attend weekend and school holiday activities and events to meet and support the children, young people, and their families at a time that works for them. 

· Ensure the family support service is needs led and inclusive for all.

· Offers first line emotional support to parents and young people as they come to terms with their vision impairment/ multi-sensory impairment as appropriate and make onward referrals where appropriate for more robust assistance, such as through our counselling service. 

· To encourage parents to become involved in activities available to children & their families and to support older children to engage with the 11UP and Young Adults programme as age appropriate.

· To keep up to date with current legislation, local and national policies, research and services and to share these appropriately.

· To be proactive in safeguarding all children and adults from abuse, and report any suspected incidents of abuse, following our policies and procedures which link with the Surrey County Council Safeguarding framework.

· To undertake all mandatory training, and continuous professional development (CPD) 

· To represent the charity at external forums and as appropriate, attend meetings as a representative.

· To co-operate fully as a member of the staff team and to ensure good communication at all times including attending team meetings, supervision and annual appraisal.

· To complete any other requests, with appropriate training, to support the wider team and charity goals.

Person Specification

Essential

· Significant experience of direct work with families in a support capacity

· Experience of planning and managing own workload within established guidelines

· Experience of working in partnership with outside agencies such as the Local Authority and Education.

· Ability to respond professionally and reflectively in situations where emotions may be running high.

· Ability to problem-solve and respond in a practical way to issues that arise.

· Ability to produce own routine correspondence using/ creating standard letters

· Experience in facilitating groups and workshops.

· Excellent communication skills, with a range of audiences in a range of formats. 

· Advanced influencing skills.

· Ability to understand and react to the needs of vulnerable families.

· Ability to prioritise, and to work under pressure to specific timescales and targets.

· Knowledge, understanding and experience of working with safeguarding processes.

· Knowledge of the Equality Act and other relevant legislation, with the ability to acquire this knowledge pro-actively where it is not already in place.

· Excellent understanding of confidentiality and professional boundaries

· Knowledge and understanding of data sharing protocols

· Experience of working independently, and as part of a team.

· Ability and willingness to travel across the county as required to meet the needs of families (mileage paid at 0.45p per mile)

· An enthusiastic, positive and ‘can do’ attitude.

Desirable

· Experience working with children, and young people who have a vision impairment, multi sensory impairment, those who are hard of hearing or Deaf.

· British Sign Language (BSL) skills

· Instructed advocacy qualification

· Professional qualifications in related discipline

· Experience of setting up and developing services or projects

· Experience of producing case studies and impact reporting

We can offer you:

· A generous annual leave allowance (full time annual leave entitlement is 28 days per annum, plus bank holidays)

· Investment in your development

· Access to an Employee Assistance Programme

· Pension contributions 6% matched with the Pensions Trust

· Annual flu vaccinations and an eye test every two years with a contribution towards work related glasses

· Free parking

· A vibrant and friendly team! 

An Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service will be required, which we can arrange.

We are recruiting a Therapeutic Practitioner to deliver For Baby’s Sake in the North East of England. The post will be home-based with some elements of hybrid working. Applicants must be based in the North East of England and be able to travel across the region to deliver a hybrid of online and face-to-face sessions.

For Baby’s Sake is an innovative, therapeutic, trauma-informed programme. We work with both co-parents individually, supporting a recovery framework to overcome the devastating effects of domestic abuse in their relationship. We acknowledge and explore unresolved and often complex childhood trauma and change harmful patterns of behaviour to develop a home environment where children can flourish. We adopt an attachment-focused parenting approach that enhances the opportunity for children to feel safe and secure, with parents who are emotionally available and attuned to all their needs.

There must be a current pregnancy to harness change motivations, a desire on behalf of both parents to coparent their unborn baby (although they do not have to be in a relationship), and we can work with the families up until the baby reaches the age of 2. The significance of this two-year timescale is evidenced in all recent child development research.

Trauma-informed practice is an approach adopted by For Baby’s Sake, which is grounded in the understanding that trauma exposure can impact an individual’s neurological, biological, psychological, and social development. You will have the opportunity to support the continued evolution of For Baby’s Sake whilst ensuring fidelity to the programme and sustaining the ethos and values of the For Baby’s Sake Trust. 

The For Baby’s Sake multi-disciplinary team consists of highly trained therapeutic practitioners capable of establishing and maintaining meaningful, trusting relationships that consistently guarantee engagement and, crucially, provide the framework for deeper, therapeutic exploration that allows co-parents to understand the impact of their own parenting experiences. To be part of this exceptional team, you must have demonstrable therapeutic skills, sound knowledge and experience of safeguarding children and adults, infant mental health, and a thorough understanding of the dynamics of domestic abuse, attachment, and the impact of unresolved trauma.

This is a full-time position on a permanent contract (37.5 hours per week). There will be an expectation of occasional travel to locations across the UK. 

Closing date: 14th July 2025
Interview date: 30th July 2025

Full details, including the job description, person specification, and background briefing, are available in the relevant attachments. Please follow the link to our recruitment page and click ‘apply’.