East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust

Children’s Neurobehavioral Nurse Specialist

The closing date is 11 March 2026

Job summary

An exciting opportunity has arisen to join a well-established and knowledgeable multi-professional team, specialising in the assessment and management of children with neurodivergent conditions.

We are looking for a skilled and motivated professional to provide specialist support to the community paediatrics service, assisting with an existing caseload of children who are awaiting assessment for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) including those with co-morbidities across North East Essex. They will work as part of a multi-professional team to ensure that children receive the highest standard of care and support.

We welcome applications from registered children's nurses, mental health nurses and learning disability nurses.

Main duties of the job

You will provide specialist support to the community paediatrics service, assisting with an existing caseload of children who are awaiting assessment for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) including those with co-morbidities across North East Essex. They will work as part of a multi-professional team to ensure that children receive the highest standard of care and support.

Working across acute and community boundaries, the post holder will assist in the diagnostic pathway (including supporting with new patient assessments) for children primarily with suspected Autism and ADHD when required. This will include completion of school and nursery observations, performing ADOS assessments and supporting with the post diagnosis patient follow ups. The post holder will be required to adapt their role to meet the demands of the service at their manager's discretion.

You will give advice and support in an area which requires specific knowledge, skills and experience which will include the development of guidelines, specialist protocols and education programmes.

You will be working closely with the community paediatric team and other health professionals will initiate, develop and use effective approaches to meet the needs of this group of children and their families.

About us

We are ESNEFT and we provide hospital and community health services to almost one million people across east Suffolk and north Essex. Our dedicated staff deliver care from acute hospitals in Colchester and Ipswich, community hospitals, surgeries, community clinics and in patients' own homes.

We are one of the largest NHS organisations in England, employing more than 12,000 staff.

We pride ourselves on supporting our staff. We offer a wide range of training and development opportunities, as well as flexible working options.

Along with supporting you to achieve your career goals we offer a generous pension scheme, unsocial hours payments (where applicable), 27 days annual leave on commencement (pro rata) and access to a range of NHS discounts. Our Staff Health and Wellbeing programme offer a variety of services.

Our philosophy is that Time Matters to everyone. Across the Trust, we concentrate on improving the things we do and removing those which cause time delays for our staff and patients.

We are investing in our commitment to Time Matters with a partnership with leading electronic patient record (EPR) supplier Epic. This digital transformation will bring what's widely regarded as the world's best EPR system to ESNEFT, transforming life in hospital for staff and patients.

Find out about living and working here - www.youtube.com/watch?v=GkPu7HphU8A

Details

Date posted

26 February 2026

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 7

Salary

£46,148 to £52,809 a year per annum pro rata

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

432-HR1325-25

Job locations

Colchester

Turner Road

Colchester

CO4 5JL


Job description

Job responsibilities

For full details of the responsibilities and duties of this role please see the attached job description.

Job description

Job responsibilities

For full details of the responsibilities and duties of this role please see the attached job description.

Person Specification

Experience

Essential

  • Proven experience of working as a band 6 nurse (children's, mental health or Learning Disability)
  • Proven post registration experience in managing children and young people with complex and developmental needs/disabilities
  • Experience of working within a multi-disciplinary team
  • Mentoring / supervision of other professionals

Desirable

  • Proven experience in neurobehavioral conditions
  • Proven management experience

Qualifications

Essential

  • RGN/RSCN RN Child Branch or RMHN or RLD Nurse
  • Evidence of professional development in children with complex needs/management/post registration qualification (must have proven experience in Speciality)
  • BSc

Desirable

  • Masters degree
  • Non-medical Prescribing
  • ADOS trained
Person Specification

Experience

Essential

  • Proven experience of working as a band 6 nurse (children's, mental health or Learning Disability)
  • Proven post registration experience in managing children and young people with complex and developmental needs/disabilities
  • Experience of working within a multi-disciplinary team
  • Mentoring / supervision of other professionals

Desirable

  • Proven experience in neurobehavioral conditions
  • Proven management experience

Qualifications

Essential

  • RGN/RSCN RN Child Branch or RMHN or RLD Nurse
  • Evidence of professional development in children with complex needs/management/post registration qualification (must have proven experience in Speciality)
  • BSc

Desirable

  • Masters degree
  • Non-medical Prescribing
  • ADOS trained

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Additional information

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Employer details

Employer name

East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Colchester

Turner Road

Colchester

CO4 5JL


Employer's website

https://www.esneft.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)


Employer details

Employer name

East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Colchester

Turner Road

Colchester

CO4 5JL


Employer's website

https://www.esneft.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)


Employer contact details

For questions about the job, contact:

Matron – Children’s Community Nursing Team

Martina Thomas

Martina.Thomas@esneft.nhs.uk

Details

Date posted

26 February 2026

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 7

Salary

£46,148 to £52,809 a year per annum pro rata

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

432-HR1325-25

Job locations

Colchester

Turner Road

Colchester

CO4 5JL


Supporting documents

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