Job summary
Sunderland Counselling Service is seeking to
appoint link workers to work in our CYP Link Work service. The service will be
set within a unique independent mental health charity, which is acknowledged
for its contribution to the community by mental health professionals, health
practitioners and local and regional voluntary and statutory agencies.The post holder will be employed on a fixed term
contract of one year which will be subject to a probationary period of 6
months. Continued employment is subject to obtaining ongoing project related
funding.
The post holder will respond to the unmet needs of
children and young people in Sunderland and South Tyneside via the
implementation of a CYP social prescribing model. The link workers will connect
children and young people into a broad range of services and interventions in
their local area in a timely and effective way, led by the wants and needs of
the young person themselves.
This activity provides additional emotional, social
and practical support to wrap around existing Primary Care and child and
adolescent mental health services, to support young people while they are
waiting for formal treatment, prevent deterioration, maximising treatment
outcomes and support independence. It is NOT intended to operate as a crisis
service or an alternative to crisis services, nor as a clinical intervention
and would not take on care planning or case management functions which clearly
must be provided by clinical staff.
Main duties of the job
Our Children and Young People's Link Work service is aimed at children and young people who are receiving/awaiting support from mental health services in Sunderland and South Tyneside. An assessment of need will be carried out with support and guidance to the young person around a range of social, emotional and mental wellbeing issues. Support is tailored to the individual, with a "what matters to me" approach to social prescribing with the young person being at the centre of the support offer.
CYP Link Workers offer:
- Education and reassurance around common mental health presentations and treatment options.
- Varied contact methods to suit client needs, from telephone to face to face
- Support to access community services/support and/or groups including that are relevant to their needs and interest, with "hand holding" support available to those who need it.
- Signposting and/or referral into specialist support service where needed
- Co-production of support plans, giving the young person a voice and ensuring they feel heard in all decisions around their support.
The service uses holistic, person centred approaches to collaboratively supportive young people to manage emotional, social and environmental stressors within a goal-based outcome model.
Strong working relationships with partnership agencies are essential to ensure young people are referred to the appropriate services for their needs.
About us
The post holder will be required to work flexibly from a variety of locations throughout Sunderland and South Tyneside and will be able to work confidentially from home at times to suit service need.
Staff will be called upon to use a personal means of transport while engaged in the work of the service for which travel expenses will be available.
The post holder will become part of a broader link working team within SCS, with each service handling similar work within their specific area of focus. The diverse team can offer support with a wealth of knowledge and awareness of local resources and need.
The successful post holder will be employed by SCS and entitled to our employee benefits such as access to our free 24/7 Employee Assistance Programme, Bike2Work Scheme, access to training and be part of a supportive team which emphasises the importance of continuing personal and professional development.
Job description
Job responsibilities
For details regarding the job description and person specification, please download these from the document section.
Should you be interested in applying for this post and have any questions regarding it or your suitability, please contact Alicia Harris, Senior Mental Health Link Worker (alicia.harris@sunderlandcounselling.org.uk) in the first instance.
Please use your application to tell us how your skills and experience align to the role. Sunderland Counselling Service may use Artificial Intelligence (AI) detection tools to identify whether an application has been completed using AI. We expect that AI may be used to enhance your application such as refining and clarifying your ideas and thoughts and checking for grammar and spelling. However, applications where AI has been used to invent or inflate your skills and experiences or create generic responses will be rejected. To verify you have written your application please add the following to the bottom of your application 'I confirm that the content of this application is my own work and has not been generated by artificial intelligence tools beyond basic editing or proofreading.'
Job description
Job responsibilities
For details regarding the job description and person specification, please download these from the document section.
Should you be interested in applying for this post and have any questions regarding it or your suitability, please contact Alicia Harris, Senior Mental Health Link Worker (alicia.harris@sunderlandcounselling.org.uk) in the first instance.
Please use your application to tell us how your skills and experience align to the role. Sunderland Counselling Service may use Artificial Intelligence (AI) detection tools to identify whether an application has been completed using AI. We expect that AI may be used to enhance your application such as refining and clarifying your ideas and thoughts and checking for grammar and spelling. However, applications where AI has been used to invent or inflate your skills and experiences or create generic responses will be rejected. To verify you have written your application please add the following to the bottom of your application 'I confirm that the content of this application is my own work and has not been generated by artificial intelligence tools beyond basic editing or proofreading.'
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Educated to A level standard or equivalent.
- Relevant qualification at Level 3 e.g. Counselling skills, Social Care, Youth Work, Advice & Guidance qualification, social prescribing qualification.
- Demonstrable commitment to personal and professional development in relevant areas such as safeguarding and related issues which may impact on young people such as education, housing, relationships and justice
- Commitment to undertake all required mandatory training.
Desirable
- Relevant degree e.g. psychology, education.
- Training in risk assessment and assessments of client support needs.
- Mental health training / qualification.
- Safeguarding training.
Skills and Competencies
Essential
- Flexible and creative interpersonal approach.
- Ability to actively listen, empathise and provide non-judgemental support.
- Ability to think creatively when identifying activities that could interest young people and to adopt a solution-focused approach to identifying and overcoming barriers.
- Ability to encourage and motivate young people to participate/continue to participate in activities identified in line with their needs and interests.
- Ability to create, sustain and disengage from productive interpersonal relationships, working within the boundaries of the role.
- Ability to appropriately advocate for a clients needs.
- Ability to handle others emotions without becoming personally involved in them.
- Ability to identify risk to self and others, identifying and reporting safeguarding incidents.
- Understanding of and commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion.
- Ability to manage workload effectively.
- Ability to make good use of line management, supervisory and support processes.
- Ability to evaluate effectiveness of interventions at an individual and project level.
- Ability to work in an unsupervised area and share information where appropriate, with the relevant personnel.
- Ability to challenge poor practice and identify and work to best practice standards.
- Ability to take responsibility for identifying and meeting own learning and development needs.
- Ability to evaluate and put in place the effect of training.
Desirable
- Willingness to contribute to and assist in the development of strategies that will make the service provision accessible to all clients.
Knowledge
Essential
- Knowledge and understanding of emotional distress, mental health, and mental ill health.
- Knowledge and understanding of relevant support services available in Sunderland and South Tyneside.
- Sound knowledge of the associated issues facing young people, including relevant legislative frameworks in relation to mental health, safeguarding and child protection.
- Child Protection & Vulnerable Adult Safeguarding procedures.
Desirable
- Knowledge of Child Development.
- Understanding of talking therapies and specialist mental health services for young people.
- Knowledge of medication used in treating mental health problems.
- Knowledge of health and social care terminology.
- Causes of health and social inequalities and principles for addressing them.
Other Requirements
Essential
- Proficient in the use of Microsoft Office applications to facilitate working practices.
- High level of enthusiasm and motivation.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including telephone skills.
- Able to write clear reports and letters.
- Ability to work within a team and foster good working relationships.
- Ability to work under pressure.
- Ability to work within the boundaries of the role and within own competencies.
- Regard for others and respect for individual rights of autonomy and confidentiality.
Desirable
- Full clean driving license and use of car.
- Fluent in languages other than English.
Experience
Essential
- Experience of working face-to-face with children and young people.
- Experience of carrying out assessments of client support needs, including risk assessments.
- Experience of working in a relevant community setting.
- Experience of accurately collecting and recording information and data whilst maintaining confidentiality.
- Experience of working independently as well as in a team.
- Experience of working collaboratively with different organisations, building trust, confidence and partnerships.
- Experience and/or knowledge of working with local statutory and voluntary agencies.
Desirable
- Experience of supporting children and young people with mental health difficulties either in a paid or voluntary capacity.
- Experience of working within a social prescribing or equivalent context and/or knowledge of social prescribing and how it can address the causes of health and social inequalities.
- Experience of using outcomes measures.
- Experience of managing administrative tasks to include monitoring & evaluation.
- Experience of using electronic case management systems such as IAPTus.
- Experience of project development.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Educated to A level standard or equivalent.
- Relevant qualification at Level 3 e.g. Counselling skills, Social Care, Youth Work, Advice & Guidance qualification, social prescribing qualification.
- Demonstrable commitment to personal and professional development in relevant areas such as safeguarding and related issues which may impact on young people such as education, housing, relationships and justice
- Commitment to undertake all required mandatory training.
Desirable
- Relevant degree e.g. psychology, education.
- Training in risk assessment and assessments of client support needs.
- Mental health training / qualification.
- Safeguarding training.
Skills and Competencies
Essential
- Flexible and creative interpersonal approach.
- Ability to actively listen, empathise and provide non-judgemental support.
- Ability to think creatively when identifying activities that could interest young people and to adopt a solution-focused approach to identifying and overcoming barriers.
- Ability to encourage and motivate young people to participate/continue to participate in activities identified in line with their needs and interests.
- Ability to create, sustain and disengage from productive interpersonal relationships, working within the boundaries of the role.
- Ability to appropriately advocate for a clients needs.
- Ability to handle others emotions without becoming personally involved in them.
- Ability to identify risk to self and others, identifying and reporting safeguarding incidents.
- Understanding of and commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion.
- Ability to manage workload effectively.
- Ability to make good use of line management, supervisory and support processes.
- Ability to evaluate effectiveness of interventions at an individual and project level.
- Ability to work in an unsupervised area and share information where appropriate, with the relevant personnel.
- Ability to challenge poor practice and identify and work to best practice standards.
- Ability to take responsibility for identifying and meeting own learning and development needs.
- Ability to evaluate and put in place the effect of training.
Desirable
- Willingness to contribute to and assist in the development of strategies that will make the service provision accessible to all clients.
Knowledge
Essential
- Knowledge and understanding of emotional distress, mental health, and mental ill health.
- Knowledge and understanding of relevant support services available in Sunderland and South Tyneside.
- Sound knowledge of the associated issues facing young people, including relevant legislative frameworks in relation to mental health, safeguarding and child protection.
- Child Protection & Vulnerable Adult Safeguarding procedures.
Desirable
- Knowledge of Child Development.
- Understanding of talking therapies and specialist mental health services for young people.
- Knowledge of medication used in treating mental health problems.
- Knowledge of health and social care terminology.
- Causes of health and social inequalities and principles for addressing them.
Other Requirements
Essential
- Proficient in the use of Microsoft Office applications to facilitate working practices.
- High level of enthusiasm and motivation.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including telephone skills.
- Able to write clear reports and letters.
- Ability to work within a team and foster good working relationships.
- Ability to work under pressure.
- Ability to work within the boundaries of the role and within own competencies.
- Regard for others and respect for individual rights of autonomy and confidentiality.
Desirable
- Full clean driving license and use of car.
- Fluent in languages other than English.
Experience
Essential
- Experience of working face-to-face with children and young people.
- Experience of carrying out assessments of client support needs, including risk assessments.
- Experience of working in a relevant community setting.
- Experience of accurately collecting and recording information and data whilst maintaining confidentiality.
- Experience of working independently as well as in a team.
- Experience of working collaboratively with different organisations, building trust, confidence and partnerships.
- Experience and/or knowledge of working with local statutory and voluntary agencies.
Desirable
- Experience of supporting children and young people with mental health difficulties either in a paid or voluntary capacity.
- Experience of working within a social prescribing or equivalent context and/or knowledge of social prescribing and how it can address the causes of health and social inequalities.
- Experience of using outcomes measures.
- Experience of managing administrative tasks to include monitoring & evaluation.
- Experience of using electronic case management systems such as IAPTus.
- Experience of project development.
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.
