Pre and Post Diagnosis Lead

Job description

Job responsibilities

2. Job Purpose

The Pre and Post diagnostic team aims to support families in the period leading up to assessment and post diagnosis to offer practical and emotional support with areas of concern which are having a significant impact on the family. This is a new service, which will require development.

The role will act as champion to build on the local areas whole system approach to supporting children with SEND. The role will be expected to have and share knowledge about the range of services available to support children and families with SEND as early as possible.

Highly developed specialist knowledge across the range of work procedures and practices, underpinned by theoretical knowledge and relevant practical experience.

3. Dimensions

Providing specialist guidance, emotional support and advocacy to children and young people with additional needs and their families e.g supporting parents and carers through the process of diagnosis, discussing developmental concerns, sleep, behaviour, diet and continence.

To act as a role model demonstrating highly specialist knowledge in SCPHN practice in order to support practitioners and parents/carers as the SEND lead, that is underpinned by theoretical knowledge and relevant practice experience.

Supporting and advising other members of the SCPHN team to provide high quality referrals to the Child Development Service.

Signposting and referral to relevant services such as earlybird training, local support groups and parent forums.

Working in partnership with Health, Education, Social services and Voluntary services to provide a holistic approach in communicating and sharing advice, information and plans to all relevant parties and family.

Supporting families during assessment and news breaking appointments. Communication will be excellent as the parents will be receiving highly complex and upsetting information, and as the Lead you must be able to assist them to overcome the barriers to acceptance using well tuned interpersonal skills. Some information may be contentious and the conversations may be emotive.

Making observations and informed judgements about a childs behaviour and communication in order to jointly develop strategies and care plans to support families.

Participating in team case discussions and presenting evidence and information relating to the child and to the family circumstances and challenges.

Contributing to written assessments including Education, Health and Care Plans.

Providing supervision, guidance and support to other members of the team. Carrying out annual PDRs and regular 1:1s, initiating and participating in any HR issues such as performance or disciplinary, leading initial stages of grievance and discipline; ensuring that appropriate training is delivered to staff and reviewing work performance and progress.

Assist and where appropriate lead on the recruitment and selection of staff

To actively encourage feedback from service users and seek ways to ensure the service is responsive to client need.

Initiate and participate in evidence-based practice and audit, to ensure development of good practice, effective use of resources and maintenance of standards.

Provide monthly and quarterly reports for commissioners.

Monitoring of the budget, keeping within agreed spending limits and also monitoring of non-pay elements. Responsible for signing team financial claims such as mileage and overtime.

4. Key Result Areas

Through supporting and empowering the 0-19 service, the Specialist Practitioner for SEND will ensure an excellent and standardised service across Kingston for SEND children and families.

Improving service delivery ensuring that they provide a person-centred, joined-up approach to identify and meet the needs of SEND children and their families.

Advocating for children with additional needs and their families to improve outcomes and reduce inequalities for SEND children.

Liaise and communicate with partner agencies and act as representative for SEND

The Specialist Practitioner for SEND will represent Kingston when liaising with our partners; to improve communication and partnership working.

Working closely with the Kingston safeguarding children partnership to review policies and ensure correct processes are followed to safeguard SEND children.

Taking a lead role in specialist education and training across 0-19 service.

Training 0-19 service to be alert to emerging difficulties and responding early to concerns parents have about their childs development.

Ensuring the 0-19 service has the resources to support them when assessing the needs of children with medical conditions and additional needs.

Increase confidence in the 0-19 service to have difficult conversations with parents regarding their childs development.

Be a resource for the 0-19 service to access information about services and benefits available both locally and nationally, to then disseminate this information to the families on their caseload.

Strengthen links with early years settings, charities, parents, schools, social care, community paediatrician and other health services

Support and appraise members of the team, delivering regular supervision sessions

Disseminate policy and NICE guideline updates as appropriate

Ensure that the 0-19 service have the up-to-date evidence-based resources they need to deliver the SEND pathway.

Be an expert in making judgements about situations where there are multiple complicated aspects to take into account. This may be around various different therapy options, educational establishments which maybe out of the borough where the child lives, funding options and possible acute interventions, depending on the disability. The post holder must be able to analyse the options and then advise parents where there may not be an obvious solution.

Co-ordination of tasks and roles which maybe complex including work planning, allocation or re-allocation of tasks or staff in order to meet service requirements. There will be skills needed to co-ordinate activities with other professionals and agencies such as therapists and health and social care colleagues where detailed planning will be required. This includes giving clinical/professional advice to those who are subject of the care packages.

Responsible for development of policies to support the service and service development.

The role will require the post holder to be mentally resilient, as there will be upsetting conversations and situations to assist with.

Service development and improvement.

Use quality improvement methodology to develop service improvements and evaluate changes to provision for children and their families with SEND.

Contribute to the planning and evaluation of interventions and services to meet the needs of children with SEND.

Promote use of assessment tools alongside; audits, dip tests, case studies and families and friends surveys to ensure equity of care across the organisation.

Develop and deliver SEND organiser online for professionals to access.

Individual support with complex cases; in line with referral criteria.

The Specialist Practitioner for SEND will support a member of the 0-19 service with a child who has a complex condition whose needs are unable to be met by the standard pathway.

Person Specification

Experience

Essential

• Significant experience in supporting children with social communication difficulties.
• Experience of working with children and families where the child has a significant developmental or complex health need.
• Expert understanding of child health and development.
• Excellent communication skills, both verbal and non-verbal.
• Experience supporting staff and students and providing supervision.
• Experience working with challenging families and ability to manage conflict.
• Experience in initiating and participating in audits

Skills and abilities

Essential

• Strong organisational abilities including: time management, creative-thinking, problem-solving and multitasking.
• Able to work flexibly and independently with limited management oversight.
• Personal determination, drive, energy and ambition to overcome obstacles, achieve challenging objectives, celebrate success and deliver excellent outcomes for children. Taking a strength based approach to managing situations.
• Commitment to resource-sharing and collaborative working within Achieving for Children and across organisational boundaries in the best interests of children and families.

Qualifications

Essential

• Degree in SCPHN
• Highly specialised theoretical knowledge in child development, behaviour and communication

Desirable

• Post Graduate qualification

Knowledge

Essential

• Safeguarding knowledge and experience.
• Experience of building strong partnerships, maintaining relationships and co-producing solutions to challenges across a diverse set of stakeholders, including children, young people and their families. Advocating the voices of those we are working with.
• Proven ability to effectively use data, intelligence and evidence to create meaningful insight and to inform own decision making.
• Experience of keeping and maintaining records (in accordance with local policy) and producing accurate reports, presentations, written updates to a range of stakeholders (which may include families, children or young people).

Personal qualities

Essential

• Outstanding communication and interpersonal skills that are open, honest, persuasive and pragmatic, including excellent negotiation and influencing skills.

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

Your Healthcare CIC

Address

Hollyfield House, 22 Hollyfield Road

Surbiton

KT5 9AL

Employer's website

http://www.yourhealthcare.org (Opens in a new tab)