Clinical Behaviour Specialist/ Senior Behaviour Therapist

Job description

Job responsibilities

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

The post holder will be expected to support their team, department and organisation to achieve the Trusts values. The post holder will achieve this by:

1. Providing a qualified, high-quality specialist LD Behaviour Therapy service to individuals, carers, families and groups, within and across the LD MDT, in line with best, evidence-based practice and trust care pathways.

2. Being responsible for holding and managing a behaviour therapy clinical caseload of clients referred to the Learning Disability Team and utilising planning and organisational skills, to exercise autonomous assessment, treatment and discharge of clients, within the parameters of the service operational policy and professional responsibility for the planning and prioritising of own workload.

3. Take full clinical responsibility for assessment and intervention for clinical work based on positive behaviour support and applied behaviour analysis. When required to carry out assessment and intervention using other psychological approaches, the responsibility will remain with the qualified psychological practitioner who is providing the clinical supervision.

4. To work alongside MDT professionals to provide specialist behaviour therapy input for clients referred with behaviour that challenges to the Learning Disability Team.

5. To undertake risk assessment and risk management for individual clients and to provide advice to other professions on behavioural aspects of risk assessment and risk management.

6. Under supervision, to employ analytical and judgment skills and be responsible for taking clinical management decisions in complex clinical issues.

7. To receive regular clinical and professional supervision from a senior clinician/psychologist and, where appropriate, other senior professional colleagues specialising in behaviour that challenges in people with Learning Disabilities.

Leadership

1. To clinically supervise and where appropriate manage behaviour therapy practitioners, assistant psychologists and trainee psychologists working in LD Behaviour Therapy and Psychological Services.

2. To plan, organise and provide teaching, training, consultation and as appropriate, clinical supervision to other professionals and disciplines within the LD MDT in the behavioural aspects of their work.

3. As appropriate, to plan and organise education, training and support for carers and staff groups of residential settings and family members in connection with individuals with learning disabilities identified needs in relation to behaviour that challenges.

4. To provide advice, consultation and training on the behavioural aspects of Learning Disability, to a range of agencies working with the LD client group.

5. Working autonomously within professional guidelines and the overall framework of the teams policies and procedures, to provide consultation and advice about behavioural issues to other members of the CLDT and other statutory and non-statutory organisations and professionals working with service users.

6. Working within the agreed policies and procedures for LD services pathway and Challenging Behaviour pathway to facilitate the access of people with a learning disability to appropriate services through:

7. Teaching and training for practitioners working and supporting clients presenting with behavioural challenges.

8. Working in close collaboration with MDT staff & practitioners to support clients who are either at risk of or are already admitted to inpatient settings.

9. Working alongside staff and professionals in helping clients presenting with behavioural challenges coming out of inpatient settings settle back into the community.

10. Providing consultation and advice to staff & Practitioners working with individuals with LD who present with behavioural challenges to access mainstream services & community facilities where appropriate.

11. As appropriate provide consultation and advice to internal and external agencies on how and when to refer to specialist LD Psychological Services.

12. To contribute as directed by the professional lead, to audit policy and service developments within the area served by the LD Psychology and Behaviour Therapy Services and the LD MDT.

13. To identify and implement service improvements in areas of LD service relating to behavioural challenges where there is need for development and to contribute to service developments in policy, procedure and practice as agreed by the professional lead.

14. Where approach to utilise research skills and/or support others to undertake service evaluation and clinically relevant research as agreed under the supervision of the professional lead and to disseminate the results across the LD service and EPUT.

15. To participate in the development of an effective team and the development of productive working relationships throughout the Trust.

16. To actively promote integrated health professional working internally and externally.

17. To facilitate the development of a positive and supportive team culture by taking responsibility for dealing effectively with potential conflict.

18. To take an active interest in working parties and groups within the Trust to develop and improve on service delivery, protocols and guidelines.

19. To participate in the audit process, linking in with the clinical governance agenda.

20. To advise, encourage and share knowledge utilising the latest research and practice development, through literature and peer reviews.

Clinical Skills

1. To act as an autonomous, registered practitioner who is legally and professionally accountable for own unsupervised actions guided by the professional code of conduct and Trust guidelines and protocols.

2. To work autonomously within professional guidelines and to exercise responsibility for the systematic governance of behaviour therapy practice within the service/team.

3. The post holder will have a professional registration, e.g. HCPC, nursing or other registration body.

4. Further professional knowledge will have been gained through accredited courses workshops, study and in house training programmes with a specific focus on working effectively with clients presenting with LD and behaviours of concern i.e. Positive Behaviour Support courses.

5. To be responsible, and accountable, for service delivery to clients/individuals presenting with learning disabilities and behavioural challenges.

6. To be able to assess and develop plans of care to meet the complex needs of learning disabled clients presenting with behavioural challenges who may also present with a variety of other physical/psychological health conditions. This includes clients with severe and profound levels of learning disabilities and those with different/varying genetic conditions. To be able to do this using own competencies, recognising own limitations and seeking advice when necessary. This will include continuously evaluating and acting on outcomes.

7. To be able to initiate referrals to other health professional specialist services and agencies.

8. To provide individuals and relatives with information and education thus ensuring they have meaningful choices that promote dignity, independence and quality of life.

9. To ensure practice is supported by research, evidence based practice, literature and peer review.

Training

1. To act as mentor to behaviour therapy practitioners, assistants, trainees (where appropriate) & students, providing effective education, facilitating their development and promoting high standards of practice & care.

2. Ensure behaviour therapy practitioners, assistants, trainees and students are actively supported to enable them to achieve their learning needs.

3. To ensure own continued professional development and support a culture of

lifelong learning in self and others.

4. To undertake, and assist, in the planning of own mandatory training and

workshops.

5. To keep a portfolio of your achievements, accomplishment and skills necessary for your role and revalidation of registration (as appropriate)

6. To undertake a regular appraisal, developing a personal development plan that

includes clinical competencies reflecting the health needs of the local population and relates to Trust strategy.

7. To support new staff and their integration within the team.

8. To support training as part of the role including changes to professional

development and implementation of new policies and guidelines.

9. Contribute to the departments performance management outcomes.

Person Specification

Education and Qualifications

Essential

• Post-graduate level training in Positive Behaviour Support / Applied Behaviour Analysis and working with people with learning disabilities
• Educated to Masters Degree or equivalent level of demonstrable knowledge and experience

Desirable

• A Professional Registered qualification i.e. RMN, RNLD, Psychology Practitioner, OT degree / diploma or Social Worker

Experience and Knowledge

Essential

• Evidence of Continuing Professional Development in the areas of mental health practice, learning disability and autism.
• Experience in undertaking clinical assessment and interventions with learning disabled clients presenting with behavioural challenges.

Desirable

• Knowledge of legislation and current national guidelines in relation to the clients with learning disabilities presenting with behaviours of concern.
• Experience of delivering specialist behavioural assessments and interventions with clients presenting with behaviours of concern including service delivery across a range of care settings, including outpatient, community and in-patient settings.

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

Employer details

Employer name

Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Learning Disabilities Clinical Base, Heath Close, Essex

Billericay

CM12 9NW

Employer's website

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