Senior Mental Health Practitioner

Job responsibilities

JOB SUMMARY

This job description is an outline of the main duties of the post. The post-holder will be required to undertake other duties commensurate with the grade as directed.

The content of this post will be reviewed in consultation with the post-holder when necessary and in line with the service developments.

To provide highly specialist skills and expertise, facilitating interventions of the highest quality in the field of mental health, including emergency assessments and intensive interventions with children, young people and their families.

To work autonomously and collaboratively within the MDT, providing consultation and teaching for other agencies/professionals.

To provider supervision and teaching to all other disciplines within CAMHS and to deputise as agreed for the team leader.

To promote safeguarding and the welfare of children and young people

KEY RESULT AREAS:

CLINICAL

1To work autonomously within professional guidelines and exercise responsibility in accordance with the Trust Policies and procedures

2The post-holder will have highly developed skills in assessing the needs of children and their carers based on the analysis of highly complex facts and situations. Interventions will be planned based on the assessment information and interpretation of this. The clinical assessment will include gathering appropriate historical information from the child and family, allied to clinical observation of family relationships and mental state of the child and other family members, and obtaining relevant information from other agencies. Offering highly specialist expertise in child and adolescent mental health, ensuring clear documentation in all appropriate case notes and sharing assessments and information with the family and all relevant professionals.

3To undertake highly specialist initial assessments of young people following acts of serious self-harm and attempted suicide in line with evidence based practice.

4To undertake highly specialised risk assessments following referral for presentations requiring urgent mental health or psychiatric assessment and plan relevant interventions.

5To implement intensive interventions with young people and their families, as relevant to the post-holders main clinical role, i.e. group and individual work, systemic family interventions. This will include analysis, interpretation and evaluation to reformulate plans of care.

6The post-holder will provide therapeutic care to emotionally demanding clients in highly emotive situations.

7The post-holder will develop and maintain therapeutic relationships with children and carers. This will include cases of high complexity which require more specialised levels of assessment and therapeutic skills.

8As part of multi-disciplinary team, the Senior Mental Health Practitioner will deliver and devise complex packages of care. Provide individual and family review/follow-up sessions to children, young people or their carers.

9To take a lead role in setting guidelines and standards that will ensure all young persons identified with complex problems are discharged from Specialist CAMHS with an appropriate package of care from universal services.

10The post-holder will have skills to communicate highly complex information regarding personal psycho-social problems in an empathic and supportive way using the highest level of interpersonal skills in situations which can be highly emotional and sometimes antagonistic. Service users and families may have difficulty or be reluctant to understand what is communicated to them.

11Communicate complex, sensitive or contentious information utilising highly developed interpersonal skills. Take into account issues of confidentiality and the consent of Adults and Young People. Considering and assessing a childs maturity to consent.

12To work with children, young people (0-18) and their families, liaising with external agencies, e.g. Education, Social Services and Paediatric Services. Presenting problems are frequently complex and require that sophisticated packages of care are negotiated and delivered. To actively promote user/carer involvement in all aspects of care planning/delivery whilst respecting the rights, capabilities and wishes of the individuals concerned.

13To apply a sound knowledge of safeguarding children and guidelines in clinical work.

14To deputise for the team leader in his/her absence.

15Apply Trust policies and procedures in instances of aggression, acute distress and disturbed mental health presentations.

HUMAN RESOURCES

1The Senior Mental Health Practitioner will take the responsibility in developing, managing and coordinating the supervision systems for the team.

2The post-holder will support other team members in managing cases, providing joint working where appropriate on specific therapeutic techniques.

3To manage and coordinate rotas for all disciplines within CAMHS specific to their own area of specialism.

4To support the Clinical Governance Lead within the service and participate in the development and maintenance of governance processes, i.e. clinical incident reporting, risk management.

5Contribute to the induction of new starters in the service.

6Responsible for first line resolution of complaints in line with Trust policy.

7Responsible for budgetary requirement of equipment necessary for clinical interventions.

RESEARCH

1The post-holder will identify and undertake R and D activity, where appropriate, and be responsible for regular audit projects/service evaluations and for the development of research projects in line with evidence based practice.

2To participate and take a lead role in audit, service evaluation and quality management initiative.

3The post-holder will deliver and supervise others to participate in audit pertaining to their specialist area ensuring agreed results are implemented.

4To utilise theory, evidence based literature and research to support evidence based practice in work with client and that of the service planning, development and delivers. To maintain links with academic institutions.

5To introduce, through consultation with colleagues, quality initiatives.

6To be committed to a quality approach for patient care.

For full job description, please see attached supporting documents.

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Experience

Essential

• Experience of delivering training to others.
• Extensive experience in identified portfolio requirements.
• Substantial post qualification experience, some of which must be working with Children, young people and their carers in a mental health or other complex care setting.
• Experience of working in different cultural contexts.
• Knowledge and experience of working with Equality and Diversity.
• Multidisciplinary team working.
• Inter-agency liaison and consultation.
• Experience of providing highly specialist advice and supervision to other professionals.
• Knowledge of relevant legislation and guidance for working with children, young people, mental health and safeguarding.
• Evidence of advanced clinical/therapeutic knowledge and skills in mental health.
• Extensive experience in assessment and risk management and ability to implement evidence based practice.
• Advanced experience of safeguarding children and young people.

Desirable

• Experience of community settings.

Physical Attributes

Essential

• Ability to undertake the duties and demands of the post. A satisfactory sickness record over the previous 2 years (subject to the need to act with fairness and equality of opportunity, particularly where the sickness is related to a disability and/or pregnancy).

Qualifications

Essential

• Relevant professional qualification, e.g. nursing, or other professional allied to medicine.
• Post qualification training in identified portfolio, e.g. LD. LAC, eating disorder.
• Dip SW or relevant mental health profession.
• A teaching and assessing qualification.
• Membership of professional body.

Desirable

• Post graduate qualification in mental health (e.g. CBT, Family Therapy, Counselling).
• Masters Level qualification.
• Formal management/supervisory qualification.

Personal Attributes

Essential

• Able to work autonomously and as part of a team.
• Commitment to multi-agency approach/working.
• Ability to work and make decisions under pressure.
• Calm, confident, innovative, creative and assertive.
• Ability to make and lead decisions under pressure/crisis situations.
• Willingness to be flexible and adaptable in accordance with changing service priorities.
• Commitment to challenging discrimination and improving accessibility of services.
• Ability to cope calmly in a crisis.
• To demonstrate good self-care and encourage the same in team members.
• A Current driving licence and access to a car during the working day is essential (reasonable adjustments will be considered for any applicants who are unable to drive due to a disability).
• To have integrity, be honest, open, transparent and respectful.

Special Knowledge & Skills

Essential

• Excellent verbal and communication skills.
• Ability to manage own caseload and to be a self-reliant and autonomous practitioner.
• Excellent negotiation skills, and problem solving skills.
• Customer service orientation.
• Excellent record keeping and report writing skills to include care planning and risk assessments.
• IT 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).