Senior Practitioner

Job responsibilities

JOB SUMMARY

The post holder will work as part of the Wakefield Mental Health Support Team (MHST) to manage a defined case- load with a focus on providing comprehensive assessment, consultation and evidence-based interventions, for children and young people (CYP) with mental health difficulties and their parents/carers.

This post will involve supporting Educational Mental Health Practitioners (EMHP)s with developing their clinical practice, psychological formulation and school engagement.

The post holder will be expected to provide Case Management and Clinical Skills Supervision to a number of trainee/EMHPs within the service (training may be provided).

The post holder will be able to work flexibly across a range of education providers, be a keen contributer to joint working initiatives and adaptive to change in a ever-growing service.

KEY RESULT AREAS:

The postholder will:

1.1 Care/service/function provision:

Work in partnership to deliver a range of evidence-based mental health interventions with children and young people (CYP) as well as some parent-led interventions.

Facilitate evidence-based group interventions with CYP and/or parents.

Offer specialist mental health-based consultation, advice and guidance with professionals.

Be responsible and ensure the effective co-ordination of clinical care provided including consideration to safeguarding and clinical risk issues where indicated.

Support clinical staff to identify children and young people with emerging mental health needs aswell as psychological formulation.

Promote overall access to Wakefield MHST where appropriate.

Establish therapeutic relationships with children, young people and their families and implement evidence based therapeutic interventions.

Plan and organise interventions ensuring that reviews are held within the required time frames.

Ensure that all members of the multi-disciplinary team, their colleagues, service users and appropriate others are informed/updated of changes involving current care plans, progress, mental state, and psychosocial factors in line with best practice.

Liaise with and advise CYP and families, local authority and other statutory bodies and third sector agencies including childrens safeguarding as necessary.

Communicate sensitive information to carers and relatives.

Use a range of inclusive communication styles and channels as appropriate to the task.

Attend multi-disciplinary meetings relating to referrals or patients in treatment, where appropriate.

Care plan and manage own caseload

Maintain accurate written records on the electronic record system of the Trust

Undertake mental health assessments, with an agreed plan of action and/or care and low moderate intervention.

Set and monitor Goal Based Outcomes with CYP/parents.

Undertake complex risk assessments and develop a formulation of risk which will lead to the development of risk management plans which have taken into consideration a range of possible options.

Undertake and continuously re-evaluate complex bio-psycho-social assessments and develop a working formulation which will lead to the development of personalised care packages in line with evidence based and routine outcome measures.

1.2 Working as part of a Team:

Contribute to gathering feedback for service development

Share clinical skills and knowledge and support the development of others

As part of a team, deliver person centred care whilst meeting the service standards and objectives.

Provide and receive service user information using tact, reassurance, empathy and persuasive skills as required. Act within the 8 principles of the Data Protection Act 1988.

Contribute to department/team meetings offering suggestions for quality improvement. Actively engage in good team working to facilitate effective relationships with all health professionals.

Maintain strong working relationships and communication links with the team and others in achieving/improving service/quality standards.

Contribute to and make suggestions about projects, including audit and quality initiatives pertinent to the role.

Take part in team reflection and investigation of complaints and Adverse Risk Incidents as directed to ensure that lessons are learned from mistakes and that team working is enhanced.

Comply with corporate governance structures in keeping with the principles and standards set out by the Trust.

Engage with external partners/stake holders (e.g. service users, health care professionals, representative bodies)

1.3 Managing Self:

Ensure that practice is evidence-based, in accordance to the Trusts and NICE guidelines, policies, protocols and pathways and other professional standards.

Be respectful and adaptive to various psychological approaches.

Participate in clinical supervision to develop skills and knowledge of clinical care and practice and apply continuous reflection on own practice and evaluate own practice.

Ability to manage and co-ordinate own diary and caseload.

Review, evaluate and adjust activities in response to the changing demands.

Maintain clinical record keeping in a timely manner.

Undertake timely and appropriate mandatory training, study days, in-service training programmes and keep up to date with changes in operational procedures and developments in clinical practice.

Seek advice and support from your line manager, registered health care professional whenever necessary.

Develop knowledge and basic understanding of and comply with all service/Trust policies and procedures and relevant legislation eg, Mental Health Act, Childrens Act, Mental Capacity Act etc.

Promote a positive image of the Service/Trust.

Actively participate in the appraisal process using it as a positive means of improving self-awareness, development and work practice.

Maintain personal and professional development as identified in your performance review to meet the changing demands of the job, participate in appropriate training activities and encourage and support staffs development and training.

Make changes in own practice based on up to date evidence and research findings and offer suggestions for the improvement within the team/department.

1.4 Management Supervision and Support:

Provide supervision and caseload management to new EMHP / CYWP practitioners and trainee EMHPs.

Participate in clinical case discussion.

Support and guide others to reflect and develop

Provide mentoring and support for other learners (subject to professional standards and training requirements)

Support trainees and supervisees in the team.

Develop own knowledge & skills within speciality in order to provide information to others to support their understanding.

Support team members to deliver on their objectives through offering advice, guidance and support as appropriate.

1.5 Financial responsibility:

The post holder would not normally have financial responsibility for budgetary management but may if appropriate to the post, be required to order stock, sign time sheets etc.

Must use Trust resources efficiently and suggest efficiency savings to more senior staff.

Maintain the safekeeping of Trust, service user, visitors etc, property. Any concerns regarding misuse should be raised immediately with the Trusts Counter Fraud Specialist, see Trusts Intranet for details.

For full details of the role please see the supporting documents attached.

Special Knowledge/Skills

Essential

• A good understanding of evidence - based, low intensity interventions for mild to moderate mental health difficulties.
• An understanding of mental health and wellbeing support within community settings.
• Understanding of safeguarding responsibilities and the importance of
• multi-agency work for children and families in the community.
• Understanding of CYP-IAPT principles including the use of evidence-
• based therapies and Routine Outcome Measures.
• Excellent communication skills including the ability to engage with children/young people of all ages experiencing a wide range of mental health presentations.
• Ability to communicate with a wide range of professionals from various settings.
• Ability to work effectively with partner services & external partners to promote and adapt change processes.
• Good verbal and communication skills.
• Ability to manage own caseload.
• Good negotiation skills, and problem-solving skills.
• Customer service orientation.
• Effective record keeping and report writing skills to include care planning and risk assessments.
• IT skills.
• Have good team working skills. Be able to work across disciplines with an ability to predict and manage inter-disciplinary tensions and foster good working practices.

Desirable

• A good understanding of the green paper initiative and the function of a MHST.

Experience

Essential

• Substantial post qualification experience, some of which must be working with children, young people and their carers in a mental health or community setting.
• Experience of working in Primary Care/ MHST Services / or CAMHS.
• Experience of managing a case-load of children and young people
• with a range of moderate mental health needs.
• Experience in assessment and risk management and ability to implement evidence-based practice.
• Experience of delivering evidence-based psychological therapy e.g. CBT.
• Experience of working with parents (or with adults).
• Experience of working in or in conjunction with an educational setting.
• Experience of providing clinical supervision.
• Proven ability to work with other agencies and disciplines and in partnership with other organisations.
• Experience working within Early Intervention and Prevention
• Services.
• Experience of service delivery via digital platform.

Training

Essential

• Experience delivering training to a diverse audience (or group work).

Personal Attributes

Essential

• Able to work autonomously and as part of a team.
• Commitment to multi-agency approach.
• Ability to work and make decisions under pressure.
• Calm, confident, innovative, creative and assertive.
• Clarity of decision making.
• 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).

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

• Registered Wellbeing Practitioner (Psychological Wellbeing Practitioners (PWP),Childrens Wellbeing Practitioners (CWP) & Education Mental Health Practitioners (EMHP).
• or
• Registered mental health practitioner (NMC, HCPC).
• or
• Registered social worker.
• or
• KSA equivalent accreditation. (www.babcp.com/Accreditation/Provisional-Accreditation/Knowledge-Skills-and-Attitudes).

Desirable

• Successful completion of the CYP-IAPT CBT/EMHP supervisor training or willing to undertake.

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).