Job summary
Our new childrens home in Colchester will be responsible for providing stable, short-term and supportive placements for children who are unable to live with their birth families at the current time.
As a key member of our residential staff team, the Clinical Lead will support both staff and children living in our homes, lead the development of a trauma-informed, therapeutic approach to care, evaluate the effectiveness of their input and the improved outcomes for children, and provide specialist advice and training to professionals and families/carers.
Main duties of the job
In this role, you will work closely with a dynamic team of social workers, clinical leads, mental health coordinators and local mental health service providers to enhance the emotional and psychological well-being of children and young people who have experienced trauma. Your role will involve fostering nurturing collaborative relationships, and you will actively contribute to the strategic and operational development of our trauma-informed, therapeutic approach to care.
As a specialist in your field, you will provide invaluable advice and training to both professionals and families/carers, helping develop effective strategies to maintain children in their placements, resolve issues and achieve positive outcomes. Your responsibilities will also include conducting highly specialised assessments of therapeutic and placement needs when necessary. Working with a high degree of autonomy while adhering to professional guidelines and our organisational framework, you will collaborate across services to ensure the best possible outcomes for our children, young people, carers and Social Care colleagues.
Furthermore, you will play a pivotal role in continually improving our services, implementing changes and evaluating service quality. You will leverage digital technologies and innovation to enhance our function, all while celebrating and championing Equality and Diversity in every decision you make.
About us
Essex County Council has a location to be proud of. Our 1,300 square miles stretch from Constable Country to the Thames Estuary, from the dynamic M11 corridor to the traditional seaside resorts of Clacton and Walton. Englands oldest town, Colchester, and two of its newest Basildon and Harlow are right here. Along with the City of Chelmsford, the county town, they form our major population centres. It means real choice and makes Essex the ideal place for your career.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Actively contribute to the strategic and operational
development of the trauma-informed, therapeutic approach to care as part of a
team of clinical leads and mental health coordinators across Fostering,
Adoption, Children in Care, Leaving and Aftercare, Special Guardianship and
D-Bit teams.
Work alongside a network of professionals and services to
develop nurturing collaborative relationships with children and young people
who have suffered trauma, enhancing their emotional and psychological
wellbeing.
Develop effective relationships with other teams and
external organisations to enable the delivery of integrated systems to support
children in their longer-term care planning, aiming for re-unification where
possible.
Provide training and clinical consultation to the
residential staff team involved with children looked after on both an
individual and group basis as part of providing a resilient, containing service
which promotes trauma-informed, emotionally holding placements.
Assess therapeutic and support needs, contribute to risk
assessments/ manage risk and clinically oversee childrens care plans / life
plans within professional guidelines, the overall framework of Children and
Families Services policies and procedures and relevant legislation and
statutory requirements.
Provide individual support to young people through
psychotherapeutic and other types of interventions.
Evaluate the service to identify developmental
opportunities, implement identified changes and deliver a high quality service.
Work with partners in Health and Education where an
escalation of support is required and access to treatment / educational plans
needed to support children.
Contribute to Essex County Councils commitment to Anti
Racist Practice Specific individual and shared targets and objectives are
defined annually within the performance management framework.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Actively contribute to the strategic and operational
development of the trauma-informed, therapeutic approach to care as part of a
team of clinical leads and mental health coordinators across Fostering,
Adoption, Children in Care, Leaving and Aftercare, Special Guardianship and
D-Bit teams.
Work alongside a network of professionals and services to
develop nurturing collaborative relationships with children and young people
who have suffered trauma, enhancing their emotional and psychological
wellbeing.
Develop effective relationships with other teams and
external organisations to enable the delivery of integrated systems to support
children in their longer-term care planning, aiming for re-unification where
possible.
Provide training and clinical consultation to the
residential staff team involved with children looked after on both an
individual and group basis as part of providing a resilient, containing service
which promotes trauma-informed, emotionally holding placements.
Assess therapeutic and support needs, contribute to risk
assessments/ manage risk and clinically oversee childrens care plans / life
plans within professional guidelines, the overall framework of Children and
Families Services policies and procedures and relevant legislation and
statutory requirements.
Provide individual support to young people through
psychotherapeutic and other types of interventions.
Evaluate the service to identify developmental
opportunities, implement identified changes and deliver a high quality service.
Work with partners in Health and Education where an
escalation of support is required and access to treatment / educational plans
needed to support children.
Contribute to Essex County Councils commitment to Anti
Racist Practice Specific individual and shared targets and objectives are
defined annually within the performance management framework.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Clinical or counselling psychologist; Doctorate in Clinical or Counselling
- Psychology
- Systemic psychotherapist; MSc in Systemic Psychotherapy
- Psychodynamic psychotherapist; Masters or Doctorate
- Mental Health Nurse with clinical therapy training; RNMH and therapy training -
- will require NMC pre-registration programme of study.
Desirable
- Knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological therapies in specific
- difficult to treat groups (e.g. PTSD, personality disorder, dual diagnoses, people with
- additional disabilities, ADHD, Autism spectrum, Foetal Alcohol Syndrome).
- Interest in strength-based and solution-focussed approaches and a keenness to promote
- stable and secure placements for children either in residential / foster care or returning
- to their family networks.
- Evidence of continuing professional development and registration with the relevant
- governing body.
- Previous experience and/or interest in adoption/fostering/trauma/attachment/Social
- Care, including evidence of clinical assessments and treatment of service users across
- the full range of care settings.
- Experience of delivering consultations, training and/or supervision.
- Skills in providing consultation to other professional and non-professional groups.
- Well-developed skills in the ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing,
- complex, highly technical and/or clinically sensitive information to service users, their
- families, carers, and other professional colleagues, both within and outside of the local
- authority and NHS.
- Evidence of multi-agency/multi-professional working.
- The ability and drive to be proactive in developing effective working relationships with
- Social Care and other professional colleagues is essential to the success of this role.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Clinical or counselling psychologist; Doctorate in Clinical or Counselling
- Psychology
- Systemic psychotherapist; MSc in Systemic Psychotherapy
- Psychodynamic psychotherapist; Masters or Doctorate
- Mental Health Nurse with clinical therapy training; RNMH and therapy training -
- will require NMC pre-registration programme of study.
Desirable
- Knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological therapies in specific
- difficult to treat groups (e.g. PTSD, personality disorder, dual diagnoses, people with
- additional disabilities, ADHD, Autism spectrum, Foetal Alcohol Syndrome).
- Interest in strength-based and solution-focussed approaches and a keenness to promote
- stable and secure placements for children either in residential / foster care or returning
- to their family networks.
- Evidence of continuing professional development and registration with the relevant
- governing body.
- Previous experience and/or interest in adoption/fostering/trauma/attachment/Social
- Care, including evidence of clinical assessments and treatment of service users across
- the full range of care settings.
- Experience of delivering consultations, training and/or supervision.
- Skills in providing consultation to other professional and non-professional groups.
- Well-developed skills in the ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing,
- complex, highly technical and/or clinically sensitive information to service users, their
- families, carers, and other professional colleagues, both within and outside of the local
- authority and NHS.
- Evidence of multi-agency/multi-professional working.
- The ability and drive to be proactive in developing effective working relationships with
- Social Care and other professional colleagues is essential to the success of this role.
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.
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).
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
Additional information
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.
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).
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
