Schools Mental Health Practitioner - Safeguarding Lead

Job description

Job responsibilities

Key Responsibilities

· Your role is involved in the development and delivery of MIND Youth Services

· To work as the Lead Practitioner for Safeguarding Children for MIND Youth Services providing expert advice and support to clinical, non-clinical and managerial staff.

· To work in partnership with local schools and colleges, Early Help and other agencies.

· To work with safeguarding lead in MIND Adult services and lead safeguarding children and have joint responsibility for promoting increased safeguarding awareness within a mental health context.

· The post holder will have responsibilities for delivering the quality of safeguarding children practice and will support the delivery of the safeguarding children agenda throughout the organisation.

· Have responsibility for ensuring Youth Service staff within the teams achieve positive safeguarding outcomes for children, young people and their families and that these are evidenced by performance indicators such as activity data, targets and quality measures. You will also share responsibility for ensuring all team members participate in audit, evaluation and research.

· You will work in partnership with other professionals and organisations, including the local safeguarding children board and other voluntary sector organisations to support integrated practice and service delivery.

Safeguarding Responsibilities

· Promote safe and effective practice that makes best use of evidence base, safeguarding children legislation and national / local guidance.

· Provide and facilitate safeguarding children advice to the Youth Service teams

· Provide advice and consultation to Youth Service clinical and non-clinical staff and support the safeguarding children training requirements of staff within MIND.

· Develop and deliver safeguarding level 1 &2 Children and Young people’s training and ensure all staff access relevant CYP safeguarding level 3 training from the local safeguarding board

· With other child protection and safeguarding leads, develop and review policies for new and existing services to assure safeguarding children is embedded in operational policies and practice.

· Implement policies and procedures that reflect current guidance and practice for protection and safeguarding children.

· Ensure effective interface and flow of information between the organisations Safeguarding Children Committee, local borough safeguarding committee, local safeguarding groups, including safeguarding board sub-groups and boroughs management teams.

· Participate in Serious Case Reviews, investigations and report writing. Share responsibility for the formulation and implementation of action plans and recommendations, within the boroughs and MIND Adult & Youth Services.

· Ensure the correct procedure is followed in the event of a serious incident involving a child, in collaboration with appropriate colleagues internal and external to MIND.

· Represent MIND as agreed and appropriate, within the borough’s safeguarding Children Board and relevant subgroups / safeguarding forums.

· Act on behalf of MIND as the designated Safeguarding Children lead as required.

Service delivery and client care responsibilities

· Promote the mental and emotional health of children and young people in education and community settings through delivery of workshops, training, assemblies, one to one sessions and development of a whole school approach to mental health

· Develop and manage relationships with key stakeholders and partners

· To participate as a multi-disciplinary team member to evaluate and review the therapeutic strategic outcomes for the teams and set aims and objectives and monitor practice to assure quality standards of care.

· Share day to day responsibility for the quality of delivery of clinical care with the Team Manager, supervisors and other colleagues.

· Contribute to the effective functioning of the team and service through chairing/leading relevant meetings, taking responsibilities within the service as appropriate and negotiated with the Director of Youth Services

· Monitor and improve the standard of service delivery of the teams through effective line management of staff and implementation of clinical governance procedures such as audit and the development of protocols.

· Attend and represent MIND at meetings relating to the work of the Youth Services as appropriate within and outside the service.

· Ensure any legislation and statutory requirements are complied with and implemented throughout the teams.

· Implement new service protocols or service interventions based on experience, audit and development and advise the wider service on these.

· To attend monthly supervision and twice-yearly appraisal meetings with line manager.

· Undertake all duties in line with the applicable Code of Professional Conduct, policies and guidelines

· Make effective use of colleagues in sharing and participating in casework supervision and other forms of supervision when required according to local practice, including attending peer supervision meetings

· Identify development and training needs with manager in accordance with the Youth Services Operational Policy guidelines.

· Remain up to date with changing practices and wherever possible make full use of all training and educational facilities.

· Maintain and ensure good professional standards and attitudes towards the care and support of service users .

· Maintain good relationships and clear lines of communication with other professionals, agencies and departments, providing specialist advice and support where appropriate.

· Join colleagues in specialist teaching, consultation /support to other professionals and agencies.

· To work with others to undertake and promote research-based practices and use knowledge in your everyday practice, sharing it with others in the teams.

· Contribute to the development of outcome measures by accurately recording and ensuring others accurately record pre and post treatment measures.

· Participate in the monitoring, evaluation and the audit of the service.

To be noted

The above list of job duties is not exclusive or exhaustive and the post holder will be required to undertake other tasks commensurate with the scope, grading and purpose of the post. This job description reflects the present requirements of the post, and as duties and responsibilities change/develop to meet the needs of the service, the job description will be reviewed and be subject to amendment in consultation with the post-holder.

Person Specification

Experience

Essential

• Experience and ability to function as a lead for Safeguarding in Adult, Child and Adolescent mental health,
• Experience of working in a community setting and ability to attend various sites as required, Experience of liaising with other organisations and agencies to enhance the care given,
• A good working knowledge of the London child safeguarding procedures,
• A good working knowledge of the following:
• Mental health disorders in children, adults and adolescents,
• Theoretical knowledge of psychopathology and the general evidence base for treatment in child and adolescent mental health,
• The Childrens Act 1989 & 2004,
• Working Together to Safeguard Children 2018,
• Assessment of risk and management of risk factors,
• The principles underlying confidentiality and information sharing,
• The Care Act 2014,
• Pan London Multi Agency Safeguarding Procedures.
• Good verbal communication, written and report writing skills,
• Prompt and accurate recording on to electronic notes system and an understanding of the need for this,
• Effective self/time management,
• Ability to work under pressure,
• Demonstrate an ability to work effectively as part of a multidisciplinary team and maintain effective professional relationships with all team members,
• Proactive and self-sufficient, able to identify and deliver work required to meet objectives independently,
• Ability to create and deliver training on safeguarding,
• Ability to write high quality reports.

Desirable

• An understanding of the voluntary sector
• Experience of using tools such as Views and SharePoint
• Empathy with and understanding of mental health sector

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.

Employer details

Employer name

Hammersmith & Fulham, Ealing & Hounslow Mind

Address

309 Lillie Road

Fulham

London

SW6 7LL

Employer's website

https://www.hfmind.org.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)