Therapeutic Mental Health Practitioner - Calderdale Open Minds (CAMHS)

Job description

Job responsibilities

Summary of role: Northpoint are seeking a qualified and experienced mental health practitioner with a recognised core profession to provide evidence-based short term interventions to children, young people and families with mental health difficulties.

Job Title: Calderadale Open Minds (CAMHS) Therapeutic Practitioner

Contract: Permanent and fixed term posts available

Salary scale: £33,430 to £38,440 (pro rata to 35 hrs FTE)

Pension: Eligible employees will be auto-enrolled in a defined contribution scheme

Start-date: Jan/Feb 2022 (or soon thereafter)

Working hours: Full time (applications to work 28hrs/week or more will be considered)

Holidays: 28 days annual leave per year (pro-rata for part-time posts) plus statutory holidays and up to 3 discretionary leave days between Christmas and New Year.

Accountability and reporting: The post-holder will be employed by Northpoint Wellbeing and will be line-managed by the Northpoint Open Minds (CAMHS) Service Manager.

Location: The service has an office base with therapeutic rooms in central Halifax. The majority of therapeutic work with children & young people takes place in community venues across Calderdale (some remote working during Covid)..

Service hours: The service operates on weekdays during office hours, with occasional early evening working to ensure the service is accessible to students/pupils and working parents.

Job Profile: The role involves four main areas of work:

1. Assess the strengths and needs of children, young people and their carers/family.

2. Support CYP & families to access community based services and self-help resources.

3. Deliver short-term, evidence-based treatment which involves working with service users to help them identify their goals, measure progress, and celebrate success.

4. Work alongside/provide support to partner agencies, including schools, specialist CAMHS, third sector providers and universal services.

Client group: Children and young people up to 18 with mild to moderate mental health difficulties. Referrals will be assessed against criteria to ensure interventions are prioritised for the most vulnerable and clinically appropriate young people. The practitioner will be able to refer/signpost to other services.

Interventions: Work will be short term in nature - normally a maximum of 6 to 8 weekly sessions, but often less (brief interventions of between 1 and 3 sessions are offered to a number of families). Support will be consistent with the young person’s stated goals, and care plans will be designed in close collaboration with the young person (and family members/others where relevant) Interventions will be clearly recorded, evidence-based, and measurable with a clear end point and outcome. Group interventions and digital on-line therapy also form another part of the CAMHS offer.

Open Minds (CAMHS):

Northpoint are a delivery partner of Open Minds (CAMHS) which is a partnership of organisations who are commissioned to deliver signposting, advice, and mental health interventions for childr and young people aged 5 to 18 and their families.

Within Open Minds (CAMHS), Northpoint operate a First Point of Contact (known as FPOC) which is the single point of access for referrals (including Autism and ADHD). The service receives over 2,000 referrals each year. We also offer signposting, advice, and guidance to parents/carers, young people, and professionals. We work in close partnership with South West Yorkshire NHS Partnership Foundation Trust who provide more specialist and intensive support, as well as diagnostic assessments for neurodevelopmental assessments (autism and ADHD), crisis support and eating disorder treatment. See additional document for further information.

Approach: The approach used by the practitioner should be consistent with the:

· relevant evidence based/NICE guidance indicated mental health interventions

· professional requirements of the relevant professional body, such as BACP, BABCP, or Health Professions Council

· guidance and standards relating to Thrive Elaborated, CAPA, and CYP IAPT,

Thrive & Personalised Healthcare:

The Calderdale Open Minds (CAMHS) providers are working closely with commissioners and other partners to implement the Thrive Elaborated Framework http://www.implementingthrive.org/about-us/the-thrive-framework/ which is aimed at transforming mental health services and involving young people in decisions around their care. The main focus of the post will be consistent with the principles of ‘Getting Advice & Signposting’ and ‘Getting Help’ quadrants of Thrive. Other initiatives that are working in parallel with Thrive include the move towards embracing the Personalised Healthcare agenda which is designed to help ensure that young people lead on designing their own packages of support. Northpoint have also embraced the CAPA (Choice and Partnership Approach) which helps mental health services to manage demand and operate without waiting lists.

Typical day: Although the role is varied and each day will be different, some or all of the following tasks might be carried out across a typical week:

· ‘Choice’ assessments appointment with a young person and their parent/carer

· A number of ‘Partnership’ treatment sessions with individual children & young people

· Telephone support session to a parent who is concerned about their child’s mood

· Consultation session with a social worker to help them formulate their approach to a young person

· Attendance at the ‘Tough Times Reference Group’ meeting with young people to ascertain their views on a new service user evaluation form

· Digital support to young people and parents via Silvercloud online programmes

· Attendance at clinical supervision and group reflective practice

· Meeting with partner agencies to discuss delivery of training session to school staff

Clinical duties: The main duties and responsibilities of the post will include:

1. Provide direct therapeutic interventions to children, young people and families.

2. Providing support to parents and carers

3. Offer consultation, guidance, advice and signposting to professionals.

4. Delivery of group and online interventions where appropriate.

5. To provide support and training

6. Provide supervision where relevant

Other responsibilities:

· Build and maintain effective working relationships with partners and stakeholders.

· Contribute to relevant forums, panels and assessment meetings and processes.

· Submit timely and accurate monitoring data as required.

· Use appropriate measurement and evaluation tools.

· Collect feedback and qualitative evaluations from young people, family members,

· staff and professionals and engage in service review and development processes.

· Manage time pressures effectively, and meet objectives in the face of competing

· priorities, challenging timescales, and diversions.

General:

· All employees must be familiar with and adhere to Northpoint’s operational policies, service protocols, and practice guidelines as required, taking account of any relevant partner protocols and procedures.

· All employees have a responsibility and a legal obligation to ensure that information processed for both patients and staff is kept accurate, confidential, secure and in line with the Data Protection Act (2018) and Security and Confidentiality Policies

· All employees have a duty and responsibility for their own health and safety and the health of safety of colleagues, patients and the general public.

· All employees will undertake statutory and mandatory training as deemed appropriate and have a willingness and commitment to professional development.

· Northpoint Wellbeing is committed to ensuring that no job applicant or employee receives less favourable treatment on the grounds of age, disability, gender, race, religion or belief, sexual orientation, marital status, gender reassignment or pregnancy/maternity. We fully support the right of all staff to equal opportunities and are committed to the development of a diverse workforce. All employees are expected to be familiar with and adhere to Northpoint’s Equal Opportunities Policy

Person Specification

Experience

Essential

• A minimum of 1 years post-qualification experience of working
• with children and young people with mental health difficulties
• Experience of using outcome measures and providing evidence
• based practice
• Experience of multi-agency collaborative working

Desirable

• Experience of working with
• parents/carers
• Experience of working in CAMHS or
• similar mental health service
• Experience of working in (or with)
• schools and education settings

Knowledge, Skills and Ability

Essential

• Knowledge of common mental/emotional health issues and the
• impact these can have on young people and families
• Ability to carry out mental health assessments including
• assessment of risk, analysis of strengths, and protective factors.
• Ability to assess child protection concerns and to follow relevant
• safeguarding procedures
• Ability to form relationships with children and young people in a
• way which respects their individuality and helps them to build on
• their existing skills and resources
• Ability to provide consultation, guidance and advice to
• professionals in other services on how to support children &
• families who present with emotional/mental health issues
• Demonstrable knowledge of relevant safeguarding and mental
• health legislation
• Ability to provide culturally sensitive support
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills
• Ability to think clinically/therapeutically about client need
• Ability to write concise and informative reports and letters
• Ability to use and interpret outcome measures to monitor
• intervention effectiveness.
• Competent ICT skills

Desirable

• Familiarity with electronic patient
• management systems such as IAPTus
• Awareness of relevant initiatives and frameworks, including Thrive
• Elaborated, Choice & Partnership
• Approach (CAPA), and CYP IAPT.
• Knowledge of Calderdale emotional
• health and wellbeing services
• Knowledge of relevant CYP IAPT outcome measures
• Knowledge of autism and ADHD

Personal Attributes

Essential

• Proactive, reliable, self-motivated and able to work independently
• Ability to prioritise workload and multi task
• Flexible to meet service needs
• Well organised and able to manage time effectively
• Assertive and confident
• Approachable, positive, and enthusiastic
• Displays care, compassion, sensitivity, and responsiveness to
• other peoples feelings and needs
• Able to work as part of a team
• Able to develop, establish and maintain positive relationships

Desirable

• Ability to mediate successfully/resolve
• conflict situations
• Ability to start work in early 2022
• Car driver with clean driving license
• and access to own vehicle

Qualifications

Essential

• A relevant professional qualification
• OR
• A relevant therapeutic qualification*
• A relevant professional qualification would include social work,
• mental health nursing, occupational therapy, or similar allied health
• profession.
• *A relevant therapy qualification would include a diploma from a
• BACP or BABCP accredited training (or equivalent) or a relevant
• HCPC registered title i.e. art therapist, arts psychotherapist, drama
• therapist, clinical psychologist).
• Membership/registration of relevant professional body
• OR
• The relevant qualifications, experience and willingness to
• achieve registration/membership within 12 months

Desirable

• CYP IAPT qualification/training
• Relevant post-qualification training
• Accreditation of relevant professional
• body

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).

Employer details

Employer name

Northpoint Wellbeing Ltd

Address

9 Clare Road

Halifax

West Yorkshire

HX1 2HX

Employer's website

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