School Therapist - Otley, Pool & Bramhope Cluster

Job responsibilities

JOB DESCRIPTION

Job title: School Therapist Otley, Pool & Bramhope Cluster

Contract: Permanent

Salary: £26,260 £32,830 pro rata

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

Hours and days: 21 hours per week Term Time Only.

Location: Working across various schools within the cluster.

It is envisaged that desk/office space will be made available within the cluster. Therapeutic work will normally take place within schools and community venues.

Accountability and reporting: The post-holder is ultimately accountable to the Board of Northpoint, through the Director of Northpoint. The post holder will be line-managed by Northpoints School Services Manager. Direction on a day-to-day basis will be provided by the Cluster Leader, or other named person.

Start date: November 2021 (or as soon as possible thereafter)

Disclosure and Barring Service Certificate: Due to the nature of the work this post will be subject to an enhanced DBS check. Northpoints policy on the recruitment of ex-offenders is available on request a past criminal conviction will not necessarily be a bar to employment.

Approach/interventions

The therapist will deliver one-to-one short-term therapeutic interventions to primary and secondary school children referred through the cluster.

The exact nature of the therapeutic work will depend on the presenting issues, and on the theoretical orientation of the post-holder; work will normally last for 6-8 weekly sessions, but may be extended depending on factors such as the degree of engagement/clinical need/likelihood of CAMHS involvement etc. Any group interventions would also be consistent with the above approaches.

The approach used by the therapist should be consistent with the following:

• British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) Ethical Framework, and specifically BACPs Good Practice Guidance for Counselling in Schools
• Professional requirements of the Health Professions Council (if registered)
• Evidence base contained within the Department for Education guidance Counselling in schools: a blueprint for the future

Client group

The focus will be on referrals from identified priority groups where consent and motivation criteria are met (including looked after children, potentially NEET at 16, poor attendees, vulnerable boys, those experiencing bullying, young carers, those affected by loss/bereavement/parental separation, children who are anxious/depressed, those displaying behaviour management problems/conduct disorder, those experiencing deprivation, asylum seekers, refugees, etc).

A limited amount of work with adults (parents and carers) may be required within the role and the therapist will be able to refer parents (if need be) to other services within the area, including Northpoints other provision.

Caseload

The caseload will be dependent on a number of factors. It is envisaged that a therapist working 5 days (35 hours) would normally hold a caseload of 17/18 clients who are seen weekly. The exact size of the caseload may vary and will be dependent on the nature of the work and other factors including the number of venues, travel time, and room availability.

Main duties

The duties and responsibilities of the post will include:

1. Delivery of the therapeutic service in the cluster, working with colleagues to promote the service, liaising with school staff and other stakeholders.

2. Building and maintaining good, effective working relationships with management teams and pastoral staff in the schools and venues.

3. Liaising with cluster and school staff on referrals, assessing and determining the need for intervention with children and families referred.

4. Holding a caseload of children and young people (aged 5 to 19) and parents/carers at any one time.

5. Holding a caseload of referrals and gathering information to allow accurate assessment and formulation of emotional and mental health needs for children and young people.

6. Delivery of short-term (normally 6 to 8 sessions), evidence-based individual interventions in various school settings, to children and families who are referred through the cluster, and where consent and motivation criteria are met.

7. Delivery of group interventions where appropriate.

8. With a developed understanding of local services, assisting the cluster team to establish the most appropriate cluster practitioner to work with specific referrals, or providing supporting information for onward referrals into specific CAMHS pathways.

9. Offering consultation and advice to school staff, cluster and other professionals as and when appropriate.

10. Working peripatetically across schools in the cluster.

11. Providing clinical support, guidance and input to school and cluster-based staff.

12. Attending/contributing to referral and planning meetings with school and other staff.

13. Taking a pro-active approach to ensuring safeguarding concerns are raised appropriately, and contributing to EHCP/safeguarding processes.

14. Ensuring that all records are kept confidentially, in line with Northpoints procedures.

15. Working with other professionals to ensure therapeutic input is appropriate to the needs of the client group, and that all therapeutic services follow the evidence base.

16. Communicating with parents/families in line with Northpoint guidance.

17. Any other duties as required by the evolving nature of the project (primarily keeping integrated case management information in line with other project members, undertaking relevant assessments, completing monitoring and evaluation reports, and attending team meetings and other forums).

General

Northpoint will provide regular line-management supervision and the post holder will take day-to-day direction from the Cluster Lead or nominated staff as appropriate.

Northpoint will provide an appropriate level of clinical supervision (within work time) or will pay for an agreed supervisor to provide supervision.

Peer support and CPD workshops are provided

A joint induction will be carried out by Northpoint and the cluster. As part of the Northpoint induction, an online handbook which provides policy and guidance documents will be available electronically on the Northpoint intranet.

Work will be provided across different locations within the cluster in appropriate therapeutic spaces.

Travel expenses will be provided at the standard Northpoint rate.

Staff are expected to participate in service promotion. This may involve their name and identifying details, including photographs, being included in promotional material.

Additional expenses will be claimed through Northpoint as agreed.

Northpoint will supply a mobile phone for work purposes.

It is envisaged that access to a computer which is linked to the cluster or school network and configured to LCC/school/cluster security standards will be provided by each cluster.

All employees must be familiar with and adhere to Northpoints 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 Northpoints Equal Opportunities Policy

All employees will adhere to Northpoint Wellbeing safeguarding procedures

It is the responsibility of all staff that they do not abuse their professional position for personal gain, to seek advantage of further private business, or for other interests, in the course of their official duties.

This job description does not provide an exhaustive list of duties and may be reviewed in conjunction with the post holder in light of service development.

Experience

Essential

• A minimum of one years post-qualification experience of working with children and young people with emotional/behavioural issues (E)
• Experience of working collaboratively with children and young people across different age groups with a range of presenting mental health difficulties (E)
• Experience in the delivery of short-term supportive approaches (e.g. CBT, brief solution-focused therapy, family work, creative/play interventions etc) (E)
• Experience of demonstrating outcomes in client work, and in using monitoring, evaluation, and wellbeing measurement systems (e.g. Goodmans SDQ) (E)
• Experience in carrying out comprehensive mental health assessments including assessment of risk, analysis of strengths and protective factors (E)
• Experience in assessing child protection concerns and the ability to act on these in accordance with relevant safeguarding procedures (E)

Desirable

• Experience or knowledge of specialist schools/SILCs (D)
• Experience of working with children with learning disabilities, complex needs and neurodevelopmental disorders including autism and ADHD (D)
• Experience of delivering training (D)
• Experience of organising and delivering groups (D)

Skills

Essential

• Ability to provide advice, guidance and consultation to other professionals on matters of childrens mental health and emotional wellbeing (E)
• Ability to work positively and inclusively with families while retaining the confidentiality and privacy of young people (E)
• Ability to participate in a multi-agency approach around matters of importance to childrens wellbeing (e.g. NHS, social services and other universal services) (E)
• Ability to write positive and professional reports and letters (e.g. referral letters, discharge summaries) (E)

Desirable

• Fluent in languages other than English (D)

Qualifications

Essential

• A relevant professional* qualification OR a relevant therapeutic** qualification (E)
• * A relevant professional qualification would include nursing, occupational therapy, social work or a similar allied health profession.
• ** A relevant therapeutic qualification would include a diploma from a BACP-accredited training (or equivalent***) OR a relevant HCPC-registered title (i.e. art therapist, arts psychotherapist, drama therapist, counselling psychologist, clinical psychologist).
• *** NB Equivalent therapy qualifications from non-accredited courses should be of a level that would be recognised for professional accreditation purposes and sufficient to practise as a counsellor/therapist (i.e. minimum of 450 taught hours over at least 1 year full-time or 2 years part-time, supervised practice within a therapeutic organisation, with teaching which covered elements of theory, skills practice, professional issues and personal development).

Desirable

• Post-registration training in relevant evidence-based/NICE guideline-indicated mental health interventions (e.g. CBT, brief family work, group work) (D)

Knowledge

Essential

• Knowledge of initiatives, priorities and agendas facing staff working in schools and childrens services, such as CAF/Early Help Initiative, Children & Young Peoples Plan, Child Protection Plan etc (E)

Desirable

• Knowledge of the Leeds area and local services including CAMHS, children and family services, and other relevant agencies (D)

Professional Registration

Essential

• Registration/membership with a relevant professional body (e.g. NMC/GSCC/HCPC/UKCP-registered, BACP membership) (D)
• OR the relevant qualifications, experience and willingness to achieve registration/membership with a relevant professional body within 12 months (E)

Desirable

• Accreditation with a professional body (e.g. BACP-accredited) (D)

Other

Desirable

• Car driver with clean driving license and access to own vehicle (D)

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).