Mental Health Practitioner

Job responsibilities

1a

To improve children and young peoples mental health through the delivery of an integrated and coordinated system of community based mental health care to children, young people, and their families, providing safe, culturally competent, effective, cost efficient, timely and accessible services that are in accordance with national and local priorities and are responsive to the needs and views of local children, young people, and their families.

2a

To support the delivery of consultation, liaison, and training to staff in Universal/targeted/specialist Services. To also provide clinical input to the team, delivering practice within best evidence and to the highest possible standard. The post sits within a multi-agency locality-based team within the city offering mental health assessments in line with NICE Guidelines.

3a

To contribute to a positive working environment and open learning culture, which supports high morale and commitment within the Community Mental Health Team promoting wellbeing, personal development, and continuous improvement in the standards of business activities and professional practice.

4a.

To work with children/young people/families and professionals working with them, to reduce the stigma associated with mental health and contribute to the embedding of a positive message about maintaining good mental health.

5a

The Mental Health Practitioners (MHP) will be supported to develop the ability to provide specialist and autonomous, culturally competent mental health assessment, formulation of and implementation of personalised safety plans. The MHP will have skills that enable them to communicate that assessment in writing to the referrer, carers, individuals and the General Practitioner. This information may also be required to be copied to any other relevant parties involved in the young persons care, with the young persons permission where appropriate.

6a

All Mental Health Practitioners (MHP) must use an evidence-based approach to complete assessments. These assessments will be based on a clear theoretical framework and will take full account of the child or young persons developmental needs, gender, ethnicity, religion, race, ability, and sexual orientation. They will also need to develop an extensive knowledge of the full range of children and family services across all agencies.

7a

Direct intervention by the MHP is undertaken according to the competencies of individuals. As a Band 6 clinician the expectation will be that the clinician takes a lead role in the delivery of the service and supervise the junior members of the team. It will be evidence based and informed by a clear theoretical framework. The MHP will describe the planned care within a written care plan, review, and update, which has been signed by the child/young person and/or parent/carer.

8a

The MHP will develop the skills and knowledge enabling to choose an intervention and deliver that from a range of therapeutic modalities including systemic practice, cognitive behavioral therapy, solution focused therapy.

9a

The post holder will be expected to formulate a discharge plan and identify a possible range of therapeutic modalities.

10a

The MHP will demonstrate effective skills in the assessment and reassessment of risk and communicate concerns accurately in a timely fashion. This is inclusive of priority assessments and requires multi-agency responses to risk assessment and risk management plans.

11a

The MHP will develop skills and knowledge enabling them to make a decision about the time of discharge, and agree with the child, young person, and family/carers as well as multi-agency key partners. Communicate a summary of the work undertaken and how to sustain improvements made and include correspondence to General Practitioner.

12a

The MHP is required to maintain high effective standards in the recording of clinical observations and actions, risk and risk management including child protection in health records.

13a

The MHP will strongly adhere to culturally competent and anti-discriminatory practice, promote equity of opportunity, and use their professional position to empower others and challenge power imbalances where they are found to exist.

14a

The MHP will provide consultation to staff in partner agencies and may be required to support junior staff in attendance at meetings/CP meetings.

Consultation is offered to all professionals to identify the nature and level of the childs mental health need so that an appropriate CAMHS response can be defined and actioned.

15a

Offer consultation and support to CAMHS wider system

16a

All MHPs promote the mental health and emotional well-being of children and young people

17a

The MHP will play a major role in encouraging and co-coordinating collaboration between all agencies by attending multi-agency meetings such as strategy meetings and discharge planning meetings., to provide a mental health perspective.

18a

The MHP will be required to have excellent and effective communication skills, applicable to working both with young people, their families, and professional systems. Acting as a point of liaison between specialist CAMHS and universal services to ensure improved communication and collaboration via a range of different interfaces, forums, and meetings e.g., presenting at meetings within Plymouth.

19a

The post holder will be required to contribute to the delivery of education and training to professionals in multi-agency universal services.

20a

Contribute to the development of team protocols and clinical practice, proposing changes for discussion. Maintain good activity records and input them onto the electronic recording system in a timely manner.

21a

Maintain good activity records and provide them in a timely manner for inputting onto the electronic system.

22a

Be available for and make use of clinical supervision, child protection supervision and operational line management supervision.

23a

The Post holder is responsible for attending clinical supervision a minimum requirement of an hour per month.

24a

The post holder will need to organize their own workload under the support and supervision of Clinical Team Manager

25a

Maintain health records to the standards required by LSW

26a

Contribute to a strong team ethos of enquiry, development, and improvement.

27a

Contribute to the development of team protocols and clinical practice, proposing changes for discussion.

28a

Participate in team meetings, for example allocation, supervision, reflective practice, case discussions.

29a

The post holder will strongly adhere to anti-oppressive and anti-discriminatory practice, promote equity of opportunity, and use their professional position to empower others and challenge power imbalances where they are found to exist.

30a

Keep up to date with CAMHS developments taking place nationally in line with service objectives.

31a

To participate in audit and quality and patient safety activity in line with service objectives.

32a

Input to the electronic system as appropriate e.g., child protection supervision coding.

33a

To be aware of and familiar with LWSW policy and procedure and operate within that e.g., lone working policy.

34a

To maintain high standards of infection prevention and control in day-to-day delivery of practice.

35a

To measure and make available clinical outcome measures within an agreed system. This is most likely to be the CAMHS Outcomes Research Consortium.

36a

To provide support when required to the other pathways within the team

Experience

Essential

• Experience of working in a multi-agency and/or multi-disciplinary context.
• Experience of working with the care systems both directly with Children and young people and professionals within the care system.
• Experience of post-registration working with children and young people who have experienced mental health difficulties.
• Experience in assessment, inc risk, care planning, intervention, and evaluation.
• Maintaining own safety in Community settings by working within relevant policy and having completed or be willing to complete breakaway training or equivalent.
• Experience of effective working with families of different cultural backgrounds.
• Experience of working within multi-agency safeguarding systems e.g., child protection conferences, child in need meetings
• Knowledge of relevant legislation and documents pertaining
• to children, e.g., Children Act 2004, Child Protection, National Service Framework, Every Child Matters etc. Learning Disability specific legislation and documents, Aiming High for Disabled Children, Valuing People, Mansell report, Mental Capacity Act.
• Knowledge of the Mental Health Act
• Knowledge of a range of mental health problems and disorders affecting children and young people who are in care.
• Knowledge of theories of child development and their application to practice.
• An understanding of resilience and vulnerability

Desirable

• Experience of service evaluation
• Experience of assessing in a hospital setting
• Knowledge of different models of therapy, e.g., Applied Behavior Analysis and at least one other therapeutic modality e.g., CBT, Psychodynamic psychotherapy, solution focussed therapy etc.

Qualifications

Essential

• Core qualification in any Mental health modality such as Nursing / CPN/ Social Work
• Appropriate Registration relevant to professional qualification
• Qualified to degree level in any mental health modality such as Nursing/CPN/ Social work with significant experience
• Training qualification in methods of working with children with mental health problems, e.g., counselling, systemic practice or post grad diploma in child and adolescent mental health

Skills

Essential

• Mental Health and Risk assessment, care planning, evaluation, and intervention skills
• Well established case management skills and good organizational skills with ability to prioritize
• Well-developed communication skills both oral and written
• Commitment to anti-oppressive practice
• Ability to work in partnership and in collaboration with others, both in and out of own agency/professional background.
• Commitment to own learning and professional development.
• Reflective Practitioner
• Culturally competent assessment and intervention skills
• Specific therapeutic skills relevant to working with children and families
• Consultation skills.
• Training skills
• Self-motivating and able to work on own initiative

Circumstances

Essential

• Ability to travel across Plymouth
• Ability to work flexibly (hours of work and duties) both as an individual and with other colleagues in Livewell Southwest and with partner agencies.
• Able to undertake the demands of the post with reasonable adjustments where required.
• To be available to work shifts

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

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).