Job summary
The Southfields Mental Health Support Team (MHST) comprises of 4 qualified EMHPs, two experienced Clinical Psychologist leads (as a job share), a creative arts therapist and the advertised post working across a cluster of schools in Wandsworth.
This post provides direct interventions for children and young people with moderate mental health presentations and contributes to a whole school approach (WSA) across the school cluster. This may include running parent workshops and staff training sessions, offering reflective practice groups and consultation to school staff.
These are exciting and varied roles with good scope for creative and innovative working within a new national initiative to increase mental health input directly into schools. There is a very strong peer support network across the CAMHS Education Wellbeing Service (comprising of all of the MHSTs and CWP teams). There is a huge amount of opportunity for developing skills and being at the forefront of an innovative service. We are looking for an enthusiastic, proactive and creative therapist who is keen to expand their skills and learn on the job, with strong support offered at all levels.
Main duties of the job
The postholder will offer direct clinical interventions, both individual and group, as appropriate for their profession and skill set. The WSA work involves working collaboratively with schools at a preventative level and meeting need as it arises within the wider school setting. There are good training opportunities, either through internal CAMHS training or via the specific training events run by Kings College London.
The MHST exists within an overall network of child mental health resources that coordinates early help, targeted help and specialist interventions for children and young people according to presentation and need. There are also good opportunities for linking in with local CAMHS and the Single Point of Access within the borough.
This post will require:
Qualification as a registered Clinical / Counselling / Educational Psychologist; OR Family Therapist; OR Child & Adolescent Psychotherapist
Good experience of working therapeutically with children, young people & parents
Some previous experience of training and teaching
Experience of working with self-harm and / or challenging behaviour
Strong communication skills
The ability to work cohesively and collaboratively both within a small team and within the wider school cluster
The ability to use feedback, reflect and adapt accordingly
Strong organisational skills
About us
We are Proud to Belong at South West London and St George's Mental Health NHS Trust.
We have expert services, a rich history and a clear commitment to providing the best quality care for those with mental ill-health. The Care Quality Commission already rates our services as 'good' - we aspire to be 'outstanding'.
This is a great time to join us. We are transforming the way we care for our communities to support our mission of Making Life Better Together. We have built two brand new mental health facilities at Springfield University Hospital, which are amongst the best in the world. More developments are planned across our sites and services.
We are inclusive and diverse and strive to be actively anti racist. We want to attract people from all backgrounds and experiences to enrich the work we do together. We are proud to co-produce and involve our local communities in all that we do.
We offer flexible working, career development and a variety of benefits to enable a positive, welcoming environment in which our people and their careers can thrive.
About our locations:
The Southfields MHST offers interventions and support to a cluster of schools within the Southfields and Earlsfield areas in Wandsworth. The MHST covers three secondary schools and around fifteen primary schools. Some travel between schools and base is to be expected but this can be managed by public transport, owning a car is helpful but not necessary.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Clinical
1. To provide specialist assessments of children and young people referred to the service based upon the appropriate use, interpretation and integration of complex data from a variety of sources including psychological and where appropriate, self-report measures, rating scales, direct and indirect structured observations and semi-structured interviews in line with CYP IAPT methodology.
2. To formulate and implement plans for evidence-based interventions, based upon an appropriate conceptual framework, and employing methods based upon evidence of efficacy, to improve the parent/child relationship.
3. To be responsible for implementing a range of psychotherapeutic interventions employed individually and in synthesis, maintaining a number of provisional hypotheses, adjusting and refining formulations or understandings, drawing upon different explanatory models and employing methods of intervention that are based upon evidence of efficacy.
4. To evaluate and make decisions about treatment options taking into account both theoretical and therapeutic models and highly complex factors concerning historical and developmental processes that have shaped the individual and the family.
5. To exercise autonomous professional responsibility for the assessment, treatment and discharge of clients whose problems are managed by psychologically based standard care plans
6. To provide specialist mental health advice guidance and consultation to other professionals contributing directly to the care of the child
7. To contribute to and/or use evidence-based, integrated working tools and processes, to ensure children receive holistic and co-ordinated services in response to their mental health needs
8. To undertake risk assessment and risk management
9. To communicate in a skilled and sensitive manner, information concerning the assessment, formulation and treatment plans of children and young people who are under their care.
10. To monitor progress during the course of interventions, ensuring that all interventions are fully assessed, planned, implemented and evaluated in conjunction with CYP IAPT minimum dataset standards.
11. To maintain accurate and accessible health care records according to Trust policy and Information Governance requirements.
12. To demonstrate high level communication skills, both written and verbal, within all agencies.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Clinical
1. To provide specialist assessments of children and young people referred to the service based upon the appropriate use, interpretation and integration of complex data from a variety of sources including psychological and where appropriate, self-report measures, rating scales, direct and indirect structured observations and semi-structured interviews in line with CYP IAPT methodology.
2. To formulate and implement plans for evidence-based interventions, based upon an appropriate conceptual framework, and employing methods based upon evidence of efficacy, to improve the parent/child relationship.
3. To be responsible for implementing a range of psychotherapeutic interventions employed individually and in synthesis, maintaining a number of provisional hypotheses, adjusting and refining formulations or understandings, drawing upon different explanatory models and employing methods of intervention that are based upon evidence of efficacy.
4. To evaluate and make decisions about treatment options taking into account both theoretical and therapeutic models and highly complex factors concerning historical and developmental processes that have shaped the individual and the family.
5. To exercise autonomous professional responsibility for the assessment, treatment and discharge of clients whose problems are managed by psychologically based standard care plans
6. To provide specialist mental health advice guidance and consultation to other professionals contributing directly to the care of the child
7. To contribute to and/or use evidence-based, integrated working tools and processes, to ensure children receive holistic and co-ordinated services in response to their mental health needs
8. To undertake risk assessment and risk management
9. To communicate in a skilled and sensitive manner, information concerning the assessment, formulation and treatment plans of children and young people who are under their care.
10. To monitor progress during the course of interventions, ensuring that all interventions are fully assessed, planned, implemented and evaluated in conjunction with CYP IAPT minimum dataset standards.
11. To maintain accurate and accessible health care records according to Trust policy and Information Governance requirements.
12. To demonstrate high level communication skills, both written and verbal, within all agencies.
Person Specification
Training and Qualifications
Essential
- Qualified Clinical / Counselling / Educational Psychologist registered with the HCPC as an applied psychologist, or
- Qualified Child & Adolescent Psychotherapist having successfully completed a training course recognised/accredited by the Association of Child Psychotherapists (ACP) or equivalent, and registered with ACP, or
- Qualified Systemic Family Psychotherapist registered with the United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP) via the College of Family Couple and Systemic Therapy, and post-graduate qualification in relevant mental health/social welfare profession with demonstrable practice over a minimum of four years.
- Where an applicant is in the final stages of training and has not yet obtained registration, an applicant will only be made an offer conditional upon successful registration within a time-scale that is specified.
Desirable
- Training as part of a CYP IAPT collaborative in a recognised evidenced based approach
Experience
Essential
- Demonstrable experience of working with children and young people in a variety of clinical and community settings
- Experience of multi-disciplinary team working
- Experience of inter-agency working
- Experience of safeguarding and Child Protection
- Experience of managing self harm and risk
Desirable
- Experience of working in schools
- Experience of working in the NHS
- Experience of teaching and liaising with other professional groups
- Personal knowledge of communities of ethnic and racial diversity
- Experience of working with children and young people with SEN / ASD
Person Specification
Training and Qualifications
Essential
- Qualified Clinical / Counselling / Educational Psychologist registered with the HCPC as an applied psychologist, or
- Qualified Child & Adolescent Psychotherapist having successfully completed a training course recognised/accredited by the Association of Child Psychotherapists (ACP) or equivalent, and registered with ACP, or
- Qualified Systemic Family Psychotherapist registered with the United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP) via the College of Family Couple and Systemic Therapy, and post-graduate qualification in relevant mental health/social welfare profession with demonstrable practice over a minimum of four years.
- Where an applicant is in the final stages of training and has not yet obtained registration, an applicant will only be made an offer conditional upon successful registration within a time-scale that is specified.
Desirable
- Training as part of a CYP IAPT collaborative in a recognised evidenced based approach
Experience
Essential
- Demonstrable experience of working with children and young people in a variety of clinical and community settings
- Experience of multi-disciplinary team working
- Experience of inter-agency working
- Experience of safeguarding and Child Protection
- Experience of managing self harm and risk
Desirable
- Experience of working in schools
- Experience of working in the NHS
- Experience of teaching and liaising with other professional groups
- Personal knowledge of communities of ethnic and racial diversity
- Experience of working with children and young people with SEN / ASD
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).
