Job summary
We are looking for a therapeutic social worker to work across Oldham CAMHS and Oldham Early Attachment Service. We are looking to recruit an enthusiastic and creative clinician to work across both services. This role will be split across CAMHS (2.5 days) and EAS (2 days).
Oldham EASis a parent infant mental health team which supports expectant parents and parents who are having difficulty with their relationship with their baby up to 2 years of age. In addition to providing a clinical service, the EAS delivers training, consultation, and supervision across the large multi-agency network of mixed professionals in Oldham. We work closely with Maternity, Health Visiting, Neonatal, Social Care and Adult Mental Health services. Our newly developed service is made up of a Clinical Psychologist, Senior Child Psychotherapist, Specialist Health Visitor, Therapeutic Social Worker and Trainee Child Psychotherapist.
Oldham CAMHSis a specialist mental health service working with children, young people and families from 5 to 18 years old. The post holder will work closely with a practitioners leading on and facilitating our attachment and complex developmental pathway. The role will involve facilitating a group offer, providing consultation to parent and carers, supporting professionals as well as members of the wider multidisciplinary CAMHS team.
Main duties of the job
The postholder will work as a specialist practitioner leading on and developing a new high needs pathway for vulnerable families within Oldham's new Early Attachment Service. The role is part time (3 days a week/ 0.6WTE) and will focus on supporting families who have had previous children removed, who are on child protection, child in need and undergoing pre-birth assessments. The role will support the Social care system to understand the emotional needs of infants. The postholder will liaise closely with Children's Social Care and implement a community based therapeutic service to parents to be, infants, young children and their families with a particular focus on early intervention, and the prevention of high risk in vulnerable families (e.g. socially excluded families). S/he will provide assessment and treatment for parents/carers and infants, young children and their families.
About us
We are looking for a skilled clinician who has an interest in therapeutic work with children from the ages of 0-18 and their parents. The EAS work will include working with parents and carers to support their relationship with their baby. You will carry a small caseload which will provide you with opportunities to work intensively with babies and families, and also work in therapeutic groups alongside other team members. This post provides an excellent opportunity to develop clinical skills across the age range.
Within CAMHS, you will work as a specialist practitioner within the service, developing and providing a therapeutic service to children, young people and families with a range of emotional health and well-being problems, including complex trauma. You will provide assessment, consultation and intervention for parents / carers and children and their families grounded in the principles and techniques of attachment theory and developmental trauma.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Please see attached job description and person specification to support your application for this post. Please refer to the essential criteria in the person specification which will highlight the skills, knowledge and experience you will need to demonstrate in your application, by way of example, to give yourself the best opportunity to be shortlisted.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Please see attached job description and person specification to support your application for this post. Please refer to the essential criteria in the person specification which will highlight the skills, knowledge and experience you will need to demonstrate in your application, by way of example, to give yourself the best opportunity to be shortlisted.
Person Specification
Education / Qualifications
Essential
- Professional qualification required for service area in Social Work Degree /Dip SW.
- Masters level, or equivalent, training in specific psychological therapy (e.g. RMN, Mental Health Social Worker, OT, PWP, HIT, Clinical or Counselling Psychology)
- Registration with an appropriate recognised professional body e.g. UKCP,BABCP, HCPC
Desirable
- Post qualifying certificate (e.g., ACCA).
- Management qualification (MBA, DMS, NVQ Level 4, Care management)
- Additional specialist post qualifications in parent infant mental health and child mental health and/or attachment.
Experience
Essential
- Extensive demonstrable post qualifying experience of working within all aspects of social work with families and young children.
- Substantial experience of working with families with young children and infants presenting with emotional difficulties, including, family relationship problems.
- Experience of assessing and intervening around child protection issues.
- Experience in developing formulations with children and families with complex needs.
- Managing a caseload and associated professional activities under supervision.
- Experience of providing clinical supervision and line management to team members.
- Experience of teaching and liaising with other professional groups suitable for presentations within public, professional and academic settings.
Desirable
- Experience of attachment assessment, formulation and treatment of children and families across a range of care settings.
Knowledge
Essential
- Knowledge of infant, child & adolescent development, adult mental health and of family functioning.
- Knowledge of psychological therapies to younger children
- Knowledge of relevant legislation, regulations and National Policies in relation to infants, young children and families.
- Knowledge of Child Safeguarding issues and familiarity with local and national child protection procedures.
- Knowledge of the systemic, developmental and psychological issues within the context of young people in care.
- Specific theoretical knowledge related to social work and families. Knowledge of assessment and care planning process and procedures in families with young children.
- Understanding of principles and methods of clinical audit research and service evaluation.
Desirable
- Knowledge of the theory and practice of specialist psychological therapies in working with infants, young children and families with attachment and/or mental health difficulties.
- Knowledge and understanding the perinatal period and the impact on attachment and mental health during this
- Sound knowledge of changing trends within health and social care.
Skills and Abilities
Essential
- Ability to work in partnership with service users, carers, colleagues and other agencies.
- Substantial experience and capacity to performing complex assessments, intervention and management of cases as a practitioner working with infants, young children and families. Frequently, this will require sustained and intense concentration.
- Ability to develop and deliver interventions both individually and systemically at various levels, including adapting communication to meet the needs of infants and young children, staff teams or carers as well as being able to write complex, highly technical reports to families and professional colleagues both within and outside the NHS and CSC.
- Ability to identify and manage risk in individuals presenting with mental health needs.
- Ability to provide and receive complex sensitive or contentious information often within a hostile, antagonistic or highly emotive atmosphere.
- Ability to work with families who are very resistant to change
- Well developed skills in the ability to communicate effectively verbally and in writing, complex, technical and sensitive information to young children, and families/carers and other professional colleagues both within and outside the NHS.
- Ability to work autonomously and to use initiative
- Ability to be self reflective whilst working with service users, in own personal and professional development and in supervision.
- Ability to keep accurate activity data for audit/evaluation develop and audit the effectiveness of protocols.
- Ability to work collaboratively with staff from other agencies to meet targets and objectives of the pathway and the vulnerable families cohort.
- Ability to act in consultation/ Supervision/ training capacity with other professional and non-professional groups.
Desirable
- Service development or project management skills
Work Related Circumstances
Essential
- Willing to carry out all duties and responsibilities of the post in accordance with the Trust's Equal Opportunities and Equality and Diversity policies
- Appointments to regulated and controlled activities require an enhanced CRB disclosure and registration with the Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA), Vetting and Barring Scheme.
- Use of a car or access to a means of mobility to travel across the Trust footprint in line with service needs
Person Specification
Education / Qualifications
Essential
- Professional qualification required for service area in Social Work Degree /Dip SW.
- Masters level, or equivalent, training in specific psychological therapy (e.g. RMN, Mental Health Social Worker, OT, PWP, HIT, Clinical or Counselling Psychology)
- Registration with an appropriate recognised professional body e.g. UKCP,BABCP, HCPC
Desirable
- Post qualifying certificate (e.g., ACCA).
- Management qualification (MBA, DMS, NVQ Level 4, Care management)
- Additional specialist post qualifications in parent infant mental health and child mental health and/or attachment.
Experience
Essential
- Extensive demonstrable post qualifying experience of working within all aspects of social work with families and young children.
- Substantial experience of working with families with young children and infants presenting with emotional difficulties, including, family relationship problems.
- Experience of assessing and intervening around child protection issues.
- Experience in developing formulations with children and families with complex needs.
- Managing a caseload and associated professional activities under supervision.
- Experience of providing clinical supervision and line management to team members.
- Experience of teaching and liaising with other professional groups suitable for presentations within public, professional and academic settings.
Desirable
- Experience of attachment assessment, formulation and treatment of children and families across a range of care settings.
Knowledge
Essential
- Knowledge of infant, child & adolescent development, adult mental health and of family functioning.
- Knowledge of psychological therapies to younger children
- Knowledge of relevant legislation, regulations and National Policies in relation to infants, young children and families.
- Knowledge of Child Safeguarding issues and familiarity with local and national child protection procedures.
- Knowledge of the systemic, developmental and psychological issues within the context of young people in care.
- Specific theoretical knowledge related to social work and families. Knowledge of assessment and care planning process and procedures in families with young children.
- Understanding of principles and methods of clinical audit research and service evaluation.
Desirable
- Knowledge of the theory and practice of specialist psychological therapies in working with infants, young children and families with attachment and/or mental health difficulties.
- Knowledge and understanding the perinatal period and the impact on attachment and mental health during this
- Sound knowledge of changing trends within health and social care.
Skills and Abilities
Essential
- Ability to work in partnership with service users, carers, colleagues and other agencies.
- Substantial experience and capacity to performing complex assessments, intervention and management of cases as a practitioner working with infants, young children and families. Frequently, this will require sustained and intense concentration.
- Ability to develop and deliver interventions both individually and systemically at various levels, including adapting communication to meet the needs of infants and young children, staff teams or carers as well as being able to write complex, highly technical reports to families and professional colleagues both within and outside the NHS and CSC.
- Ability to identify and manage risk in individuals presenting with mental health needs.
- Ability to provide and receive complex sensitive or contentious information often within a hostile, antagonistic or highly emotive atmosphere.
- Ability to work with families who are very resistant to change
- Well developed skills in the ability to communicate effectively verbally and in writing, complex, technical and sensitive information to young children, and families/carers and other professional colleagues both within and outside the NHS.
- Ability to work autonomously and to use initiative
- Ability to be self reflective whilst working with service users, in own personal and professional development and in supervision.
- Ability to keep accurate activity data for audit/evaluation develop and audit the effectiveness of protocols.
- Ability to work collaboratively with staff from other agencies to meet targets and objectives of the pathway and the vulnerable families cohort.
- Ability to act in consultation/ Supervision/ training capacity with other professional and non-professional groups.
Desirable
- Service development or project management skills
Work Related Circumstances
Essential
- Willing to carry out all duties and responsibilities of the post in accordance with the Trust's Equal Opportunities and Equality and Diversity policies
- Appointments to regulated and controlled activities require an enhanced CRB disclosure and registration with the Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA), Vetting and Barring Scheme.
- Use of a car or access to a means of mobility to travel across the Trust footprint in line with service needs
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).
