Job summary
The Mental Health Support Team (MHST) research clinic is aligned with the West Sussex Mental Health Support Team service (Thought-full), which is a unique integrated service between SPFT and West Sussex County Council.
The clinic aims to analyse the effectiveness of this service, specifically the evidence based psychological interventions delivered to children and young people with mild to moderate mental health difficulties and the prevention work to promote positive mental health and emotional wellbeing in schools.
You will work within this team and provide operational support for the day-to-day running of the clinic in addition to specific project work.
The job is part-time and therefore the working days can be chosen by the individual in discussion with the clinic co-leads. The key working day to be included is Wednesday, as this is when the weekly clinic meeting is held.
Main duties of the job
You will be a key member of the research clinic team, working alongside the research clinic leads and clinicians to evaluate the effectiveness of our service and develop new research opportunities. Throughout the role you will liaise with colleagues in the department but also external organisations and academic researchers. The role will also require supporting PhD and PsychD students in their research and evaluation projects and supporting the generation of academic papers
The role will suit someone who is passionate about youth mental health and the improvement of access to evidence based, early interventions and the development of mental health provision in schools.
The clinic is passionate about involving the voices of young people and the research assistant will play a key part in this. We are looking for someone with an interest in clinical activity, but who is also be interested in contributing to the research and evidence base by utilising and developing their research skills.
About us
As well as working within the immediate clinic team, you will also work within the wider Research and Development Department. You will work closely with your line manager and have regular contact and supervision with them and the other Clinical leads. You will also have group supervision with the other clinic RAs within the Department of Research and Development. This is an informal group of those who have a similar role and a good forum to share experiences and learn from each other.
You are able to flexibly work either at home or in the office (Sussex Education Centre) which is a good way to keep in touch with colleagues. Sussex Education Centre is a fully accessible building.
We encourage flexible working. We know that a positive work/life balance brings about huge health-related benefits, which has a positive impact on the care we provide. Please speak to us about flexible working, for example, home-working, part time hours, flexible start/finish times or anything else. If it works for you and works for the role, we'll do our best to make it happen.
Job description
Job responsibilities
A key element of the role is supporting the day-to-day operations of the clinic which includes:
- Being aware of all the research being undertaken through the clinic.
- Contributing to the decision-making regarding viability of being able to deliver on projects and time lines
- Monitoring and tracking progress of various research projects in the clinic.
- Monitoring the clinic's (and your own) capacity to inform discussions around future projects and clinic plans.
- Taking minutes for the weekly meetings and setting the agenda for meetings.
- Support the supervision of the undergraduate placement student (you will be their 'buddy' offering support and regular check-ins).
Key research responsibilities include:
- Data preparation and quantitative analysis of the routine outcome measure data produced by the Thought-full service.
- Contributing to academic papers reporting on these evaluations and submission for peer review.
- Supporting research projects being led by Clinical Doctorate trainees and PhD students, which could include primary data collection or quantitative/ qualitative data analysis.
- Previous responsibilities have also included systematic review methodologies and PPI work alongside the department PPI team.
As part of the wider department:
- You may have opportunities to support colleagues in the department with other projects, conducting data collection and/or analysis.
- You will also attend meetings for the department such as the team meeting and others surrounding research developments.
- You may have the opportunity to provide training to other RAs or the placement students.
Job description
Job responsibilities
A key element of the role is supporting the day-to-day operations of the clinic which includes:
- Being aware of all the research being undertaken through the clinic.
- Contributing to the decision-making regarding viability of being able to deliver on projects and time lines
- Monitoring and tracking progress of various research projects in the clinic.
- Monitoring the clinic's (and your own) capacity to inform discussions around future projects and clinic plans.
- Taking minutes for the weekly meetings and setting the agenda for meetings.
- Support the supervision of the undergraduate placement student (you will be their 'buddy' offering support and regular check-ins).
Key research responsibilities include:
- Data preparation and quantitative analysis of the routine outcome measure data produced by the Thought-full service.
- Contributing to academic papers reporting on these evaluations and submission for peer review.
- Supporting research projects being led by Clinical Doctorate trainees and PhD students, which could include primary data collection or quantitative/ qualitative data analysis.
- Previous responsibilities have also included systematic review methodologies and PPI work alongside the department PPI team.
As part of the wider department:
- You may have opportunities to support colleagues in the department with other projects, conducting data collection and/or analysis.
- You will also attend meetings for the department such as the team meeting and others surrounding research developments.
- You may have the opportunity to provide training to other RAs or the placement students.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Diploma or Higher National Certificate in Research
Desirable
- Hold a relevant undergraduate degree at 2:1 or equivalent
Experience
Essential
- Experience working with young people.
Desirable
- At least 2 years administration experience
- Experience working in schools.
- Research experience
- Experience of working with people with severe and enduring mental illness.
- Training / facilitation experience
Knowledge, Skills, Competencies
Essential
- Knowledge of research methodologies
- Competent in quantitative research
- Evidence of being able to communicate using various mediums and contexts
- Database skills
- Strong communication and interpersonal skills
- Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with colleagues and members of the Multidisciplinary Team
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Diploma or Higher National Certificate in Research
Desirable
- Hold a relevant undergraduate degree at 2:1 or equivalent
Experience
Essential
- Experience working with young people.
Desirable
- At least 2 years administration experience
- Experience working in schools.
- Research experience
- Experience of working with people with severe and enduring mental illness.
- Training / facilitation experience
Knowledge, Skills, Competencies
Essential
- Knowledge of research methodologies
- Competent in quantitative research
- Evidence of being able to communicate using various mediums and contexts
- Database skills
- Strong communication and interpersonal skills
- Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with colleagues and members of the Multidisciplinary Team
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).
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).
