Job summary
This is an exciting opportunity for an enthusiastic professional who is confident and has experience supporting children and young people who are autistic and/or have a Learning Disability.
The South East London Education, Care and Treatment Team (SELECT) offers a Keyworker service for children and young people who have a learning disability and/or are autistic and who are experiencing significant challenges, putting them at risk of a mental health inpatient admission or a breakdown of care within the home.
We are looking for an experienced practitioner who is passionate about improving outcomes for children and young people and their families. You will be part of a dynamic, autonomous, and creative team, where person-centred care is placed at the heart of what we do. There are supportive measures in place for the Keyworkers, such as regular individual supervision, group discussions and ongoing training opportunities.
The team is made up of professionals from a range of backgrounds (social care, mental health, education, residential settings) who each bring their own experiences and expertise. We are looking for someone who is engaging, approachable and collaborative, who will enable children and young people and their families to navigate complex professional systems, and who will advocate for personalisation across the network.
For further information please contact: magda.beaver@selondonics.nhs.uk
Main duties of the job
The postholder will be expected to work with children and young people who are on the Dynamic Support Registers of the following boroughs: Greenwich, Bexley, Bromley.
The Key Worker will work across the whole 'system' to deliver high quality, innovative and effective solution-focussed approaches to ensure that children & young people with the most complex needs and their families receive appropriate personalised, integrated support to mitigate the risk of inappropriate in-patient admission or placement breakdown and to:
- Improve the life experience of children & young people
- Improve the life experience of parents/carers and families
- Improve the quality of care
The postholder needs to have a wide range of relevant experience and qualities, including passion and vision, to be effective in this pivotal role. A comprehensive understanding of Learning Disabilities and Autism and the associated support services, systems and structures (including systems such as Dynamic Support Registers and Care, Education & Treatment Reviews) is required.
About us
The South East London Integrated Care System (ICS) brings together the health and care partners that serve our vibrant and highly diverse populations resident in the London boroughs of Bexley, Bromley, Greenwich, Lambeth, Lewisham and Greenwich - our Places.
Our partnership brings together six local authorities, over 200 general practices (operating within 35 Primary Care Networks), Guy's and St Thomas' Hospital NHS FT, King's College Hospital NHS FT, Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust, South London and the Maudsley Mental Health FT and Oxleas FT. Importantly, the ICS seeks to be connected to the communities we serve (circa 1.92m residents) and work with the widest possible range of community, voluntary and third sector groups and organisations in each borough. The reach of our NHS provider portfolios extends beyond the borders of the ICS, across London, the south of England and nationally for some services.
Our vision for the ICS is a highly performing, sustainable system that looks after its staff, responds to its communities and takes action to reduce the inequalities they experience. As a new organisation we have developed a system development plan https://www.ourhealthiersel.nhs.uk/SDP-8-November-2021.pdf that outlines the way in which we seek to operate and the steps we will take to realise the full potential of our partnership.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Please see attachments full Job Description and Person Specification.
Key duties include:
The Key Worker will act as a champion of person-centred care, empowering children, young people with complex and challenging learning disabilities and/or autism and their families. The Key Worker will work with these children, young people and their families as partners to identify what matters to them and what support is required to help them achieve their aspirations.
The Key Worker will work in partnership with children, young people and their families to ensure the necessary support is in place to enable them to remain in the community by actively pursuing and embedding joined up, consistent and person-centred care.
The Key Worker will support the SEL Learning Disabilities and Autism Partnership Programme to promote and embed a culture that prioritises keeping children & young people within the home and the local community by persuasively working with a range of services, teams and organisations and their staff at all levels of seniority.
Key responsibilities include:
- Working with children and young people (CYP) who are in-patients or are identified as medium to high risk on the Dynamic Support Register to avoid admission or placement breakdown and, instead, maintain a sustainable, supported and stable life in the community.
- Undertaking needs assessment of individual cases to ascertain what support is already in place and identify what additional support might improve outcomes e.g. the development of positive behaviour support plans; risk management plans; personalised care plans.
- To facilitate family focussed support by working with families to help navigate and access services whilst maintaining a degree of independence from those services, providing appropriate challenge to system partners when necessary.
- Build and maintain productive and trusting relationships with CYP and their families, monitoring and reviewing their needs on a regular basis to gauge ongoing support requirements and address any challenges.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Please see attachments full Job Description and Person Specification.
Key duties include:
The Key Worker will act as a champion of person-centred care, empowering children, young people with complex and challenging learning disabilities and/or autism and their families. The Key Worker will work with these children, young people and their families as partners to identify what matters to them and what support is required to help them achieve their aspirations.
The Key Worker will work in partnership with children, young people and their families to ensure the necessary support is in place to enable them to remain in the community by actively pursuing and embedding joined up, consistent and person-centred care.
The Key Worker will support the SEL Learning Disabilities and Autism Partnership Programme to promote and embed a culture that prioritises keeping children & young people within the home and the local community by persuasively working with a range of services, teams and organisations and their staff at all levels of seniority.
Key responsibilities include:
- Working with children and young people (CYP) who are in-patients or are identified as medium to high risk on the Dynamic Support Register to avoid admission or placement breakdown and, instead, maintain a sustainable, supported and stable life in the community.
- Undertaking needs assessment of individual cases to ascertain what support is already in place and identify what additional support might improve outcomes e.g. the development of positive behaviour support plans; risk management plans; personalised care plans.
- To facilitate family focussed support by working with families to help navigate and access services whilst maintaining a degree of independence from those services, providing appropriate challenge to system partners when necessary.
- Build and maintain productive and trusting relationships with CYP and their families, monitoring and reviewing their needs on a regular basis to gauge ongoing support requirements and address any challenges.
Person Specification
Education / Qualifications
Essential
- Graduate degree or equivalent Management experience or further knowledge to post graduate diploma level equivalent or experience acquired through training.
Skills and Abilities
Essential
- Strong assessment skills to identify children's needs and to assist staff to implement personalised care plans which are co-produced and address need, consider wishes and feelings and protect them from harm and promote their well-being.
- Ability to develop personalised care plans for children and meet their individual needs, promote their identity and take full account of their race, religion, culture, language, disability, gender, health and education needs.
- Ability to contribute to co-produced, personalised care plans which address needs, feeling and consider wishes & aspirations
- Ability to represent the Service at multi-agency meetings.
- Ability to support Children, Young people and their families at Care Education and Treatment reviews (CETR's) Care Programme Approach (CPA) Meetings, Mental Health Act (MHA) Tribunals if applicable, as well as Child in Need Meetings and other Multi agency meetings.
- Ability to communicate confidently with people at all levels including children & young people; parents & carers; clinicians & practitioners and senior managers
- Ability to demonstrate active listening and to accurately represent the views and wishes of the child/young person and their family.
- Utilise a range of skills to support behaviour management and be able to apply skills and strategies to resolve or minimize conflict or distress.
- Ability to challenge practice and decisions in a professional way providing evidence and clear reasoning as to what action is required.
- Ability to analyse very complex issues where material is conflicting and drawn from multiple sources;
Experience
Essential
- Demonstrated experience in a health, education or social care environment
- Experience of working with children & young people aged 0-25 with a learning disability, autism or both and complex needs and their families
- Experience of successfully operating in a complex, multi-disciplinary system
- Experience of managing risks and reporting;
Knowledge
Essential
- Knowledge of child development, Autism, Learning disabilities, attachment and trauma, and of personalised and coproduced care planning
- Strong, holistic understanding of the education, health and care system to fulfil Keyworking function of holding services to account.
- Awareness of the purpose and application of children's and related legislation, DOH guidance, including Children Act 1989 and 2004, disability and carer's legislation, Working Together, Assessment Framework, Adoption and Children Act 2002, Leaving Care Act 2000, Positive and Proactive Care April, 2014.
- Knowledge and awareness of locally available provision, as well as how to apply in practice.
- Strong understanding of children's mental health and human rights.
Person Specification
Education / Qualifications
Essential
- Graduate degree or equivalent Management experience or further knowledge to post graduate diploma level equivalent or experience acquired through training.
Skills and Abilities
Essential
- Strong assessment skills to identify children's needs and to assist staff to implement personalised care plans which are co-produced and address need, consider wishes and feelings and protect them from harm and promote their well-being.
- Ability to develop personalised care plans for children and meet their individual needs, promote their identity and take full account of their race, religion, culture, language, disability, gender, health and education needs.
- Ability to contribute to co-produced, personalised care plans which address needs, feeling and consider wishes & aspirations
- Ability to represent the Service at multi-agency meetings.
- Ability to support Children, Young people and their families at Care Education and Treatment reviews (CETR's) Care Programme Approach (CPA) Meetings, Mental Health Act (MHA) Tribunals if applicable, as well as Child in Need Meetings and other Multi agency meetings.
- Ability to communicate confidently with people at all levels including children & young people; parents & carers; clinicians & practitioners and senior managers
- Ability to demonstrate active listening and to accurately represent the views and wishes of the child/young person and their family.
- Utilise a range of skills to support behaviour management and be able to apply skills and strategies to resolve or minimize conflict or distress.
- Ability to challenge practice and decisions in a professional way providing evidence and clear reasoning as to what action is required.
- Ability to analyse very complex issues where material is conflicting and drawn from multiple sources;
Experience
Essential
- Demonstrated experience in a health, education or social care environment
- Experience of working with children & young people aged 0-25 with a learning disability, autism or both and complex needs and their families
- Experience of successfully operating in a complex, multi-disciplinary system
- Experience of managing risks and reporting;
Knowledge
Essential
- Knowledge of child development, Autism, Learning disabilities, attachment and trauma, and of personalised and coproduced care planning
- Strong, holistic understanding of the education, health and care system to fulfil Keyworking function of holding services to account.
- Awareness of the purpose and application of children's and related legislation, DOH guidance, including Children Act 1989 and 2004, disability and carer's legislation, Working Together, Assessment Framework, Adoption and Children Act 2002, Leaving Care Act 2000, Positive and Proactive Care April, 2014.
- Knowledge and awareness of locally available provision, as well as how to apply in practice.
- Strong understanding of children's mental health and human rights.
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).
