Mental Health Support Worker

Job description

Job responsibilities

Main Duties and Responsibilities

To work as a member of the Children and Young People and Families (CYPF) team

To create and maintain effective working relationships within the CYPF Team.

To provide support to CYPF waiting to begin treatment including maintaining regular contact and providing information on other sources of help, including guided self-help.

To offer advice and support to CYPF in relation to appropriate referral pathways for emotional wellbeing and mental health needs and signpost accordingly.

To liaise effectively with specialist CaMHS services and voluntary sector organisations and services

To attend team meetings and relevant briefing sessions relating to service developments.

To assist in the development and promotion of the service.

To provide a range of therapeutic interventions

To inform CYP assessments with parent, carer and professional information.

To deliver guided self-help and identify suitable self-help resources to support CYPF waiting for an intervention.

To work within an appropriate time framework.

To make appropriate onward referrals following initial assessment for CYPF requiring other services, including statutory and voluntary agencies.

To provide a professional and ethical service

To maintain appropriate records including all required assessment and evaluation tools.

To undertake relevant Continuing Professional Development activities both as required for the purposes of continued professional accreditation or registration and as identified through Alliances Professional Development and Appraisal System.

To undertake an appropriate amount of clinical supervision from a qualified Clinical Supervisor.

To operate within agreed Alliance and professional guidelines and Codes of Practice.

To ensure a safe and secure working environment for self and others and to act as necessary within Health and Safety and other guidelines.

Safeguarding

Responsible for safeguarding children and promoting the welfare of children & young people at all times and operating within local policies and procedures.

Taking appropriate safeguarding action to protect children & young people at risk of significant harm.

To identify and support families in accessing Early Help Services

To share appropriately information with parents/carers or other agencies regarding the childs wellbeing and progress keeping within the boundaries of Confidentiality and Information sharing protocols.

Organisational Responsibilities

Values and behaviours

To demonstrate and be a role model for Alliances values, to promote and encourage positive behaviours, enhancing the quality and integrity of the services we provide.

Health, Safety and Wellbeing

To take responsibility for health, safety, and wellbeing in accordance with Alliances policies and procedures.

Equality and diversity

To promote a society that gives everyone an equal chance to work and live free from discrimination and prejudice.

Confidentiality

To work in a way that does not divulge personal and/or confidential information and follow Alliances policies and procedures in relation to data protection and security of information.

Performance Management

To promote a culture whereby performance management is ingrained, and the highest standards and performance are achieved by all. Ensure that mandatory training commitments are met and that the postholder keeps up to date with Alliances policies and procedures. Contribute to Alliances Appraisal processes to ensure continuous learning and improvement and to increase organisational performance.

This job description is designed to identify principal responsibilities only. The post holder is required to be flexible in developing the role in accordance with changes in Alliances organisational objectives and priorities.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• Foundation Degree, Level 5 or higher award in psychology or relevant child/youth qualification.

Desirable

• Therapeutic Psychological Qualification and membership of or registration with an appropriate professional body such as BACP, BABCP, UKCP, BPS

Experience

Essential

• Experience & Therapeutic Practice
• Experience of working with children, young people and their families.
• Experience of working in an education, health or social care setting.
• Experience of providing advice, guidance and signposting.
• Experience of providing emotional and wellbeing support to children, young people and their families.
• Demonstrate an understanding of a range of mild-moderate mental health problems including anxiety and depression and how it may present in Children & Young People.
• Child Protection and Safeguarding
• A clear understanding of policies and local procedures and commitment to the safeguarding of children and young people
• Partnership Working
• Demonstrates the ability to build and maintain effective working relationships with a range of professionals, while staying informed about the local support available to families and the appropriate referral pathways to ensure timely and effective signposting.
• Demonstrate an ability to contribute and support assessments/care plans to enable positive outcomes for children and their families.
• Demonstrates a consistently positive attitude to working within Alliance
• Demonstrates ability to work collaboratively with children, young people and families
• Has the ability to develop good therapeutic relationships with children, young people and families
• Personal Qualities, Skills and Abilities
• Ability to work within a dynamic and developing service
• To form professional relationships with young people and communicate with them in a way that respects their views, autonomy and culture.
• Demonstration of self-motivation and motivation of others
• Make good use of clinical supervision to discuss casework, make plans for action, reflect on and implement best practice.
• Ability to work confidently and competently under pressure
• Able to travel to meet the requirements of the post.
• Communication
• Communicate effectively with the families we support, team members, and partner professionals across all aspects of care, using a range of appropriate and sensitive communication skills. Engage with young people and their carers to gather relevant information that supports assessment, formulation understanding, and care planning while recognising and responding appropriately to their emotional needs.
• Shares information, skills and practice when required
• Excellent case recording, report writing and case presentation skills
• IT
• Demonstrates competency in using Microsoft Office
• Experience in using data base systems to record clinical activity.

Desirable

• Awareness of or familiarity with a range of therapeutic approaches, in particular CBT-based interventions
• Demonstrate an understanding for the need to use evidence based psychological therapies and how it relates to this post.
• Trained and experienced in groupwork

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.

Employer details

Employer name

Alliance Psychological Services Limited

Address

Alliance Psychological Services Ltd

24 Yarm Road

Stockton-on-tees

Cleveland

TS18 3NA

Employer's website

https://www.alliancepsychology.com/ (Opens in a new tab)