Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust
We are looking for an enthusiastic, suitably qualified and experienced person with the ability, commitment and passion to support children and young people with their mental health and emotional wellbeing.
In line with the government's priority to increase access and availability of mental health and wellbeing support for children and young people, the MHST delivers evidence-based early interventions for children and young people, working across educational and healthcare sectors.
The Senior Mental Health Practitioner will work in educational settings, schools, and colleges, as part of NHS led Mental Health Support Teams and will be based in either East Lancashire or Blackburn with Darwen.
Experienced in IAPT, the post holder will undertake appropriate mental health assessments of children and young people referred to the service and provide a range of appropriate, evidence-based clinical interventions informed by assessed individual need. The post holder will provide support, advice, and consultation to families/carers and other professionals involved in the life of the child/young person. This post will supervise the Emotional Health Team in Schools as appropriate and provide evidence-based supervision.
The post will work in partnership with the Team Manager and ELCAS Operational Lead and will further develop the partnership working that is currently taking place between education, health, and primary care.
Main duties of the job
1. Assess and deliver outcome-focused, evidence-based interventions to children and young people experiencing mild to moderate mental health difficulties, in primary, secondary, Specialist Learning Environments, and College education settings.
2. Provide leadership and be involved in the development of the MHST alongside the team manager and other senior colleagues in the service.
3. Experience or interest in working with children and families with complex needs, additional educational needs, learning disabilities, and neurodiversity.
4. Working in partnership, support children, young people, and their families in the self-management of presenting difficulties, principally anxiety and depression.
5. Supporting and facilitating staff in education settings to identify and where appropriate manage issues related to mental health and wellbeing whilst improving access to mental health services.
6. Support schools in developing strategies/activities to promote emotional well-being and positive mental health to the school community.
7. Operate at all times from an inclusive values base, which recognises and respects diversity.
8. Signpost referrals to the relevant service.
9. Undertake assessments of risk to self and others.
10. Deliver a service based within education settings that builds on and reinforces but does not replace those initiatives that already exist within these environments.
About us
Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust provides a range of services including secondary mental health care across this area. Specialist provision comprises inpatient child and adolescent mental health services, perinatal mental health, and forensic services including low and medium secure care.
The Trust also provides a range of physical health and well-being services in the community alongside a range of partners in the Lancashire, Cumbria, and Sefton area.
Lancashire & South Cumbria Foundation Trust encourages flexible working; we believe that a positive work/life balance benefits NHS employees through improved health and wellbeing. We would consider working patterns such as term time, part time, compressed hours, flexi-time, and career breaks. We encourage applicants to state clearly on their application forms this request and discuss these options at interview.
For more information please visit our website via Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS FT.
Job responsibilities
Please see attached the job description and person specification for more information about this role.
Experience
1. Experience of working with children and young people, their families and others.
2. Experience of working and liaising with a wide variety of agencies and stakeholders.
3. Experience of working with children and young people who have social, emotional, behavioural, neurodiversity, and/or learning difficulties/disabilities.
4. Experience of working with anxiety disorders & affective (mood) disorders.
5. Experience of the delivery of specific therapeutic interventions to children, young people, or their families.
6. Proven ability to analyse situations, evaluate options, and produce effective solutions and outcomes.
7. A minimum of 3 years CAMHS experience.
8. Access to private transport for work purposes.
9. Experience of working with children and their families in a healthcare and/or education setting.
10. Experience of monitoring and recording outcome measures for children's emotional wellbeing.
11. Experience of navigating complex social systems and environments, who may have conflicting priorities or agendas.
Education Essential Criteria
1. Successful completion of relevant IAPT Course.
2. Membership with accredited body and hold accreditation.
3. Post graduate qualification in IAPT clinical supervision.
4. Specialist qualification in other appropriate therapy e.g. FT/DBT.
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities Essential
1. Knowledge of educational environments including Specialist Learning Environments (SEN/PRUs).
2. Knowledge of safeguarding issues.
3. Knowledge of capacity and consent issues including Gillick competence.
4. Ability to carry out 1:1/group therapeutic mental health interventions with children and families.
5. Ability to conduct group parenting programmes.
6. Ability to deliver presentations and to teach others about mental health issues.
7. Ability to conduct mental health assessments of children and young people.
8. Ability to make an assessment of risk and to record and communicate it appropriately.
9. Ability to take appropriate action to mitigate or manage risk.
10. Knowledge of the functional operation of specialist CAMHS teams.
11. Ability to conduct other group therapeutic interventions with children and their families.
12. Knowledge about national and local CAMHS targets.
As this is a school-based service delivery, the post holder will be expected to take their annual leave in the school holidays other than in urgent circumstances.
Person Specification
Education
* Accredited/accreditable to a professional body.
Knowledge
* Some knowledge of legislation in relation to the client group and mental health.
* Must demonstrate knowledge of the evidence base in their practice.
* Must demonstrate understanding of child development and psychosocial influences.
Experience
* Experience of specialist mental health assessment and therapeutic interventions with children and young people with mental health problems and their families.
* Working collaboratively in a multi-disciplinary team.
* Working collaboratively with other agencies in a variety of venues.
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.
Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust
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