Job summary
Interview will be held on 20th Sept 2024
This is an exciting time of growth and change within East Berkshire as our CAMH service is currently working collaboratively with children and young people, and partners to deliver the Governments Programme for mental health support to be available in schools and to provide early access to mental health assessment, formulation and support to children, young people and families.
To support the development of our established Getting Help Teams and Mental Help Support Teams, we are looking to recruit a Senior Mental Health Practitioner. We have an exciting new position available via an 18-month fixed term contract. We have a position available in Slough, Bracknell and Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead. One post available in each locality.
In line with the Government's priority to increase access and availability of mental health and wellbeing support for children and young people, the Senior Mental Health Practitioner role is an exciting opportunity to be part of a growing team providing assessment, formulation and early interventions for children and young people, working across both educational settings, community settings and healthcare sectors in England.
Main duties of the job
1. Review referrals to the Getting Help Service and undertake a structured triage assessment to determine the mental health needs of the child or young person, assessing risk and formulating need.
2. Undertake face to face assessment of young people referred to determine need for further care or level of risk.
3. Formulate the primary presenting needs and difficulties of the young person, making appropriate judgments that best improve the treatment outcomes for the child, young person and their families' as well as improve resilience and recovery and which mitigates risk to themselves or others.
4. Consider a range of options regarding treatment interventions providing them with specialised advice concerning care.
5. Referring to the appropriate service for support/intervention or arranging a more detailed face to face assessment if required.
6. To be trained and confident in delivering evidence-based interventions/ psychoeducation and using routine outcome measures.
7. To care co-ordinate and manage a defined caseload of children and young people presenting with emotional health and wellbeing difficulties.
8. Co-ordinate and deliver individualised care packages / programmes for children and young people and evaluate these programmes, ensuring high standards of practice in accordance with national guidelines and trust policy.
9. Provide specialist mental health advice, consultation and signposted using an outcome-based triage model, to schools, local voluntary sector services and authority partners.
About us
Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is a specialist mental health and community health services trust. Rated 'outstanding' by the CQC, we're committed to providing the best possible care to people across Berkshire.
We value diversity and are proud to be a Stonewall Top 100 Employer.We work hard to create an inclusive environment where you'll be supported by friendly and professional colleagues to flourish.
Our values at Berkshire Healthcare:
10. Caring for and about you is our top priority
11. Committed to providing good quality, safe services
12. Working Together with you to develop innovative solutions
We welcome people who share these values to come and work for us.
Benefits of working for us include:
13. Flexible working options to support work-life balance
14. 27 days' annual leave rising with service + opportunity to buy and sell
15. Generous NHS pension scheme
16. Excellent learning and career development opportunities
17. 'Cycle to Work' and car leasing scheme including electric vehicles
18. Access to a range of wellbeing tools and services
19. Discounts at hundreds of popular retailers and restaurants
20. Staff networks for race, diversity, disabilities, the environment and armed forces community to support equality
21. Generous maternity, paternity, adoption and special leave
22. Free parking across Trust sites
If you share our values and would like to come and work for us, please submit your application as soon as possible as we'll occasionally close roles early that have a high number of applications.
Job description
Job responsibilities
The must haves for this role:
23. be friendly, self-motivated, and self-organising,
24. be confident in working in a multiagency setting, working collaboratively with colleagues in schools and across the wider system,
25. enjoy regular collaboration with your peers and the senior colleagues to whom you report
26. as a person, will always be looking for new or better ways to deliver care and be keen to learn, and
27. most of all will have a calm, friendly and compassionate outlook and have a keen interest in working in a schools setting.
For further information about the role, please see attached job description and person specification.
We strongly encourage you to review how you meet the criteria in the person specification and write about this point-by-point in your supporting statement for the best chance of being shortlisted.
Were committed to equal opportunities and welcome applications from all sections of the community. Our commitment to inclusion is reflected in our accreditations: Race Equality Matters Silver Trailblazer, Neurodiversity in Business Corporate Member, Disability Confident Leader, Carer Confident Level 2, and the Armed Forces Covenant Gold Award. Reasonable adjustments will be provided to candidates as needed.
We welcome a conversation about flexibility and any other questions you may have. Please dont hesitate to email Jade Hens (Team Lead) wholl be delighted to help.
Please note, if we receive a high number of applications, we may close this role earlier than the advertised closing date, so please submit your application as soon as possible.
Person Specification
Education/Qualifications/Training
Essential
28. Qualified in CBT or CYP PWP/ EMHP/ CWP Diploma/Certificate, which meets the Minimum Training Standards as defined by the BABCP, BPS etc. a course, which one can embark on the process of accreditation. Including registration with BABCP or BPS or as a Systemic Family Psychotherapist (MA/MSc qualification with full registration as a Systemic Psychotherapist with UKCP) or appropriate qualification to be an existing CAMHS clinician at Band 6 for example, Mental Health Nurse, CBT Therapist or Social Worker. To have up to date registration with professional body.
29. CYP IAPT Training CBT, Systemic Family Therapy, Attachment based training Interpersonal Therapy [IPT].
30. Hold an appropriate professional registration (eg: NMC, BABCP, BPS etc).
Desirable
31. Postgraduate qualification in a relevant field of mental health and able to demonstrate significant practice.
Previous Experience
Essential
32. Demonstrable experience of working in CYP mental health services
33. Ability to meet agreed /specified service targets
34. Ability to manage competing demands / manage a caseload
Desirable
35. Skills and experience of working with children, young people and families around a range of emotional/mental health, behavioural/additional health/developmental needs
36. Experience with routine outcome monitoring
37. Experience of working within a multicultural framework.
38. Experience of teaching and liaising with other professional groups
39. Experience of running / co-running groups.
Knowledge, Skills & Abilities
Essential
40. Knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological therapies with clients with mental health problems
41. Knowledge of legislation in relation to the client group and mental health.
42. Well-developed skills in the ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing, complex, highly technical and/or clinically sensitive information to clients, their families, carers and other professional colleagues both within and outside the NHS.
43. Skills in providing consultation to other professional and non-professional groups.
44. Good organisational and time management skills, ability to plan and prioritise own workload
45. Ability to teach and train others.
Desirable
46. CYP mental health assessment and formulation skills and experience.
Additional Requirements
Essential
47. A positive approach to working with children and young people with mental health difficulties.
48. Ability to work as part of a team and independently.
49. Ability to identify and employ mechanisms of clinical governance as appropriate, to support and maintain clinical practice in the face of regular exposure to highly emotive material and challenging behaviour.
50. Willingness to work flexibly.
51. An awareness of own strengths and limitations.
52. Ability to travel between sites and to locality meetings.
53. Commitment to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults.