Joining #TeamNELFT means you’ll become part of a welcoming and supportive working environment. We’re CQC rated Good, and we want you to join us on the journey towards an Outstanding rating. NELFT has sites across North East London, Essex, Kent and Medway. We provide community and mental healthcare services to adults and children within these areas.
The Trust has award winning equality and diversity initiatives and staff health and wellbeing activities. We invest heavily in your development, because when you are valued and supported, we provide the best care to our patients. We are a Level 3 Disability Confident Leader, have been featured in the Working Families Top 10 Employers benchmark for three consecutive years, and we have achieved a Carers UK Level 1 Accreditation. Along with our staff networks and training opportunities, we work hard to embed a just and compassionate culture here at NELFT.
Find out more about NELFT careers and what makes our Trust a great place to work, in this video
Job overview
We are looking to recruit a full time assistant psychologists within the Mental Health Support Team in Kent. These posts will be based in either Thanet and South Kent Costal or Maidstone and surrounding areas, in Kent.
Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTs) are a new service designed to support children and young people with mild to moderate mental health and emotional wellbeing in education settings. They are made up of Children and Young People’s Mental Health Practitioners and Education Mental Health Practitioners.
MHSTs aims to:
1. support children and young people with mild to moderate mental health problems through evidence-based interventions
2. support schools in developing their whole school approach to mental health
3. provide timely advice to school staff and to liaise with other services in order to help children and young people get the right help and stay in education.
This advert is likely to attract a high number of applicants and will close early once a maximum number of applicants has been reached.
We are asking candidates to utilise the person specification to outline: What experience you have working with children in a community setting. Please also stipulate your choice of location.
Please see our Website for examples and explanations of our work.
Kent and Medway Mental Health Support Teams | NELFT NHS Foundation Trust
Main duties of the job
Toundertake, under thesupervisionofaqualified practitioner psychologist or other appropriately qualified team member, protocol-basedpsychologicalassessmentsofclients.
2. To assistinthe formulationand delivery ofroutinecareplansinvolvingthepsychological treatmentand/or managementofaclient’s problems,under the directsupervisionofa qualifiedpractitioner psychologist or other appropriately qualified team member.
Toassist,underthesupervisionofaqualified practitioner psychologist or other appropriately qualified team member,inthe coordinationandrunning oftherapeutic groups.
4. To manage an ongoing programme of audit of MHST outcomes involving measurescompleted by children, young people and families.
Toanalysethisdataandcontributetotheproductionofreportsofoutcomesfortheteam andfor commissioners.
6. Tosupportthemulti-disciplinaryteamatallstagesoftheresearchprocessincluding writinggrant applications,datacollection,data analysis andwrite up ofresults
Toattendandcontribute toappropriateinternal and external meetings.
Toberesponsiblefor organisingand prioritisingownandothersworkload.
Working for our organisation
Starting with NELFT
NELFT place a great deal of importance on new starters being properly welcomed and inducted into the Trust. All new starters will join the Trust on the first Monday of each month and will undertake a comprehensive induction of up to two weeks which will include mandatory training, systems training and the allocation of equipment. As part of the process, new starters will have the opportunity to also meet the executive team and senior managers and attend a number of drop-in sessions focussing on engagement, health and wellbeing and key processes. The induction will be held at our head office in CEME Campus, Rainham, Essex, RM13 8EU (please note: in order to travel to this destination you will have to make the Dartford crossing and be aware of the ULEZ charges). Candidates must have business insurance when travelling by car to claim travel and above expenses charges.
Probationary Period
This post will be subject to a probationary period. Internal applicants are exempt from the probationary period (unless you are an internal applicant currently part way through a probationary period or currently a bank member of staff).
We reserve the right to close this vacancy early should sufficient applications be received.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
This role will involve working with children, young people, families and schools to support the emotional wellbeing and mental health of children and young people. It will also involve taking an active role in audit, evaluation and research relevant to the work of the MHSTs.
Thepost holderwill support the provision of evidence-based psychologically informed direct and indirect support to children, young people, families, and education staff underthesupervisionof aqualified clinician.This will involveworking according toaplanagreedwithaqualified practitioner psychologistandwithinthe overallframeworkofthe team’s policiesand procedures. The post holder will also assistwithclinically related administration, conduct of audits, collection ofstatistics,and developmentofauditand/orresearchprojects,teachingand project work.
Thepostholder willsupporttheir peers and team managerandbeaneffectiveteam member whilstworkingontheir owninitiative. Theywillhaveacommitmenttocollaborativeworkingand activelysupportingandliaisingwith otherhealthandsocial professionals and agencies.
The post holder will contribute to the work of all Kent & Medway MHSTs working in schools, colleges and specialist education settings. This will involve supporting individual and group work with children, young people and families; liaison with education settings; facilitating outcome monitoring and service audit and evaluation; supporting with research; and supporting with other service development and delivery related tasks.
Please refer to the attached job description and person specification for further details on this vacancy.
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
4. Psychology Qualification - An upper second class honours degree or higher in psychology. Entitlement to graduate membership of the British Psychological Society
Desirable criteria
5. Further post graduate training in relevant areas of professional psychology, mental health practice and/or research design and analysis
Knowledge
Essential criteria
6. High level communication skills demonstrated within personal statement. Ability to communicate sensitive information to patients, carers and colleagues in a way that addresses psychological resistance
7. An understanding of the needs and difficulties of people with mental health problems or other disabilities, demonstrated with additional training or within personal statement
8. Personal statement demonstrates an understanding of psychology applied to health care, and an awareness of NHS Plan, NSF and clinical governance priorities
Desirable criteria
9. Experience using RIO and Ardentia for databases or data- analysis, especially Windows
10. Knowledge of the educational system in England
11. Additional training relating either to child development or mental health
Experience
Essential criteria
12. Working with children and young people with mental health problems and/or other disabilities
13. Working within the community setting
Desirable criteria
14. Working within school or educational setting
15. Car driver and Use of a vehicle
Benefits
We believe in bringing your authentic and best self to work, in order to deliver the best care to our patients. We are committed to supporting our employees holistically. Here is a snapshot of what is on offer at NELFT:
16. A long-standing and award-winning approach to equality and diversity with supportive networks for ethnic minority staff, staff with disabilities or long term/chronic conditions and LGBT staff.
17. A commitment to supporting colleagues to achieve a work life balance, through flexible working opportunities and our effortsto support our working parents and carers. This has resulted in us being recognised as a ‘Top 10 Family Friendly Employer’ from the Working Families Charity.
18. Proactive health and wellbeing support, including access to our employee assistance programme, staff psychological support, individual wellbeing conversations and a network of health and wellbeing ambassadors.
19. Detailed information about our wellbeing and benefits offer can be found in this link.
As a flexible working friendly organisation, we want to be sure that you can work in a way that is best for us and for our patients, and for you. Speak to us about how we might be able to accommodate a flexible working arrangement whether that’s a job share, part time hours or another flexible pattern.