Job summary The NHS Long Term Plan (LTP) includes commitment that 'by 2023/24 children and young people with a learning disability, autism or both with the most complex needs will have a designated keyworker, implementing the recommendation made by Dame Christine Lenehan. Initially, keyworker support will be provided to children and young people who are inpatients or at risk of being admitted to hospital. Keyworker support will also be extended to the most vulnerable children with a learning disability and/or autism, including those who face multiple vulnerabilities such as looked after and adopted children, and children and young people in transition between services. Sefton Place are hosting the Keyworker Team on behalf of Sefton Partners and the post holder will be expected to work in partnership across all relevant agencies both in Sefton and beyond (as required) including health, education, social care, families and individual young people. Main duties of the job Develop and maintain strong, positive relationships with children and young people with a learning disability, autism or both, who are inpatients or at risk of being admitted to hospital, to ensure children, young people and their families get the right support at the right time and that local systems are responsive to meeting their needs in a holistic and joined up way. Facilitate, support and enable a step-down process ensuring continuity of the right system of community services and support to meet the child/young person's needs once keyworking involvement ceases. Hold services across the system to account ensuring children and families get the right support at the right time. Manage a caseload that allow sufficient time for personalised support required About us An exciting opportunity has arisen to be part of the changing shape of NHS commissioning in Cheshire and Merseyside. Our current organisational structure supports effective working both locally and across Cheshire and Merseyside as we develop as an Integrated Care System. The population of Cheshire and Merseyside is diverse and growing and we are keen to see that diversity recognised within our own workforce. As an employer we seek to open opportunities for our staff to gain new skills, gain knowledge and develop careers in heath and care. We welcome students, staff, people of all races, religions, genders, sexual orientation, physical abilities, backgrounds, and philosophies and those who are accepting of others. Our goal is to support all of our workforce in their work, if you believe you can bring your skills and experiences and an open-minded approach into our fast paced and dynamic organisation, we are committed to providing a positive and supportive experience for all. The strategic aims of the ICS are to: improve outcomes in population health and healthcare tackle inequalities in outcomes, experience, and access enhance productivity and value for money help the NHS support broader social and economic development. Date posted 05 November 2024 Pay scheme Agenda for change Band Band 6 Salary £37,338 to £44,962 a year pa pr Contract Permanent Working pattern Part-time Reference number 493-ICB-6772461 Job locations Magdalen House Trinity Road Bootle L20 3NJ Job description Job responsibilities Navigation and Coordination Provide support to access the right help at the right time across complex systems particularly the transition between children and adults services. Build relationships and support coordination across the system. Coordinate provision, care and assessments related to the child or young person, working with other agencies and services to ensure agreed actions are carried out - (inc. those agreed as part of Care Education Treatment Review - CETRs) Follow-up on any actions from CETRs to ensure they have been assigned, and that progress is being made Involvement in the young persons life needs to be flexible and based on need Hold services across the system to account where action plans are in place or actions have been agreed. Produce reports on completed work including recommendations for future service provision and gaps in services. Develop and strengthen effective strategic, multi-agency partnerships Communicate clearly with the child, young person and their family to help them understand and navigate the system, for example conveying complex legal and medical information around Tier 4 admissions in a clear, accessible way. Work with services to increase understanding of the child/young person and family including their strengths, ambitions and support needs. Coordinate assessments. Maintain/hold responsibility for continuity of care and support for the child or young person Facilitate the provision of interventions to prevent admission to in-patient settings where appropriate and support to facilitate transition out of secure settings. Identify, guide and refer to other services where needed e.g. carer support services, Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS), short breaks provision etc. Support to navigate statutory and non-statutory services within the community. Tracking the young person's progress on outcomes and facilitates a gradual 'step-down' programme where appropriate. Maintain clear, accurate records of work with each young person in accordance with local procedures on record keeping. Keep up-to-date records and support the evaluation of the project, providing relevant data and anonymised case studies. Assess procedures, systems and pathways of existing provision and teams and identify areas for improvement. Identify gaps in local and regional service provision, and evaluate what is/isn't working Identify changes that would increase flexibility, integration, joined-up working, improve communication and above all lead to better outcomes for children and young people with autism and/or learning disability. Support at home and in the community as an alternative to admission Coordinate care on behalf of the young person and their family to support community living. Supporting families to access Personal Budgets, to enable greater choice and control over their child/young persons care. Advise services on appropriate adjustments for the young person based on their autism profile. Support discharge from specialist services. Support settlement within community support. Exploring digital ways of support including through the use of apps Champion of Autism Support colleagues across the system to become autism aware and provide autism friendly services. Model strategies relevant for children, young people and families with autism increasing levels of understanding. Actively listen so as to accurately capture and then convey the lived experience of the child or young person and their family Seek and offer supervision and/or support where appropriate. Rethink systems and approaches, based on what is in the best interests of children and young people. Flexible and person-centred Delivery of flexible, personalised and child-centred support, to ensure the complex and often varying needs of children, young people and their families are met. Use creative and accessible ways to communicate with children and young people with a range of communication needs, e.g. using pictures or role plays, to agree a set of outcomes for the Keyworking intervention. Provision of an open and revolving door to allow young people to return and reconnect with their key worker to help with de-escalation, avoid crisis and re-admission. Offer flexible service hours and sufficient out of hours provision, to support the flexible, personalised nature of keyworking support provided. Independence and Empowerment Support young people to develop their own solutions, led by their needs, wants and aspirations. Encourage young people to develop their own networks of support. Facilitate the provision and implementation of tailored behavioural and emotional support to help a child or young person and their families develop skills for progress and self-management to meet their agreed goals and outcomes. Develop an autism profile that helps an autistic person to understand their strengths and areas of support. Provide information, support, and advice to ensure that autistic people can access support they want when they need it. Support parents to access and implement support and tools for managing behaviour. Create and encourage a culture which prioritises keeping children and young people within the home and local community by persuasively communicating with a range of teams and services and staff at different levels of seniority. Keep track of young persons progress to gauge ongoing support requirements and address any challenges. Support my Voice Advocate and challenge on behalf of the young person, including attending Multi-Disciplinary Teams (MDTs) and escalating issues where required. Be a trusted person who actively listens and understands the young people and families they are supporting. Represent and champion the young person and their family in discussions around provision of care as required, communicating compassionately with the young person and their family and communicating confidently with the range of professionals involved in their care. Challenge inpatient admissions to ensure they are measured, appropriate and necessary. This may involve intervention, working with services to prevent admission to inpatient settings where appropriate. Troubleshoot on behalf of the child, young person and their family where required to ensure the necessary support is put in place to enable them to remain within or be discharged into the community and to promote joined-up, consistent care that meets their needs and rights. This may involve constructively challenging the status quo, bureaucratic decision making and decision making in silos. Any other task relevant to the role. Please see the JD and Person Specification for full details Job description Job responsibilities Navigation and Coordination Provide support to access the right help at the right time across complex systems particularly the transition between children and adults services. Build relationships and support coordination across the system. Coordinate provision, care and assessments related to the child or young person, working with other agencies and services to ensure agreed actions are carried out - (inc. those agreed as part of Care Education Treatment Review - CETRs) Follow-up on any actions from CETRs to ensure they have been assigned, and that progress is being made Involvement in the young persons life needs to be flexible and based on need Hold services across the system to account where action plans are in place or actions have been agreed. Produce reports on completed work including recommendations for future service provision and gaps in services. Develop and strengthen effective strategic, multi-agency partnerships Communicate clearly with the child, young person and their family to help them understand and navigate the system, for example conveying complex legal and medical information around Tier 4 admissions in a clear, accessible way. Work with services to increase understanding of the child/young person and family including their strengths, ambitions and support needs. Coordinate assessments. Maintain/hold responsibility for continuity of care and support for the child or young person Facilitate the provision of interventions to prevent admission to in-patient settings where appropriate and support to facilitate transition out of secure settings. Identify, guide and refer to other services where needed e.g. carer support services, Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS), short breaks provision etc. Support to navigate statutory and non-statutory services within the community. Tracking the young person's progress on outcomes and facilitates a gradual 'step-down' programme where appropriate. Maintain clear, accurate records of work with each young person in accordance with local procedures on record keeping. Keep up-to-date records and support the evaluation of the project, providing relevant data and anonymised case studies. Assess procedures, systems and pathways of existing provision and teams and identify areas for improvement. Identify gaps in local and regional service provision, and evaluate what is/isn't working Identify changes that would increase flexibility, integration, joined-up working, improve communication and above all lead to better outcomes for children and young people with autism and/or learning disability. Support at home and in the community as an alternative to admission Coordinate care on behalf of the young person and their family to support community living. Supporting families to access Personal Budgets, to enable greater choice and control over their child/young persons care. Advise services on appropriate adjustments for the young person based on their autism profile. Support discharge from specialist services. Support settlement within community support. Exploring digital ways of support including through the use of apps Champion of Autism Support colleagues across the system to become autism aware and provide autism friendly services. Model strategies relevant for children, young people and families with autism increasing levels of understanding. Actively listen so as to accurately capture and then convey the lived experience of the child or young person and their family Seek and offer supervision and/or support where appropriate. Rethink systems and approaches, based on what is in the best interests of children and young people. Flexible and person-centred Delivery of flexible, personalised and child-centred support, to ensure the complex and often varying needs of children, young people and their families are met. Use creative and accessible ways to communicate with children and young people with a range of communication needs, e.g. using pictures or role plays, to agree a set of outcomes for the Keyworking intervention. Provision of an open and revolving door to allow young people to return and reconnect with their key worker to help with de-escalation, avoid crisis and re-admission. Offer flexible service hours and sufficient out of hours provision, to support the flexible, personalised nature of keyworking support provided. Independence and Empowerment Support young people to develop their own solutions, led by their needs, wants and aspirations. Encourage young people to develop their own networks of support. Facilitate the provision and implementation of tailored behavioural and emotional support to help a child or young person and their families develop skills for progress and self-management to meet their agreed goals and outcomes. Develop an autism profile that helps an autistic person to understand their strengths and areas of support. Provide information, support, and advice to ensure that autistic people can access support they want when they need it. Support parents to access and implement support and tools for managing behaviour. Create and encourage a culture which prioritises keeping children and young people within the home and local community by persuasively communicating with a range of teams and services and staff at different levels of seniority. Keep track of young persons progress to gauge ongoing support requirements and address any challenges. Support my Voice Advocate and challenge on behalf of the young person, including attending Multi-Disciplinary Teams (MDTs) and escalating issues where required. Be a trusted person who actively listens and understands the young people and families they are supporting. Represent and champion the young person and their family in discussions around provision of care as required, communicating compassionately with the young person and their family and communicating confidently with the range of professionals involved in their care. Challenge inpatient admissions to ensure they are measured, appropriate and necessary. This may involve intervention, working with services to prevent admission to inpatient settings where appropriate. Troubleshoot on behalf of the child, young person and their family where required to ensure the necessary support is put in place to enable them to remain within or be discharged into the community and to promote joined-up, consistent care that meets their needs and rights. This may involve constructively challenging the status quo, bureaucratic decision making and decision making in silos. Any other task relevant to the role. Please see the JD and Person Specification for full details Person Specification Knowledge Essential A proven understanding of the needs and characteristics of children and young people with a diagnosis of Autism and or complex communication difficulties Experience of working with children and/or young people with learning disability, autism or both and complex needs and their families A proven understanding of the difficulties likely to face children and young people with Autism and or complex communication difficulties Desirable Experience working with ages 18-25 years Strong, holistic understanding of the education, health and care system to fulfil keyworking function of holding services to account Skills and abilities Essential oEmpathy/Understanding - Believes in an approach that requires an understanding of needs from the perspective of the child, young person and family oPositive and Solution focused - Has positive, solution focused approach to ensuring the best outcomes for the child, young person and their family oRespect - Respects the opinions and beliefs of the child, young person and their family and works to ensure they are represented, with a commitment to the principles of child-centred, personalised care Experience Essential oExperience of working with children/young people with Autism and/or learning disabilities and complex communication and behavioural issues oExperience of liaising with multi-disciplinary professionals and working across agencies Education Desirable Relevant Professional qualification, e.g., social worker, nurse, occupational therapist, speech & language therapist, Teacher, JNC Youth Work. Evidence of post graduate training specific to Autism, Learning Disabilities with children/ young people and/or adults. Person Specification Knowledge Essential A proven understanding of the needs and characteristics of children and young people with a diagnosis of Autism and or complex communication difficulties Experience of working with children and/or young people with learning disability, autism or both and complex needs and their families A proven understanding of the difficulties likely to face children and young people with Autism and or complex communication difficulties Desirable Experience working with ages 18-25 years Strong, holistic understanding of the education, health and care system to fulfil keyworking function of holding services to account Skills and abilities Essential oEmpathy/Understanding - Believes in an approach that requires an understanding of needs from the perspective of the child, young person and family oPositive and Solution focused - Has positive, solution focused approach to ensuring the best outcomes for the child, young person and their family oRespect - Respects the opinions and beliefs of the child, young person and their family and works to ensure they are represented, with a commitment to the principles of child-centred, personalised care Experience Essential oExperience of working with children/young people with Autism and/or learning disabilities and complex communication and behavioural issues oExperience of liaising with multi-disciplinary professionals and working across agencies Education Desirable Relevant Professional qualification, e.g., social worker, nurse, occupational therapist, speech & language therapist, Teacher, JNC Youth Work. Evidence of post graduate training specific to Autism, Learning Disabilities with children/ young people and/or adults. 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 NHS Cheshire and Merseyside Integrated Care Board Address Magdalen House Trinity Road Bootle L20 3NJ Employer's website https://www.cheshireandmerseysidepartnership.co.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)