Community Kaleidoscope Music Therapist - London
Job overview
Are you a passionate and creative Music Therapist looking to make a difference in the lives of children with life-limiting conditions and complex needs?We are excited to offer a newly developed opportunity for a skilled and compassionate Community Kaleidoscope Music Therapist to join our Specialist Palliative Care Team – Inner Division within our Children’s Community Nursing Service.
This is a unique post offering 18 hours per week, worked flexibly across three days. The role will involve delivering specialist music therapy assessments and evidence-based interventions to children in their homes and community settings, while working closely with families and the multidisciplinary team.
This post is particularly suited to a therapist looking to consolidate their skills and grow within a dynamic and forward-thinking service.
We are seeking someone who is:
- Passionate about working with children and families affected by life-limiting conditions.
- Organised, flexible, and responsive to the individual needs of patients and families.
- Able to work independently and as part of a collaborative multidisciplinary team.
- An excellent communicator, both written and verbal
- Compassionate, with a strong sense of empathy and respect
- IT literate – experience using SystmOne is desirable (training provided)
Excellent support will be provided including clinical supervision, regular managerial supervision, CPD opportunities.
Main duties of the job
To provide specialist music therapy assessment and intervention, maintain up to date records and use evidence-based principles and current best practice.
To offer vital support to children and young people with complex medical and developmental needs.
To work within a range of community settings, this would include Palliative Care/Kaleidoscope service, within a home and community and clinic settings.
To be involved in specific projects as delegated by Kaleidoscope Lead.
To offer home and community-based sessions tailored to the needs of children with life-limiting conditions and their families.
To deliver both individual and group block of music therapy tailored to address specific therapeutic needs identified by the multidisciplinary team and family.
To support the running of the Kaleidoscope Palliative Care Team, for children with complex care and palliative needs, working in conjunction with the Kaleidoscope Palliative Care Team, Children’s Community Nursing Team, and Social Services Child Development Services.
Working for our organisation
Just as we care about our patients’ well-being, we care about yours!
We can offer you:
- A comprehensive induction into the community service followed by a local induction to introduce you to the role
- Car lease scheme(only available for Band 5 and up)
- Flexible working options
- Annual travel card loan
- Training, support and development in your career
To have a full look at our benefits and what it’s like working for us please go here: https://www.clch.nhs.uk/job/pay-and-benefits
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Management and Leadership- To keep accurate and up-to-date patient records and statistics at all times in line with Trust and HCPC requirements.
- To develop and maintain effective communication and working relationships with other professional groups, and staff generally within the Division and the Trust
- To provide clinical support and guidance, and to act as a resource for clinical knowledge to other professionals both within and external to the Trust.
- To understand and manage service developments and changes with colleagues.
- To be involved in purchase of equipment and consumable stock, including furniture, electrical goods, stationery within the specialist music therapy equipment.
- Clinical Duties
- To be professionally and legally responsible for all aspects of work, including the management of patients in your care
- To work closely with parents and carers to understand the needs of the child and family, and the ways in which music therapy might help.
- To provide specialist music therapy assessment and treatment for children presenting with a wide range of life limiting conditions & complex needs.
- to carry out risk assessments of community environments prior to the delivery of care and respond to outcome of assessment.
- To maintain a documentation system within the home environment
- To implement a range of specialist interventions drawn from different evidence based theoretical models to meet a child’s needs.
- To work in close consultation with the specialist multi-disciplinary team to provide joint interventions as appropriate to meet the needs of the child and family.
- To adhere to Trust policies relating to confidentiality in dealing with patients and their families, in the context of ongoing highly distressing circumstances including child safeguarding procedures.
- To be sensitive to the needs and anxieties of parents and carers within this healthcare context, while seeking to work with their knowledge and experience.
- To demonstrate good time management and organisational skills during daily management of own workload and to be able to adapt flexibly to sudden changes in workload.
- To assess families and identify appropriate interventions for the children within the family based on music therapy tools.
- To work as an autonomous and lone practitioner with the support of the Specialist Nurse for Children with Life Limiting Conditions.
- Communication
- To continue to develop professional expertise and knowledge through continuing professional development, as agreed with your line manager.
- To provide timely verbal and written feedback to referrers and other professionals about a child’s music therapy assessment or treatment
- To communicate effectively with families including the organisation of interpreters for parents and children who do not speak English.
- To be responsible for the care and safe-keeping of equipment issued, ensure servicing and reporting of any defect or loss
- To maintain accurate records and statistical returns as required by the organisation, including entering data on the electric records system (SystemOne)
- To be aware of CLCH Trust policies and act accordingly
- To be involved in data collection for research and audits being undertaken in each area and to be able to monitor and implement change.
- To be involved in audit and research projects and presenting findings as appropriate.
- To participate in promoting music therapy through workshops, parent forums and seminars where appropriate
- To work in a collaborative manner with the Kaleidoscope Palliative Care Nurses, Carers, Coordinator as well as other professionals/agencies to ensure a seamless delivery of care to families.
- Professional Development
- To maintain a high standard of care and professional conduct in accordance with the requirements of the HCPC
- To maintain professional registration with the Health and Care Professional Council.
- To be responsible for personal continuous professional development using self-education, reflective practice, and active participation in any in-service training. This may include writing about or presenting aspects of practice or research, in line with your personal development plan agreed with your line manager. You will be responsible for maintaining an up-to-date CPD portfolio should you be called for audit by HCPC.
- To ensure that all mandatory training is completed within the required timescales.
- To assess own training and development needs, participating in regular clinical supervision.
- To support the development of evidenced based training packages for Kaleidoscope staff when required.
- To understand and apply clinical governance principles to your own caseload and contribute to departmental clinical governance sessions.
- To take appropriate action in regard to any accident or incident to a child, family member, staff member or visitor.
- To ensure personal and team safety by adhering to the CLCH policy on lone working
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria- HCPC Registered as a Music Therapist
- MA training in Music Therapy (or equivalent)
- Advanced musical skills
- Membership of The British Association for Music Therapy
- Research project experience (as part of music therapy training) which links to the area of children’s health
Experience
Essential criteria- Experience of working with a range of professionals across health, social care, or education settings
- Experience of music therapy work which actively involves parents and/or carers in music therapy sessions
- Recent experience of joint working with other professionals
- Experience of providing teaching and training to professionals and carers on the benefits of music making and music therapy • Experience of presentation of clinical case studies work to other professionals
Skills
Essential criteria- Ability to communicate effectively in an often highly emotive clinical setting and identify and assess risk accordingly.
- Ability to communicate effectively with other professionals, parents, and children of all ages and abilities.
- IT and numeracy skills
Due to the high number of applications that are received for some posts we may close this vacancy before the advertised closing date. Therefore please apply for this post as soon as you can, if you are interested and you meet the requirements of the Person Specification
Only those candidates who clearly demonstrate how they meet the person specification will be shortlisted for this job.
Interview arrangements will be communicated via email so please check your email regularly following the closing date.
At CLCH we appreciate and are proud of the diversity in the communities we serve and the workforce we employ. Applications are open and welcome to anyone, regardless of your age, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, ethnicity, religion, and disability.
We are proud to say that we follow the workforce race equality standard and 28% of our senior staff (8A and above) are from a BAME background. CLCH also has active BAME and LGBTQI networks:
Disability and Wellbeing Network (DAWN)
Race Equality Network
Rainbow Network which supports LGBTQI staff.
Each network has a champion who is an executive director at the Trust and they hold regular meetings to discuss issues and make plans to improve CLCH.
The CLCH Equal opportunities statement is on our Website Equal opportunities :: Central London Community Healthcare NHS Trust (clch.nhs.uk)
"We work Flexibly"