Senior Mental Health Practitioner

Our Vision is to provide the best mental health, learning disability, autism and community based services for the populations we serve.

As an integrated mental health, learning disability and community Trust, Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust provides a range of services including:

• Primary and secondary mental health care for children and adults including specialist inpatient child and adolescent mental health provision, perinatal mental health, forensic services including low and medium secure care.
• Specialist community support for children and adults with learning disabilities and autism, including intensive support.
• Community physical health and well-being services for children and adults.

The Trust was first established in 2002 and employs approximately 7,000 staff who provide care from more than 400 sites. The organisation offers opportunities for medics, mental health and general nurses, allied health professionals, psychology, administration and clerical staff, apprentices and volunteers.

Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust supports 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, home/remote working, and flexi-time.

For more information visit our website via Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS FT.

Job overview

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 deliver 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.

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

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.

Provide leadership and be involved in the development of the MHST alongside the team manager and other senior colleagues in the service.

Experience or interest in working with children and families with complex needs, additional educational needs, learning disabilities and neurodiversity.

Working in partnership, support children, young people and their families in the self-management of presenting difficulties, principally anxiety and depression.

Operate at all times from an inclusive values base, which recognises and respects diversity. Signpost referrals to the relevant service. Undertake assessments of risk to self and others. To use the acquired skills, knowledge and abilities to deliver a service based within education settings that builds on and reinforces but does not replace those initiatives that already exist within these environments.

Working for our organisation

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.

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

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Please see attached the job description and person specification for more information about this role

Experience

• Experience of working with children and young people, their families and others.
• Experience of working and liaising with a wide variety of agencies and stakeholders
• Experience of working with children and young people who have social, emotional behavioural, neurodiversity and/or learning difficulties/disabilities.
• Experience of working with anxiety disorders & affective (mood) disorders.
• Experience of the delivery of specific therapeutic interventions to children, young people or their families.
• Proven ability to analyse situations, evaluate options and produce effective solutions and outcomes
• A minimum of 3 years CAMHS experience
• Access to private transport for work purposes

• Experience of working with children and their families in a healthcare and/or education setting
• Experience of monitoring and recording outcome measures for children's emotional wellbeing
• Experience of navigating complex social systems and environments, who may have conflicting priorities or agendas Education Essential criteria · Successful completion of relevant IAPT Course
• Membership with accredited body and hold accreditation · Post graduate qualification in IAPT clinical supervision

• Specialist qualification in other appropriate therapy eg. FT/DBT Knowledge, Skills and Abilities Essential
• Knowledge of educational environments including Specialist Learning Environments (SEN/PRU’s)
• Knowledge of safeguarding issues
• Knowledge of capacity and consent issues including Gillick competence
• Ability to carry out 1:1/group therapeutic mental health interventions with children and families
• Ability to conduct group parenting programmes
• Ability to deliver presentations and to teach others about mental health issues
• Ability to conduct mental health assessments of children and young people
• Ability to make an assessment of risk and to record and communicate it appropriately.
• Ability to take appropriate action to mitigate or manage risk.

• Knowledge of the functional operation of specialist CAMHS teams
• Ability to conduct other group therapeutic interventions with children and their families · 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

• Core profession (HCPC, Social Care, Nursing) or recognised degree level broad based health & social care qualification OR IAPT qualification
• Supervision qualification
• 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.

Please note that further communication from Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust (LSCft) will normally be to the email address given on the application form. You should also ensure that email addresses and telephone numbers are provided for your referees, to enable LSCft to contact them.

Personalisation is essential when submitting an application form to convey your skills, knowledge, and experiences effectively.

Please ensure that you read the person specification attached below as your application will be measured against this document. Applications from job share partners are welcome and other forms of flexible working will be considered for all posts.

For all posts which require a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check please be aware of the Disclosure and Barring Service Code of Practice, a copy of which is available by logging on to the DBS website. If the post is subject to DBS disclosure, a charge will be made to the successful candidate(s).

You are advised to consider applying for LSCft vacancies as soon as possible as in some instances vacancies are closed as soon as a sufficient number of applications have been received. If you are not invited to interview within three weeks of the closing date then please assume that on this occasion you have been unsuccessful, as it is not possible to contact all unsuccessful candidates.

LSCft is committed to celebrating difference as an asset and we know that recruiting talent from diverse backgrounds helps to create a more flexible, creative and effective workforce. We actively challenge discrimination and welcome applications from people regardless of age, disability (particularly those with experience of accessing or caring for someone who has accessed mental health or learning disability services), ethnicity, gender, religion or belief or sexual orientation.

Our goal is for the Trust to be truly representative of the communities we serve so we are particularly keen to receive applications from people in under-represented groups. If there is anything you’d like to discuss in relation to your application then please ask.