Job summary
We are a transformative local authority always looking to improve our practice. We have a reflective group supervision model that we call Practice Support Groups. At the heart of our practice are relationships that make the difference to our children and young peoples outcomes. Clinical support to our groups, foster carers and children are an essential ingredient.
We are seeking a skilled and experienced Primary Mental Health Worker who can embrace difference to offer consultation and support to our social work team. You will have a qualification and professional registration in Family Therapy, Clinical Psychology, Mental Health Nursing, Psychotherapy, or other equivalent mental health profession. You will have experience and , training in clinical practice and be able to deliver evidence-based interventions such as CBT, Brief Solution Focused Therapy, or systemic approaches. You will have worked with children and young people in a statutory setting and understand the issues facing children in care and care leavers. You will have good communication skills and work as part of a team to deliver improved outcomes for children and young peoples emotional wellbeing. You will have excellent consultation skills and the ability to formulate clinical difficulties and co-ordinate networks around the child. This role combined your skills to offer consultation as well as direct interventions to children, care experienced and carers as service delivery.
Main duties of the job
You will provide a range of therapeutic interventions to children, young
people, and their families to support their emotional well-being and mental
health. In addition to work withcolleagues to deliver clinical
consultation to social care staff to inform different ways of undertaking
direct work and planning. Effecting positive change and outcomes for
children, young people, and families, working alongside social care staff.
Undertaking high quality assessments and evidence-based interventions to
children, young people, their families. Building resilience in children and
young people, their families and carers to be able to achieve their aspirations
and potential. You will ensure a clinical lens is applied to case
discussions. Enabling the use of systemic methodologies and clinical
intervention that draws on family resources and supports behavioral change, and
act as a key interface between the primary care professionals and specialist
Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services
About us
Bursting with culture, energy, and opportunity, the London Borough of
Waltham Forest is a fantastic and exciting place to work.
We are a highly ambitious borough. Driven by culture and the innate
creativity of our residents, we have developed new and innovative ways to build
our communities. Our Council is relentlessly resident-focused, insight-led,
digitally driven and commercially minded; a Council focused on meeting the
needs of our existing and future residents.
London Borough of Waltham Forest is one of the Mayor of
Londons Good Work Standardemployers. This accreditation is a proof
of our commitment to creating a healthy, fair and inclusive workplace. This
includes fair pay and conditions, workplace well-being, skills and progression
and diversity and recruitment.
Job description
Job responsibilities
You will provide a range of therapeutic interventions to children, young people, and their families to support their emotional well-being and mental health. In addition to work with colleagues to deliver clinical consultation to social care staff to inform different ways of undertaking direct work and planning. Effecting positive change and outcomes for children, young people, and families, working alongside social care staff. Undertaking high quality assessments and evidence-based interventions to children, young people, their families. Building resilience in children and young people, their families and carers to be able to achieve their aspirations and potential. You will ensure a clinical lens is applied to case discussions. Enabling the use of systemic methodologies and clinical intervention that draws on family resources and supports behavioural change, and act as a key interface between the primary care professionals and specialist Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services.
Work collaboratively with the Advanced Practitioner and PSG members to enable a different approach to thinking and planning for children, young people and families.
Work directly with children and young people. This work has significant implications for the well-being of individuals and might involve situations where service users personal liberty and or safety is at risk.
Work with CAMHS, Primary Mental Health Trust, Clinical commissioning groups, GPs and other health professionals, professional colleagues, other providers and external agencies to gather and exchange information and co-ordinate actions. Represent the Council at multi-agency meetings.
Works with a range of agencies and extended services, to support the children and young people group and promote good practice.
Sensitivity, persuasiveness, negotiation and assertiveness skills are required to communicate with diverse audiences in emotive circumstances. Ability to build trust and confidence with children, young people and colleagues. May need to manage challenging behaviour and situations.
Maintains good working relationships with other professionals whilst challenging the decisions of other statutory agencies regarding mental health and wellbeing.
No direct line management responsibilities
Act as a member of the clinical hub within the Corporate Parenting Service. Procedural Context
Job description
Job responsibilities
You will provide a range of therapeutic interventions to children, young people, and their families to support their emotional well-being and mental health. In addition to work with colleagues to deliver clinical consultation to social care staff to inform different ways of undertaking direct work and planning. Effecting positive change and outcomes for children, young people, and families, working alongside social care staff. Undertaking high quality assessments and evidence-based interventions to children, young people, their families. Building resilience in children and young people, their families and carers to be able to achieve their aspirations and potential. You will ensure a clinical lens is applied to case discussions. Enabling the use of systemic methodologies and clinical intervention that draws on family resources and supports behavioural change, and act as a key interface between the primary care professionals and specialist Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services.
Work collaboratively with the Advanced Practitioner and PSG members to enable a different approach to thinking and planning for children, young people and families.
Work directly with children and young people. This work has significant implications for the well-being of individuals and might involve situations where service users personal liberty and or safety is at risk.
Work with CAMHS, Primary Mental Health Trust, Clinical commissioning groups, GPs and other health professionals, professional colleagues, other providers and external agencies to gather and exchange information and co-ordinate actions. Represent the Council at multi-agency meetings.
Works with a range of agencies and extended services, to support the children and young people group and promote good practice.
Sensitivity, persuasiveness, negotiation and assertiveness skills are required to communicate with diverse audiences in emotive circumstances. Ability to build trust and confidence with children, young people and colleagues. May need to manage challenging behaviour and situations.
Maintains good working relationships with other professionals whilst challenging the decisions of other statutory agencies regarding mental health and wellbeing.
No direct line management responsibilities
Act as a member of the clinical hub within the Corporate Parenting Service. Procedural Context
Person Specification
Experience
Essential
- Experience of Child protection procedures
- Experience of providing consultation, support and training to professional carers working with young people
- Experience of participating in mental health assessments of children, young people and families
- Working experience of complex risk assessments
- Experience of using a range of techniques including problem solving, CBT, Counselling, systemic, stress management interventions
- An appreciation and willingness to use the best evidence in clinical practice
- An appreciation and willingness to carryout audits, engage in monitoring service outcomes and analysis to inform future service planning
- Experience of delivering effective interventions with children and families to prevent family breakdown
- Experience of working with a range of emotional behavioural and /or mental health difficulties
Term and Conditions
Essential
- Continued professional body registration;
- This post is politically restricted therefore the post holder is disqualified from undertaking certain political activities under the Local Government Officers (Political Restrictions) Regulations 1990.
- As a public authority, we must ensure that members of staff in public-facing roles are able to speak fluent English. This means that they must have a command of spoken English, with confidence and accuracy, sufficient for the effective performance of their role. This requirement does not refer to any particular English language qualifications, regional or international accents, dialects, speech impediments or the tone of conversations. It does not require staff to speak only in English.
Qualifications
Essential
- Qualifications and Requirements:
- In-depth knowledge of various models of understanding mental health, mental disorders in children and young people
- Knowledge of relevant legislations and national CAMHS strategy / policies
- Knowledge of services provided to children and families by social services, health, education and voluntary sectors
- Knowledge of mental health and emotional needs of vulnerable young people
- Have high-level knowledge and skills in gathering information from a range of sources, including direct observation of children and young people and their interactions with mothers, fathers and carers.
- Ability to analyse problems, situations and information, think laterally and present innovative and feasible solutions.
- Clinical skills to identify potential concerns such as risk of self-harm or suicide, low mood and depression, ADHD, PTSD, eating disorders, emerging Psychosis, concerns about parental mental health.
- Ability to intervene at an early point to prevent mental health deterioration in children, young people and their families. Working with familial difficulties utilising core therapeutic methodologies as appropriate.
- Skilled in supporting and providing challenge in relation to case discussions using genograms, mapping of the professional and family system, in order to provide a systemic perspective.
- Make timely judgments and decisions that are based on evidence and thorough analysis of all the information gathered.
- Demonstrate an ability to draw up specific practical plans with clear timescales that are based on high quality assessments, which set out the planned outcomes for the mental health and wellbeing of the child or young person.
- Ability to drive manage a caseload, knowing when to provide direct intervention and when referral to tier 3 CAMHS is required.
- Systematically monitor and review decisions and plans, revising them where appropriate in the light of new information and evaluation of whether the interventions are achieving the planned outcomes.
- Minimum of 2 years post qualification experience of working in CAMHS
Knowledge and Skills
Essential
- Key Responsibilities:
- Develop good working relationships and communicate effectively with internal / external organisations / partners and stakeholders. Represent specialist area internally and / or externally. Model, demonstrate and promote good practice relevant to the role.
- Conduct statutory and / or complex / specialist mental health Assessments regarding children and young people to determine interventions / referral to the appropriate service.
- Plan and oversee programmes or packages of mental health intervention and/or support across the PSG. Monitor and where appropriate review cases.
- Provide professional expert mental health advice and guidance to colleagues and partner agencies in supporting children and young people
- Liaise internally and externally and work with colleagues from other agencies to ensure children and young peoples mental health and wellbeing is supported.
- Maintain properly documented case files, records and information. Prepare standard reports as required.
- Mentor and support others in their development and identification of mental health issues.
- Carry out all duties with an awareness and understanding of the Safeguarding requirements within area of responsibility.
Person Specification
Experience
Essential
- Experience of Child protection procedures
- Experience of providing consultation, support and training to professional carers working with young people
- Experience of participating in mental health assessments of children, young people and families
- Working experience of complex risk assessments
- Experience of using a range of techniques including problem solving, CBT, Counselling, systemic, stress management interventions
- An appreciation and willingness to use the best evidence in clinical practice
- An appreciation and willingness to carryout audits, engage in monitoring service outcomes and analysis to inform future service planning
- Experience of delivering effective interventions with children and families to prevent family breakdown
- Experience of working with a range of emotional behavioural and /or mental health difficulties
Term and Conditions
Essential
- Continued professional body registration;
- This post is politically restricted therefore the post holder is disqualified from undertaking certain political activities under the Local Government Officers (Political Restrictions) Regulations 1990.
- As a public authority, we must ensure that members of staff in public-facing roles are able to speak fluent English. This means that they must have a command of spoken English, with confidence and accuracy, sufficient for the effective performance of their role. This requirement does not refer to any particular English language qualifications, regional or international accents, dialects, speech impediments or the tone of conversations. It does not require staff to speak only in English.
Qualifications
Essential
- Qualifications and Requirements:
- In-depth knowledge of various models of understanding mental health, mental disorders in children and young people
- Knowledge of relevant legislations and national CAMHS strategy / policies
- Knowledge of services provided to children and families by social services, health, education and voluntary sectors
- Knowledge of mental health and emotional needs of vulnerable young people
- Have high-level knowledge and skills in gathering information from a range of sources, including direct observation of children and young people and their interactions with mothers, fathers and carers.
- Ability to analyse problems, situations and information, think laterally and present innovative and feasible solutions.
- Clinical skills to identify potential concerns such as risk of self-harm or suicide, low mood and depression, ADHD, PTSD, eating disorders, emerging Psychosis, concerns about parental mental health.
- Ability to intervene at an early point to prevent mental health deterioration in children, young people and their families. Working with familial difficulties utilising core therapeutic methodologies as appropriate.
- Skilled in supporting and providing challenge in relation to case discussions using genograms, mapping of the professional and family system, in order to provide a systemic perspective.
- Make timely judgments and decisions that are based on evidence and thorough analysis of all the information gathered.
- Demonstrate an ability to draw up specific practical plans with clear timescales that are based on high quality assessments, which set out the planned outcomes for the mental health and wellbeing of the child or young person.
- Ability to drive manage a caseload, knowing when to provide direct intervention and when referral to tier 3 CAMHS is required.
- Systematically monitor and review decisions and plans, revising them where appropriate in the light of new information and evaluation of whether the interventions are achieving the planned outcomes.
- Minimum of 2 years post qualification experience of working in CAMHS
Knowledge and Skills
Essential
- Key Responsibilities:
- Develop good working relationships and communicate effectively with internal / external organisations / partners and stakeholders. Represent specialist area internally and / or externally. Model, demonstrate and promote good practice relevant to the role.
- Conduct statutory and / or complex / specialist mental health Assessments regarding children and young people to determine interventions / referral to the appropriate service.
- Plan and oversee programmes or packages of mental health intervention and/or support across the PSG. Monitor and where appropriate review cases.
- Provide professional expert mental health advice and guidance to colleagues and partner agencies in supporting children and young people
- Liaise internally and externally and work with colleagues from other agencies to ensure children and young peoples mental health and wellbeing is supported.
- Maintain properly documented case files, records and information. Prepare standard reports as required.
- Mentor and support others in their development and identification of mental health issues.
- Carry out all duties with an awareness and understanding of the Safeguarding requirements within area of responsibility.
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.
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
Additional information
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).