Job overview
The START Team have provided specialist mental health services to homeless people across South London for over 30 years. The successful post holder will join a new small specialist team, providing trauma-informed care to homeless people presenting with substance misuse and mental health difficulties in Croydon. This sub-team will have close links to the core START Team.
The role is to provide a specialist psychology service to adult rough sleepers in the borough of Croydon, who have difficulties with their mental health and alcohol/substance use (i.e. supporting the ‘dual diagnosis’ rough sleeping population).
This is part of an exciting Public Health England led project, targeting the local authorities with the highest numbers of people sleeping rough, who have been moved into emergency accommodation during the Covid-19 pandemic. The project is planned for four years and will provide specialist support for individuals to access and engage with drug and alcohol treatment and move towards longer-term accommodation.
Main duties of the job
The role will involve the provision of direct psychological interventions to homeless people, including specialist assessment, treatment, planning, implementation and monitoring of outcomes. These will be delivered through street outreach (including to local homeless day services) and in-reach to emergency accommodation (including hotels, hostels and temporary supported accommodation). Direct clinical work will be undertaken with patients presenting with a range of difficulties. The successful candidate will be proficient in evidence based interventions for people presenting with psychosis and other mental health difficulties.
The role will also involve providing indirect interventions, using a trauma-informed model, including clinical consultation, supervision, and training to colleagues and staff from partnership organisations (mainly from addiction and homelessness services).
To contribute to contract reports, service evaluation, audit and research, to support future service commissioning and the development of new models of best practice.
This post is a 12 month fixed-term post. It is a part-time post, 30 hours per week.
Working for our organisation
South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust (SLaM) provide the widest range of NHS mental health services in the UK as well as substance misuse services for people who are addicted to drugs and alcohol. We work closely with the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience (IoPPN), King's College London and are part of King's Health Partners Academic Health Sciences Centre. There are very few organisations in the world that have such wide-ranging capabilities working with mental illness. Our scope is unique because it is built on three major foundations: care and treatment, science and research, and training.
SLaM employ around 5000 staff and serve a local population of 1.1 million people. We have more than 230 services including inpatient wards, outpatient and community services. Currently, provide inpatient care for approximately 5,300 people each year and treat more than 45,000 patients in the community in Croydon, Lambeth, Lewisham and Southwark; as well as substance misuse services for residents of Bexley, Bromley and Greenwich.
By coming to work at SLaM, you will gain experience of being part of an organisation with a rich history and international reputation in mental health care. You will have access to professional development and learning opportunities, and have the chance to work alongside people who are world leaders in their field.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
·To ensure the systematic provision of a psychological therapy service for the START (Homeless Outreach Team) and personally provide specialist clinical input.
·To contribute to enabling other staff, service users and carers from diverse backgrounds to flourish by working to create a psychologically safe environment.
·To provide clinical supervision and consultation as appropriate, functioning as a specialist for the START (Homeless Outreach) Team.
·To promote service evaluation, audit, research and policy development.
·To work as an autonomous professional within registration body guidelines and codes of conduct, and guided by principles and policies or procedures of the service, taking responsibility for interpreting policies within defined parameters.
·To agree outcomes/results with clinical/professional lead and to decide how they are best achieved.
·To support staff support initiatives within their area, working with senior colleagues and, Corporate Psychology and Psychotherapy, where appropriate, to support colleagues and ensure staff in SLaM have access to evidence based support. To participate, as a recipient, in staff support work when appropriate.
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
1. To have undertaken a recognised qualification in one of the core mental health professions, e.g. psychiatric nursing, clinical psychology, medicine, social work and occupational therapy OR to have equivalent relevant experience and demonstrable competence to work in the mental health field in the NHS.
2. Entry-level qualification in applied psychological therapy/mental health/social welfare profession or equivalent and demonstrable practice in this field (professional Doctorate, or combination of MSc plus PG Diploma level/supervised practice/additional training) that has been accepted for the purposes of professional registration
Experience
Essential criteria
3. Evidence of having worked as a clinical specialist under supervision in psychology and psychotherapy services for people presenting with psychosis
4. Experience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment of clients with a range of psychological needs of a complex nature including, but limited to, psychosis and substance misuse
5. Post-qualification experience that supports working with, and addressing issues of, diversity within local communities
Knowledge
Essential criteria
6. Theoretical knowledge of psychopathology and the evidence base for the relevant treatment – CBT for psychosis and the application of CBT to work with patients with other complex mental health difficulties and co-morbid substance misuse
7. Knowledge of factors affecting acceptability and accessibility of mental health care.
8. Knowledge of a range of a range of therapeutic ideas/approaches systemic models in assessment and treatment relevant to discipline
skills and abilities
Essential criteria
9. Ability to work effectively within a multi-disciplinary team, contributing to effective team functioning and holding team roles
10. Advanced skills in working with a number of clients and systems together, managing the highly complex emotional relationships within and between the component parts of the systems in ways, which maximise the potential for therapeutic outcomes