Job overview
Lewisham Mental Health Support Team (MHST) is an early intervention and prevention service designed to help meet the mental health needs of children and young people (CYP) in education settings. Lewisham MHST is organized in a North and South Team and is expected to support 92 education settings by December 2029.
The post holder will provide operational and strategic leadership across the three MHST core functions:
1. Delivering evidence-based interventions for mild-to-moderate mental health issues
2. Supporting the senior mental health lead in each education setting to introduce or develop their whole school approach to mental health and wellbeing
3. Giving timely advice to school and college staff, and liaising with external specialist services to help children and young people get the right support and stay in education.
Main duties of the job
The post holder is responsible to support local workforce development in the line with local and national transformation plans to ensure a coordinated approach across the MHST this includes:
The post holder is responsible for the day-to-day operational management of the South Team, consisting of two clusters, each responsible for supporting approximately 20–25 education settings situated in South Lewisham.
Including clear lines of reporting and how they function in line with education and mental health governance, and the process for escalating any problems or issues · Quality assurance: ensuring the MHST Hubs are delivering consistent, high-quality mental health support, care and interventions, with appropriate and adequate clinical supervision; ensure there are clear processes around data collection, record keeping, information sharing and managing complaints.
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.
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. SLaM delivered more than 14,000 training experiences in 2014; providing an extensive range of learning opportunities for staff at all levels. In addition, our working relationship with King's Health Partners allows those working at the Trust to get involved in academic research.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Clinical and Client Care
·To provide assessments, formulations and interventions for clients referred to the Mental Health Support Team and /or to offer supervision to other members of the team in providing those.
·Support and empower children, young people and families to make informed choices about the intervention.
·To support children and young people experiencing mild to moderate mental health difficulties and their families in the self-management of presenting difficulties.
·To work in partnership with families to provide culturally appropriate psychological interventions with carers or families of referred clients when required.
·To assess and monitor risk and draw up appropriate risk management plans.
·To act as care co-ordinator taking responsibility for the oversight of cases within the Mental Health Support team.
·Provide support for EMHP’s and CWP’s in using CYP IAPT compliant routine outcome measures.
·Ensure clear objectives are identified, discussed and reviewed with EMHP’s and CWP’s on a regular basis as part of their continuing professional development.
Contributing to team or service clinical functioning
·To contribute to the effective working of the team or service and to a psychologically informed framework for the service.
·To contribute to the team or service’s delivery of accessible and acceptable services to diverse local communities.
·To be proactive in challenging discrimination and support the development of culturally competent services.
·To advise other members of the service on specialist psychological care of clients.
· Where appropriate to liaise with referrers, GPs and other professionals concerned with clients in order to develop and review care plans.
·To utilise theory, evidence-based literature and research to support evidence based practice in individual work and work with other team members.
Care or management of resources
• Manage the team budget
• To take care of, and use carefully, the Trust’s equipment and physical resources.
• Effectively manage and deploy resources in line with trust, local and national guidelines.
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
1. Qualifications and Professional Registration: Entry-level qualification: appropriately registered Educational/ Clinical/Counselling psychologist, Systemic Family Therapist, Psychotherapist, Nurse, OT, Social Work CBT Therapist and registration with relevant UK governing body
2. Completed training course in clinical supervision.
3. Evidence of continuing professional development as required by relevant Professional body e.g. HCPC/UKCP/RCN/ SWE/ BABCP
Desirable criteria
4. PG qualification in EMHP supervision course
5. PG qualification in Leading on Transformation & Change in CYP mental health and wellbeing services
6. CBT trained and certified by BABCP
Experience
Essential criteria
7. Evidence of having worked as a clinical specialist children, young people and their families under supervision.
8. Experience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment of clients with a range of psychological needs of a complex nature in CAMHS.
9. Experience of supervising and having completed the relevant training.
10. Experience of providing teaching and training to professional groups.
11. Post-qualification experience that supports working with, and addressing issues of, diversity within local communities.
Desirable criteria
12. Post-qualification experience that supports working with, and addressing issues of, diversity within local communities.
13. Experience of Working with Schools
14. Experience of previous working with CWP or EMHP trainees.
Knowledge and Skills
Essential criteria
15. Highly developed knowledge of the theory and practice of evidence based therapies for child and adolescents
16. Advanced theoretical knowledge of psychosocial theories of mental health and the evidence base for the relevant treatment.
17. Advanced knowledge of mental health assessment
18. Knowledge of legislation in relation to the client group and mental health issues, child and adult protection, and equalities.
19. Knowledge of legislation in relation to the client group and mental health issues, child and adult protection, and equalities.