Detailed job description and main responsibilities

This post will provide a highly specialist mental health service to children, young people and their families, who have complex mental health needs by offering specialist assessment and treatment packages of care. This is a community based post, located within the Adolescent Mental Health Team (AMHT) care pathway offering flexible, evidence-based episodes of care to manage complex clinical presentations and ensure that the optimum level of care is achieved. The post holder will require a high degree of professional autonomy and self-management, and will be a highly visible presence in clinical practice.  

Key Relationships:

·           Children, young people and their families

·           Adolescent Mental Health Team in CAMHS

·           Emotional and Behavioural Team in CAMHS

·           Senior Management Team

·           CAMHS nurses across the Trust

·           Multi disciplinary colleagues in CAMHS

·           Other professionals working with children and young people in social services, health, education, youth offending and the voluntary sector

·           Healthcare Governance Leads across the directorate

·           Trust corporate departments including Human resources, Training and development, IM&T etc.

Main Duties and Responsibilities

Clinical

·       To act as care coordinator for an identified caseload and to be responsible for the co-ordination of assessment, planning, implementation and evaluation of therapeutic packages of care.

·       To provide comprehensive specialist assessments - including needs and risk assessment - of children and adolescents and their families with complex mental health problems, based on having a good working knowledge of relevant theory and practice.

• To work as a senior practitioner providing clinically effective and appropriate therapeutic interventions for children, adolescents and their families taking into account the complexities of mental health problems. 

• To provide consultation to professionals working with children and young people and when appropriate teaching (e.g. GPs, health visitors, social workers, teachers etc) working at tiers 1 and tiers 2.

• To be able to recognize child protection situations and be aware of and adhere to Safeguarding Guidelines and know when to inform and share these concerns with other colleagues.

• To act in accordance with CPA guidelines within the community setting and to have the skills and knowledge to apply these appropriately to young people.

• To work effectively with colleagues from other disciplines and organisations as appropriate throughout the assessment and care planning process.
• Based on the assessments and reports to convey sensitive, complex and sometimes unwelcome information to clients and other professionals and manage this as constructively as possible.       
• To provide professional advice and guidance to colleagues and other professionals who come into contact and who have an important influence with children and young people who have mental health needs.
• To demonstrate expertise in analyzing and reflecting upon own clinical practice and that of others, in all aspects of care given to children, young people and their families/carers.
• To manage family and other groups of children, adolescents and adults who at times may be physically and verbally aggressive towards other members of the family and/or staff. To ensure safety as a paramount consideration and to be aware of different levels of intervention
• To ensure documentation and care plans are comprehensive and of the highest standard in line with Trust policy.
• To ensure acceptable levels of safety (regarding potential verbal and physical aggression from disturbed clients, and for self and other colleagues when necessary. To adhere to the “lone worker policy “and update training in breakaway techniques when necessary
• Be fully conversant with Trust clinical policies, the Mental Health Act 1983 and the CPA policy and ensure they are implemented in practice.
• Ensure all incidents are reported in accordance with Trust policy and Learning from SUI’s and complaints is proactively managed and used to influence change in clinical practice.
• Strengthen and maintain links with other professionals and agencies ensuring that there is joined up working that enhances communication for the service user. 

Policy and Service Development   

·     To participate in the development of the AMHT and service policies and guidance.

•     To help develop and maintain AMHT care pathways and service partnerships, especially with other CAMHS teams.

Training and Development

·       To keep up to date with appropriate legislation in line with the role of CAMHS.

·       To attend regular supervision with line manager and clinical supervisor, and other relevant supervisors.

·       To be responsible for personal development and education in line with statutory, mandatory and professional requirements.

·       To work within one’s own professional body standards and regulations.

Human Resources

·       Proactively contribute to staff selection, retention and recruitment ensuring that the workforce is reflective of the appropriate skills required in the clinical area at any given time.

·       Ensure structures for supervision are effectively operational in the specialist CAMHS team. To provide advice and support on issues of professional and personal development for staff in specialist CAMHS in line with Trust policy and service operational guidelines.

Clinical Governance

·       To be aware of the up-to-date research and evidence relating to the care and treatment of children and adolescents with mental health problems.

·    To work within legal, professional and ethical frameworks established by National bodies such as the Department of Health, NMC; Children Act and Mental Health Act.

Performance Management

·       To ensure documentation and care plans are comprehensive and of the highest standard in line with Trust policy

•              To maintain accurate clinical records in accordance with Trust service standards and policies, and to record and maintain up-to-date client data in local database systems.

·       To record relevant information and communicate areas of risk to appropriate staff consistent with principals of and limitations to confidentiality. 

·       To provide clinical information as required for input into local and Trust electronic information systems

·       To be responsible for monitoring and recording and reporting on clinical work and communicating complex clinical information to a variety of recipients e.g. service users, families and carers, other professionals orally and in writing.