Welcome from our Chief Executive

Our organisation is expanding and we're looking for people with the right values, skills and/or potential to join us. We need people with energy, expertise, enthusiasm to help us provide the very best possible specialist NHS mental health and learning disability care. This involves helping us achieve our strategy to improve the quality of life for the communities we serve through People, Prevention and Partnerships.

So what can we offer you in return?

We're an organisation which puts people first. We'll do everything possible to help you feel respected, valued and included. We'll help you learn, acquire new skills and gain further experience to support your career development. And we'll provide the opportunity for you to bring your fresh ideas to work about how we can do things differently and continue improving.

You will also be joining a health and care system committed to working together to do the best we can for the communities we serve. Above all, at Sussex Partnership you'll have the chance to make a difference to the lives of the patients, carers and families across our communities.

If you like the sound of that, then come and join our team.

Job overview

Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust delivers the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service in Hampshire.

In line with the government's priority to increase access and availability of mental health and wellbeing support for children and young people, the new Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTs) within schools bring exciting opportunities to deliver evidence-based early interventions for children and young people, working across both educational settings and healthcare sectors in England.

This hugely exciting new role provides career progression for trained and experienced Educational Mental Health Practitioners (EMHP). This new Senior EMHP position within our teams will support in the leadership, support and development of the growing EMHP workforce and to champion Low Intensity Working and enhancing the offer from the teams in relation to the Whole School Approach to emotional wellbeing in schools.

Main duties of the job

To work as a Senior Qualified member of a Mental Health Support Team in schools, providing a high quality, psychological therapy service to young people, their families or carers.

In addition, to support psychological practice within the team by communicating effectively about the psychological care of clients, by contributing to the supervision of psychological practitioners and trainees and less experienced psychological therapists, and by participating in systematic clinical governance.

This post offers a Golden Hello, or a Relocation package up to a maximum of £2000. (pro rata applies and subject to terms and conditions. Please see attached Protocol document).

Working for our organisation

Sussex Partnership Trust focuses on supporting staff through supervision and training opportunities and has a track record for creating strong and cohesive teams. The Hampshire CAMHS service, like many NHS services nationally, is busy and faces challenges, with high demands on our teams.

Hampshire CAMHS have a long established history of innovative and participatory practice that fully includes those accessing our services to shape and improve it. This has led Hampshire CAMHS to achieving various National Awards for our innovative and forward thinking approach. We welcome new colleagues with ideas and initiative to be part of this success.

As a Trust, we recognize the impact of the nature of our work and prioritise staff wellbeing, providing activities that promote the positive health and wellbeing of our staff such as arts projects and staff development. There are a number of forums each month for team managers to both meet together and with the wider leadership team from across the county.

To protect the health and safety of our staff/workers, patients, and those attending our sites, we encourage our workforce to get fully vaccinated against COVID

Detailed job description and main responsibilities
2 years post qualification experience (can be reduced if relevant existing qualifications, skills, and experience prior to EMHP/CWP training)

Breadth of core clinical practice - knowledge, skills & experience in:
1. Full range of low-intensity interventions for mild-moderate low mood, anxiety-based, and behavioural difficulties, covered in core EMHP/ CWP training
2. Working with CYP across the full age range (7-18)
3. Working with parents/caregivers
4. Working with groups
5. Face-to-face and remote/digital delivery of above

Critical awareness of alternative evidence-based therapeutic modalities and treatment options for mild-moderate MH difficulties

Experience of engaging and delivering interventions to CYP with protected characteristics

Knowledge, skills, and experience of delivering low-intensity interventions for an expanded range of mild-moderate mental health difficulties:
1. OCD
2. Social Anxiety
3. Emotional Based School Avoidance
4. Low self-esteem and/or emerging body image concerns

Knowledge, skills, and experience of working with comorbidity and complexity, with and/or under guidance of appropriately qualified and experienced supervisor:
1. Neurodiversity:
a. Where appropriate to role and remit, working with neurodiverse CYP and their families/caregivers
b. Recognising when core interventions are appropriate for neurodiverse CYP and being able to make necessary adaptations
c. Recognising when alternative evidence-based low-intensity interventions are required for neurodiverse CYP and being able to deliver these
d. Recognising when neurodiverse CYPs needs are beyond low intensity/early intervention remit and competence
2. CYP whose mild-moderate needs occur within the context of increased complexity (e.g. physical, social care, educational needs):
a. Delivering interventions where within remit and evidence-base, adapting interventions accordingly
b. Identifying when needs and/or complexity are beyond low intensity/early intervention remit and making appropriate onward referrals in line with local pathways and protocols
c. Delivering low-intensity interventions within the context of a wider package of intervention (social care, educational, mental health)
3. Identifying and making onward referral/step-up of range of serious mental health conditions beyond remit, and awareness of evidence-based treatments and interventions for these difficulties
4. Knowledge, skills, and experience in trauma-informed practice

Knowledge, skills, and experience of working with mild-moderate self-harm and/or emotional dysregulation:
1. Risk formulation, monitoring, and management for mild-moderate self-harm
2. Delivering low intensity emotion regulation interventions

Skills and experience in delivering psychoeducation workshops face-to-face and remotely

Experience of, and capacity to, effectively manage a workload and caseload

Knowledge, skills, and experience of Whole School Approach to Mental Health and Emotional Wellbeing:
1. Leading elements of WSA (EMHPs only)
2. Understanding an overarching, multicomponent WSA, and how elements of this interact with one another
3. Using and interpreting WSA measurement methodologies

Experience of working directly with senior leadership teams in service context (e.g. education, health, VCSE) to support design and delivery of programmes, policy, pathways, support offers etc.

Experience of negotiating, problem solving and relationship management where there are disagreements or resistance within systems

Experience of offering consultation (under guidance of supervisor) to schools/other professionals within bounds of knowledge and competence.

Experience of and skills in mentoring/coaching other trainee CWPs/EMHPs

Experience and skills in peer supervision and/or exposure to delivering supervision (e.g. co-facilitating with an experienced supervisor) as a supplement to, not replacement for, facilitated supervision - and with appropriate supervision-of-supervision

Experience and skills in delivering aspects of in-house training events in service context (team, school etc.)

Knowledge, skills, and experience of giving appropriate constructive feedback to professional colleagues at a range of levels in the system, and of following necessary procedures when required

Knowledge and understanding of the Mental Health and Mental Capacity Acts

Knowledge, experience, and competence in applying and following safeguarding legislation and pathways (including contextual safeguarding)

Person specification

Qualifications
Essential criteria

• Successful completion of the HEE commissioned 1yr 'Education Mental Health Practitioner' course.
• A further degree qualification or demonstrate the ability to work at degree level (this will be assessed as a University entry requirement for the Band 4 EMHP Position)

Knowledge/Experience
Essential criteria

• Knowledge of educational environments
• Knowledge of safeguarding issues
• Knowledge of capacity and consent issues including Gillick competence
• 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 and/or behavioural difficulties
• Experience of working with anxiety disorders
• Experience of working with affective (mood) disorders

Sussex Partnership NHS FT is committed to supporting a diverse workforce that reflects our communities. Our workforce is currently under-represented from Black and Minority, Ethnic and disabled communities and we would welcome applications from these communities.

We regret that we are unable to advise candidates if they have not been shortlisted. If you have not heard from us within three weeks of the closing date please assume that you have been unsuccessful on this occasion.

In the event of an excessive number of applicants the Trust reserves the right to close this vacancy earlier than indicated.

Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust takes its responsibilities for the safeguarding and protection of children and young people and vulnerable adults very seriously and expects this of all its employees and bank workers. The Trust works with adult and children's social care to ensure that the integrated service has systems in place to equip staff and bank workers with the knowledge and skills to recognize abuse, and take action to safeguard and protect vulnerable adults and children and young people. It is expected that all staff and bank workers familiarise themselves with the appropriate structures and policies and with the Sussex child protection and safeguarding procedures and the Sussex multi-agency policy and procedures for safeguarding vulnerable adults and undertake the relevant essential training and further training appropriate to their role.

Successful candidates are normally offered salaries at the bottom of the relevant salary range. However, where previous or equivalent NHS experience in a similar role can be demonstrated and evidenced, this may be taken into consideration when setting the starting salary.