Specialist CAMHS Practitioner - Learning Disabilities

Brent CAMHS is looking for a permanent Specialist CAMHS Practitioner to join our friendly, supportive, and experienced multi-disciplinary specialist mental health service. We are looking for an enthusiastic and skilled clinician to be a core member of the LD team. They should maintain clinical curiosity and engage in reflective practice as well as be able to be an advocate for children, young people and families’ needs. Previous experience within CAMHS-LD or adult LD settings (particularly with safeguarding, risk and Positive Behavioural Support [PBS]) would be helpful.

Brent CAMHS-LD team is set up to provide specialist assessment and consultation to children and young people with moderate to severe intellectual disabilities and their families and carers. In recent years this team has been expanded to increase the capacity of the service allowing for exciting new developments. In line with the Transforming Care agenda these developments are focussed on providing more intense support to those most at risk of restrictive practice.

This role is suitable for a Learning Disabilities Nurse (RLD), Mental Health Nurse (RMN), Clinical Psychologist, Social Worker, Child Psychotherapist, CBT Therapist or Occupational Therapist with the requisite professional registration. The Trust will support flexible working hours where appropriate.

Main duties of the job

• The post holder will provide specialist assessments and interventions to children and young people. This will involve undertaking direct assessment and intervention with the client and indirect assessment, monitoring and intervention with staff and/or carers.
• Intervention will include working across a variety of settings, including home, school and short break services and will involve working with the multi-disciplinary team.
• The post holder will work autonomously alongside clients, families, support workers and professionals to enable others to better understand and respond to behaviours that are challenging.
• The post holder will require a high degree of professional autonomy and self-management and will be required to account for their professional practice through supervision, appraisal and audit.

Working for our organisation

Central & North West London NHS Foundation Trust is a prominent mental health trust offering high quality children’s mental health services across 5 boroughs of London. The Trust supports staff wellbeing, reflective practice and monthly team reflective groups in CAMHS teams. Brent CAMHS-LD has a strong multi-disciplinary approach and thrives on innovative practice to meet the local population needs. We have strong links with our neighbouring CAMHS-LD teams within CNWL as well as universities and other local partners and stakeholders. The post provides an excellent opportunity to develop skills and knowledge in clinical practice and leadership via regular clinical supervision, being part of Quality Improvement (QI) projects, CPD opportunities as well as multi-disciplinary working within an experienced wider service of Family Therapists, Psychotherapists, Nurses, Child Wellbeing Practitioners, Psychiatrists and Clinical / Counselling Psychologists.

As an NHS Trust we strongly encourage and support vaccination as this remains the best way to protect yourself, your family, your colleagues and of course patients and service users when working on our healthcare settings.

Job Responsibilities

• To provide comprehensive specialist assessments, including risk assessment of children, young people and their families/carers referred with moderate, complex and severe mental health problems/ behaviours that challenge others using the PBS framework.
• To use a range of assessment techniques including observations, standard measures and questionnaires, direct work and interviews with parents and professionals in order to collate information required to complete a functional analysis assessment.
• To formulate and to be responsible for implementing in partnership with other agencies working with the child/young person a positive behaviour plan/ intervention.
• To communicate in a sensitive manner assessment outcomes/ PBS formulations and positive behaviour support plans.
• To co-ordinate and run psycho-educational and therapeutic groups using the PBS framework with support from the assistant psychologist/team lead.
• To evaluate the implementation and impact of the intervention.
• To write confidential behavioural support plans, reports for case conferences, and education that may have wide ranging implications for children, young people and their families.
• To be available to carry out urgent assessments.
• Assessments and interventions will be conducted in school settings, clinic settings, patients home and the community.
• To undertake other psychological and/or diagnostic assessments (i.e. Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule-2, or cognitive assessments) and interventions if required and appropriate.
• To provide consultation and appropriate training to other professionals working with the children referred to the service in order to ensure implementation of behavioural support plans and PBS skills.
• To attend PBS training and to deliver relevant training to families and other agencies in order to support and ensure the implementation of PBS.
• To liaise with and where appropriate participate in joint work with other members of the Learning Disabilities Pathway in Harrow CAMHS Learning Disabilities team.
• To act as care coordinator for an identified caseload and to be responsible for the coordination of assessment, planning, implementation and evaluation of therapeutic packages of care provided by the multidisciplinary team.
• To act as care coordinator in accordance with CPA guidelines within the CAMHS community setting.
• To ensure that the needs of the client group is paramount and be aware of and adhere to NICE Guidelines relating to Child Protection.
• To ensure acceptable levels of safety (regarding potential verbal and physical aggression from disturbed clients) for self and to advise other colleagues when necessary.
• To adhere to the lone worker policy and update training in breakaway techniques when necessary.
• To maintain accurate clinical records in accordance with service standards and to record and maintain patient data in local database systems (System 1) and the trust wide electronic database.

Person Specification

Essential

• Registered Nurse in Learning Disabilities or Post graduate training in autism and Challenging behaviour (e.g. ABA diploma, IABA extended course, post grad certificate in autism, MSc in Applied Behaviour Analysis).
• Postgraduate Doctorate in Clinical/counselling Psychology (or its equivalent for those trained prior to 1996) & Registration with HCPC.
• Bachelor/Post-graduate Diploma/ MSc in Speech & Language Therapy with registration with HCPC and membership of RCSLT.
• Art Therapies with registration with HCPC.
• Training in Positive Behaviour Support or Applied Behavioural Analysis.

Experience

• Previous experience of working in CAMHS or experience in Adult Services for Autism/ Learning Disability with clear evidence of transferrable skills.
• Experience of group-work.
• Experience of working with a wide range of learning disabilities and mental health problems.
• Experience of care planning.
• Experience of working in a culturally diverse Inner-city area.
• Experience of working in a multidisciplinary way.
• Experience in crisis work.

Skills and Abilities

• Evidence of well developed clinical skills and knowledge in CAMHS.
• Specialist clinical skills for the assessment and treatment of Mental health in Learning Disabilities and ASD.
• Skilled in emergency and crisis assessments.
• Able to manage own time and caseload.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Able to work effectively across organisational boundaries.
• Teaching skills, both in clinical setting and education centres.
• Ability to work virtually using trust approved virtual meeting platforms.
• Computer skills, including Excel.

Knowledge

• A developed knowledge of LD and ASD as well as issues related to assessment and interventions for this population.
• Awareness of current national guidelines and policies in the field of CAMHS.
• Knowledge of legislation and its implication for clinical practice in relation to children, young people and their families.
• Knowledge of specific inner-city issues which impact of care delivery.
• An awareness of different research methods.
• A working knowledge of Child Protection Guidelines.