Lead Practitioner | Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust in Knowsley

This post offers a great diverse set of opportunities to join a developing team. The scope within this role is skill enhancing and a developmental opportunity. The Team provides assessment and intensive home treatment as an alternative to hospital admission for children and young people in crisis, in the areas of Warrington, Halton, Knowsley & St Helens. The team works collaboratively with our Local CAMH’s Community Team and a number of agencies and service providers in a variety of community bases. The service is a 24-hour service and the successful candidate will be needed to support the team across these hours.

As a Lead Practitioner, you will provide a specialised role in the development and implementation of services and care pathways for children and young people with mental health problems within the THRIVE Framework for service delivery. You will be responsible for the clinical oversight of the shift and supporting the team throughout the shift. You will be expected to provide specialist interventions, advice, consultancy and supervision to both colleagues and external partner agencies in line with THRIVE.

As the post is identified within the CYPMH strategy, it is expected the role will continue to develop in line with national and local initiatives. Mersey Care is one of the largest trusts providing physical health and mental health services in the North West, serving more than 1.4 million people across our region. We offer specialist inpatient and community services that support physical and mental health, learning disability, addiction and brain injury services.

At the heart of all we do is our commitment to ‘perfect care’ – care that is safe, effective, positively experienced, timely, equitable and efficient. We support our staff to do the best job they can and work alongside service users, their families, and carers to design and develop future services together. We’re currently delivering a programme of organisational and service transformation to significantly improve the quality of the services we provide and safely reduce costs as we do so. Flexible working requests will be considered for all roles.

• To hold a caseload of complex assessments, treatment and consultation work based upon a specialised, conceptual framework and employing research-based evidence.
• To provide direct specialist therapeutic interventions in line with the grading of the post, including assessments, formulation and therapeutic input into children, young people and families referred into the service.
• Undertake risk assessments and care plans accordingly, in line with the THRIVE framework.
• To work in ways that are sensitive to the needs of children and young people from a wide range of racial, cultural and religious backgrounds.
• To be responsible for the authorising of referrals to children and Young People’s services, including urgent referrals.
• To participate directly in the team's duty rotas and provide support and guidance to other colleagues undertaking the role.
• To exercise responsibility and autonomy, within supervisory, managerial and accountability structures, for the assessment, treatment and discharge of clients.
• To deliver care co-ordination, ensuring effective assessment, care planning and risk management processes are maintained.
• Involve the views of children, their families, referring agents and other professionals involved in the network of care including organising multi-agency meetings.
• To produce a clinical formulation and intervention plan founded on evidence-based practice in co-operation with the child, young person and carers.
• To hold responsibility for standards of clinical practice within area of specialist knowledge.
• To work jointly and collaboratively with other team members in order to enhance and develop the provision of services to young people and their families.
• To have an effective knowledge base of other modalities so as to engage and work effectively with colleagues in other disciplines.
• To provide consultation, advice and guidance to colleagues and their team underpinned by theoretical specialist knowledge.
• To promote effective multi-agency work.
• To contribute theoretical knowledge to the process of managing risk within the multi-agency network.
• Undertake risk management for all children including the protective and risk factors present in the network of significant relationships.
• Identify and respond appropriately to child protection issues, as described within the guidelines of Local Safeguarding Children’s Board and Merseycare Foundation Trust safeguarding policies.
• Maintain clear and comprehensive electronic clinical records, to ensure information is accurate and complies with Data Protection Act and professional body and Trust standards.
• To engage with using routine outcome measures as clinically appropriate including their use in clinical practice and inputting data into clinical records.
• To work collaboratively with children, young people and their families and contribute to the trust’s service user participation agenda.