Child and Adolescent Psychotherapist

Job overview

Service/Ward/Department Summary:

Child and Adolescent Mental Health service (CAMHS) based in Stockport, Gtr Manchester. We are a multidisciplinary team providing a mental health service to children, young people and their families. The service has well-established links with our partner agencies including education, children’s social care and the third sector and is striving to fully align to the Thrive approach to delivering mental health services. We are committed to supporting our staff in their development with access to CPD opportunities, a robust clinical and management supervision structure, and access to a recently developed in-house training programme covering key areas of clinical practice. Stockport CAMHS is also home to the Infant Parent Service which is a specialist parent-infant mental health and under 5 services.

Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy is embedded and highly thought of in the Stockport service.  In Stockport CAMHS staff well-being and staff development is a priority.

Main duties of the job

Role Summary:

The key role of the post holder will be to provide a therapeutic service to children, young people and their families. Consultation to colleagues on and state of mind assessments in addition to short, medium and long-term clinical work are the key roles for the post-holder.

Key Responsibilities of the Post:

To ensure the systematic provision of a high-quality child and adolescent psychoanalytic psychotherapy input to the CAMHS service. To supervise and support the assessment and intervention provided by other staff who provide relationship-based care and treatment. To offer training, supervision, consultation and intervention. To work autonomously within professional guidelines and exercise responsibility for the systematic governance of child psychotherapy practice within the team. To utilise skills for audit, training, policy and service development as appropriate.

Key Requirements of the Person Specification:

Registration with the Association of Child Psychotherapists (ACP) and previous CAMHS experience is essential for this role. The successful candidate will need to be an excellent communicator and enjoy team and multi-disciplinary working.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Main Duties and Responsibilities

Clinical

To provide specialist assessments of parents, children and young children referred to the service based upon the appropriate use of psychoanalytic techniques, using interpretation and integration of data from a variety of sources including self-report measures, direct and indirect observation and interviews with clients, family members and / or carers

• To formulate and implement plans for therapeutic intervention and management from the point of referral and including the range of possible psychoanalytic approaches including consultation.
• To provide specialist expertise in psycho-analytic techniques, through advice and consultation to other members of the multi-disciplinary team.
• To provide expert consultation regarding the needs and care of children and young people to staff and agencies outside the service.
• To undertake organisation, collaboration and liaison with relevant professional colleagues providing a comprehensive clinical, consultative, supervisory and teaching service as required internally or on an outreach basis.
• To attend and contribute to multi-disciplinary and multi-agency meetings as appropriate.
• To ensure and promote appropriate liaison with professionals from external agencies, particularly in relation to complex presentations.
• To participate in the evaluation of clinical work.
• To contribute to the development of best evidence based practice within the service.

Service Development

• In collaboration with others, to contribute to the development of Child/parent-child psychotherapy provision at Stockport CAMHS.
• ·       Under the direction of the service management to contribute as appropriate to service planning of psychotherapy provision.
• To attend relevant Trust-wide Child Psychotherapy meetings
• To participate fully in clinical governance including Quality Assurance, audit and review measures.
• To contribute as appropriate to multidisciplinary developments within the CAMHS service.
• To contribute to the Psychological Therapies meetings within the CAMHS Directorate

Consultation and Training

• To contribute to pre and post qualification training for Child and Adolescent Psychotherapists where appropriate as directed.
• To provide advice, consultation and training to staff working with parents and children across a range of agencies and settings where appropriate.
• To attend to CPD and attend further training as identified in supervision / annual appraisal.
• To participate in an annual appraisal process.

Supervision

• To attend regular supervision with an appropriately qualified supervisor.
• To attend managerial supervision.
• To provide appropriate professional supervision to other clinicians within the service as agreed with the service manager.
• Clinical Governance and Research
• To participate in audit and evaluation CAMHS psychotherapy services.
• To participate in evaluation of all clinical activity within the post and provide such information as required for the purpose of service monitoring and evaluation.
• To utilise evidence-based literature and research to support effective practice.
• To represent a professional view point in relation to nationally accepted good practice and to ensure a high level of ethical standards and professional conduct.
• To participate in service evaluation, audit and research as required by the service manager and the multidisciplinary team.

Administrative

• To maintain records consistent with the current legislation and Trust Recording Standards.
• To undertake administrative duties appropriate to the task.
• To be aware of the mechanisms of Clinical Governance, Quality Assurance and audit of psychotherapy services.

Policy

• To act in accordance with the policies of the Trust (including Child Protection and Resuscitation) and Association of Child Psychotherapy Professional Practice and Ethical  Guidelines.
• To comply with service standards and practices to ensure that safe practices are maintained at all times.
• To comply with and promote safe working practices for yourself and others in accordance with Trust Health and Safety policies.
• The post holder has a responsibility to ensure the preservation of NHS property and resources.
• This job description is not exhaustive, but is intended to give an overall picture of the role.  Other duties within the general scope of the post may be required from time to time.  The duties of the post and job description can be reviewed through the agreed process.

General Duties of All Post Holders

• To undertake any other reasonable duty, which is appropriate to the band, when requested by Senior Staff.
• To be familiar with and comply with all Trust and departmental policies, procedures, protocols and guidelines.
• To be aware of and work towards the Trusts strategic goals.

Standards of Business Conduct

• The post holder will be required to comply with the organisations standing order and standing financial instructions and at all times, deal honestly with the organisation with colleagues and all those who have dealing with the organisation including patients, relative and suppliers.
• The post holder must ensure that their behaviour and interests inside and outside work do not conflict with their Trust position, duties and / or responsibilities.
• The post holder must comply with and support the development of the performance standards within the service/department to ensure the service is responsive to and meets the needs of its customers.
• The post holder will be required to develop and maintain good working relationships with all patients, service users, staff, contractors and where appropriate, members of the public.
• The Trust aims to maintain the good will and confidence of its own staff, patients, service users, NHS contractors and the general public.  To assist in achieving this objective it is essential that at all times, the post holder carries out their duties in a courteous, sympathetic and professional manager.
• All post holders who are members of a professional body must comply with standards of professional practice / conduct.  It is the post holders’ responsibilities to ensure they are both familiar with and adhere to these requirements and maintain their professional membership to the relevant body.

Equality and Diversity and Equal Opportunities

• The post holder must carry out all duties and responsibilities of the post in accordance with the Trust’s Equal Opportunities and Equality and Diversity policies, avoiding unlawful discriminatory behaviour and actions when dealing with colleagues, service users, members of the public and all other stakeholders.
• The post holder must promote awareness of and respect for equality and diversity in accordance with Trust policies and procedures.
• The post holder is responsible for treating all staff, patients, service users, NHS contractors and the general public with dignity and respect at all times.

Safeguarding

• Appointments to regulated and controlled activities require an enhanced DBS disclosure.
• All staff have a responsibility to promote the welfare of any child, young person or vulnerable adult they come into contact with and in cases where there are safeguarding concerns, to act upon them and protect the individual from harm.
• All staff should refer any safeguarding issues to their manager and escalate accordingly in line with the Trust Child and Adult Safeguarding Policies.
• All staff should familiarise themselves with the NICE Guidelines “when to suspect child maltreatment 2009.”

Professional and Personal Development

• The post holder must ensure that they are aware of their responsibilities by attending the Trust Mandatory Training and Induction Programme.
• The post holder will be involved in a formal IPDR/KSF review with their manager at least every 12 months.  Once performance / training objectives have been set, the staff member’s progress will be reviewed on a regular basis, so that new objectives can be agreed and set, in order to maintain progress in the service delivery.
• The post holder will be expected to take responsibility for their own professional development and will be supported by the Trust to achieve development opportunities as appropriate.

Confidentiality and Information Governance

• Confidentiality is of prime importance.  In the normal course of duties, the post holder will have access to confidential documents and information relating to patients, service users, staff and contractors, as well as information of a commercially sensitive nature.  Such information should not be communicated to anyone outside or inside the NHS unless done in the normal course of carrying out the duties of the post.  Disciplinary action will be considered where a breach of confidence has been established.
• All information obtained or held during the post-holders period of employment that relates to the business of the Trust and its service users and employees will remain the property of the Trust.  Information may be subject to disclosure under legislation at the Trust’s discretion and in line with national rules on exemption.
• The post holder must maintain high standards of quality in corporate and clinical record keeping ensuring information is always recorded accurately, appropriately and kept up to date.  The post holder must only access information, whether paper, electronic or in other media, which is authorised to them as part of their duties.The post holder must work to the requirements of data protection laws as applicable to the UK, which includes the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR).