Mental Health Transition Practitioner

Job overview

Mental Health Recovery Team/CMHT are looking to recruit a band 6 Mental Health Transition Practitioner to support transition for young adults 18-25, into the CMHT/Recovery Team and connect the young adult to their chosen pathway and interventions.

The successful applicant will engage the young adult, carer and referrer prior to referral, where possible, and support the young adult to make informed decisions around their treatment plan and transition. The Transition Practitioner will strive to achieve the transition standards identified by NICE and will ensure the Mersey Care principles of transition are promoted.

The Transition Practitioner will become an integral member of the Community Mental Health Team/Recovery Team MDT, whilst working closely with Children and Young People services and developing a good working relationship with services across the wider system, who are also supporting 18-25 transition throughout primary care and VCFSE’s.

The transition practitioner will support any new referrals in to service for any young person aged 18-25, the role will entail supporting carrying out biopsychosocial assessments and any transition in to the recovery cmht

Main duties of the job

The Transition Practitioner will work within the CMHT/Recovery but will display initiative and flexibility to support all potential referrals of young adults, 18-25 years of age. They will support young adults for a limited time period, until the young adult has successfully achieved their transition goals and begun treatment within the team. They will act as their keyworker for this period of time, helping the young adult to navigate a complex mental health system and will support in being a point of contact for the young adult and carer.

The Transition Practitioner will regular analyse the performance against the transition standards to understand where quality improvements can be made and to help shape the role across Community Mental Health Services.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The Community Mental Health Transition Practitioner will support transition for Children and Young People, aged 18-25, from Mersey Care Children and Young Persons Services (CYPS) and Alder Hey to Adult Community Mental Health Services. The post holder will also ensure the principles of transition are applied when transferring between other Adult Mental Health (AMH) service lines i.e. Inpatient/Urgent Care to Community Mental Health services.

The Community Mental Health Transition Practitioner will become an integral member of the Community Mental Health MDT, whilst also working closely with CYP Services and local communities to understand and provide a seamless and consistent offer within the wider system.

PRINCIPAL RESPONSIBILITIES: To oversee the implementation of National Institute for Health and Social Care Excellence (NICE) Quality Statements for transition for children and young people, aged 18-25, between CYP to AMHS and AMHS to AMHS services. Young people who will move from children to adults’ services start planning their transition with health and social care practitioners by school year 9 (aged 13 to 14, or immediately if they enter children’s services after school year 9. Young people who will move from children to adults’ services have a coordinated transition plan. Young people who will move from children to adults’ services have an annual meeting to review transition planning. Young people who are moving from children to adults’ services have a named worker to coordinate care and support before, during and after transfer. Young people who are moving from children to adults’ services meet a practitioner from each adults’ service they will move to before the transfer. Young people who have moved from children to adults’ services but do not attend their initial meetings or appointments are contacted by adults’ services and given further opportunities to engage. To oversee and implement the principles of transition as identified below: Transition support should be person centred and ensure they are an equal partner in the planning of their care choosing pathways which meet their needs. Transition support should be strength based and focuses on what is positive and possible for the young adult and their carer/family. Assessment and planning should focus on goals with the young adult, which may include education and employment, community inclusion, health and well-being and housing needs. Carers and families need to be at the centre of transition planning, but it is important to ask the young adult how they would like their carer/family to be involved in the transition. Transition should be based on need not age. Ensure transition support is developmentally appropriate and considers the persons maturity, cognitive abilities, psychological status, long term conditions, social and personal circumstances, caring responsibilities and communication needs. Where the young person is autistic and/or has a learning disability along with a co-morbid mental health need, the transition processes and associated assessments and interventions should be reasonably adjusted to meet the young person’s needs. Young adults absolutely should not be forgotten or forced to begin the assessment/transition process again. Young adults may need to be able to dip in and out of services there needs to be flexibility and understanding in the system for ‘did not attend’ (DNA). Health and social care services should work together in an integrated way to ensure smooth transition, avoiding the proliferation of separate plans for specific sectors. Consideration of special education needs and education health care plans.

Applicant requirements

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.