PBS Practitioner (Challenging Behaviour)

Job overview

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Positive Behavioural Support (PBS) Practitioner to work on the Forensic Learning Disability and Autism (LD-A) ward which provides specialist care and treatment to people who have an intellectual impairment, some of whom also have an autism diagnosis. All service-users have additional mental health needs, challenging/offending behaviour, personality disorder and/or a history of problematic substance misuse.

Positive Behavioural Support (PBS) will be the main approach used by all staff members for addressing challenging behaviour and risk on the ward. The post-holder will have significant experience of using PBS in clinical settings and experience of training others in this approach would be a distinct advantage. The successful candidate may be a qualified psychologist, occupational therapist, nurse or other allied healthcare professional. We are seeking a dedicated professional with experience of working with people with intellectual impairments with or without autism. Experience of working in forensic settings would be a distinct advantage.

The ward works closely with three other forensic mental health wards (one 15-bedded male medium-secure, one 15-bedded female medium secure, and one 15-bedded male low-secure), a Forensic Outreach Service (FOS) and a Forensic Intellectual and Neurodevelopmental disabilities (FIND) service.

Main duties of the job

We are seeking a dedicated professional to oversee the implementation of Positive Behavioural Support (PBS) within the Forensic Learning Disability – Autism (LD-A) ward. The successful applicant will be responsible for ongoing training of all LD-A staff members in PBS, so that assessments, plans and treatment are adherent to the model (and helpful for service-users). Previous experience of working within a PBS approach is therefore essential. Experience of delivering training in PBS to others or providing supervision in this approach will be a distinct advantage.

The post holder will also contribute to the psychology/occupational therapy/nursing input to the LD-A ward in conjunction with colleagues from your profession to provide the highest possible quality of care for service-users with intellectual impairments, with or without autism, challenging behaviour and/or offending histories, mental health problems and/or personality disorders and problematic substance misuse.

The post holder will also offer advice and consultation on service-users’ psychological/occupational therapy/nursing care and risk management to non-psychologist colleagues as well as other, non-professional carers, working autonomously within professional guidelines and the overall framework of the Forensic Service’s policies and procedures.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

• To oversee the delivery of PBS by LD-A ward staff members, as the main model for assessment, engagement and treatment to the service users on the LD-A ward.
• To develop PBS plans with service-users and implement in conjunction with ward staff members and Forensic P&P colleagues.
• To provide specialist assessments of clients referred to the team based upon the appropriate use, interpretation and integration of complex data from a variety of sources including psychological and neuropsychological tests, self-report measures, rating scales, direct and indirect structured observations and semi-structured interviews with clients, family members and others involved in the client’s care.
• To formulate and implement plans for the formal treatment and/or management of a client’s mental health problems and/or offending behaviour, based upon an appropriate conceptual framework of the client’s problems, and employing methods based upon evidence of efficacy, across the full range of care settings.
• To be responsible for implementing a range of interventions for individuals, carers, families and groups, employed individually and in combination, adjusting and refining formulations drawing on several different explanatory theoretical models and maintaining a number of provisional hypotheses.
• To evaluate and make decisions about treatment options considering both theoretical and therapeutic models and highly complex factors concerning historical and developmental processes that have shaped the individual, family or group.
• To attend Care Plan Review Meetings (ward round) and Care Programme Approach (CPA) meetings for clients on the LD-A ward to help coordinate PBS approach and psychological/occupational therapy/nursing input, with the help of the ward link psychologist and other members of the MDT.
• To attend Care and Treatment Reviews (CTRs) and other meetings with external agencies to help coordinate admission pathway and discharge planning.
• To provide specialist advice, guidance and consultation to other professionals contributing directly to the clients’ formulation, diagnosis and treatment plan.
• To contribute directly and indirectly to a PBS-based framework of understanding and care to the benefit of all service-users on the LD-A ward.

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.