MHST Specialist Schools Senior Mental Health Practitioner

Job summary
We invite you to consider being involved in this exciting opportunity to be a part of delivering the governments vision and commitment of having integrated Mental Health Teams in schools as set out in the NHS Long Term Plan. This is an exciting opportunity to be a part of a new approach to meeting children and young people's mental health needs as early as possible in an evidenced based way utilising both targeted and holistic/systemic approaches. Our Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTs) support children and young people with emerging or mild-moderate mental health difficulties and 'Getting Help' within the Thrive Framework by delivering targeted evidence-based interventions in schools. The MHSTs also work together with their schools to co-produce and deliver Whole School Approach work and offer ongoing professional consultation and advice to School Professionals, being the 'link' between the school and wider Emotional Wellbeing (EWB) and MH services within Surrey.

Main duties of the job
Each MHST is co-located in a carefully selected group of schools within their Borough of Surrey, with services delivered across a cluster of schools for each area. You will be part of the Specialist Schools Team (SS MHST) who will work Surrey Wide Specialist schools (based in Leatherhead).

The Specialist Schools Mental Health Support Team has been coproduced with children and young people (CYP), families and schools to support CYP attending specialist schools in Surrey. Specialist schools include those offering specialist provision for CYP with diagnoses of Learning Disabilities/Developmental Delay, Autism Spectrum Condition and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder or significant Social, Emotional or Behavioural needs. Our Team currently comprises of Education and Clinical Psychologists, Clinical Supervisor, RTT ASC/LD and the clinical Lead.

About us
Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Foundation Trust is the leading provider of health and social care services for people of all ages with mental ill-health and learning disabilities in Surrey and North East Hampshire. We also provide social care services for people with a learning disability in Croydon and ASD and ADHD assessment services in Hampshire.

We actively seek to engage people who use our services and our communities in improving the mental wellbeing of the local population. We work closely with other NHS and voluntary sector organisations who provide services and support people who use services and carers.

Surrey is a beautiful county lying just 30 minutes away from Central London and from the South Coast.

Our historic market towns and bustling districts are enveloped in wonderful countryside, and our excellent road and rail networks bring the rest of the country within easy reach.

For international travel, both Gatwick and Heathrow airports are nearby.

Please note that we reserve the right to close posts as soon as sufficient applications are received.

Home Working Contract Only - Eligibility to high cost area supplement is conditional upon candidates residence and will be discussed on offer.

We look forward to receiving your application!

Job responsibilities
This exciting opportunity means we are looking to recruit a Senior Mental Health Practitioner to join our MHST Specialist schools Team in Surrey. As a Senior Practitioner you will be responsible for delivering interventions directly to CYP and their families, providing consultation, advice and training to other professionals and the management and supervision of junior members of the Team. The clinician will be a professional who has experience and a passion for providing direct interventions to yp with ASC and LD and special education needs.

We are looking to build a multi-disciplinary MHST team whose strength will come from the variety of skills and experience brought by each team member. As such we would welcome applications from candidates with a range of experience and from range of professional backgrounds including but not exclusively Social Work, Psychology, Occupational Therapists, Child Psychotherapy and Mental Health Nurses.

We are looking for measured, inspiring, motivated, dynamic, experienced, forward thinking clinicians who are flexible and able to work effectively with partners in education, multiagency partners, children, young people and their families.

Please refer to the job description attached.

Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential

• Professional degree qualification relevant to the specialist field (Including but not limited to Psychologist, CBT Therapist, Nurse, Social Worker, OT, Art Therapist etc.) and registration with a relevant professional body.

Desirable

• Positive Behaviour Support Qualification
• Relevant additional post graduate training or qualification (e.g. CBT, systemic therapy, EMDR, leadership)

Experience
Essential

• Demonstrable significant post qualification experience working therapeutically, clinically, or consultatively within a CYP Educational or Mental Health setting, with children and young people with mental health difficulties and their families
• Experience of working with and adapting practice to meet the needs of young people who have special educational needs, learning disabilities, language and social communication difficulties, neurodiversity and behaviours of concern.
• Experience of leading on / driving multi-agency collaborative working
• Experience of confidently delivering consultations to other professionals
• Experience of Supervising or mentoring junior members of staff

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).