Advanced Mental Health Practitioner

Site Family Safeguarding, Time Square Town Bracknell Salary £48,270 - £54,931 per annum, pro rata (Incl of HCAS) Salary period Yearly Closing 12/03/:59 Interview date 21/03/2025

Job overview

An exciting opportunity has arisen to work in an innovative service within Berkshire Healthcare - the Family Safeguarding Service. This service forms the mental health component of the multidisciplinary 'Family Safeguarding Model'. It is a collaboration between health services and local authority Children's Social Care services (Bracknell Forest Council and West Berks Council). The Family Safeguarding Model is a multi-agency initiative, where mental health, domestic abuse practitioners, and alcohol and substance misuse recovery workers are co-located within Children's Social Care, to provide a 'whole family' approach to safeguarding children.

The service supports adults who are experiencing difficulties with their emotional wellbeing and mental health to meet the needs of their children and to better safeguard them. Improving parental mental health improves family functioning and the outcomes for children.

Flexible working is available, with a combination of home visits, on-site appointments, and remote working. The role is an opportunity for part-time working between 0.6 and 0.8 wte.

Main duties of the job

The Family Safeguarding Advanced Mental Health Practitioner will work as an integral member of a co-located multi-disciplinary team, which includes children's social workers, domestic abuse and substance misuse specialists, as well as mental health workers and clinical psychologists, to safeguard and reduce risks to children.

The postholder will contribute to the holistic approach, recognising the impact on children where parents have poor mental health and limited coping strategies, as well as problems arising from domestic abuse, and parental alcohol and substance misuse.

To engage and empower parents to make the changes required for better outcomes for their children, more specifically to address parental mental health and to develop improved emotional wellbeing and resilience.

The postholder will be required to provide evidence-based opinion on the role of parental mental health and share this with the MDT through review meetings such as Child in Need reviews and Child Protection Case Conferences.

Our interventions are underpinned by Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Dialectical Behavioural Therapy, and Systemic Family Therapy models. Brief emotional 'first aid' approaches are key to supporting our clients through periods of crisis, whilst motivational interviewing supports in maintaining their engagement.

Opportunities for being involved in group work interventions and individual interventions are available.

Working for our organisation

Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is a specialist mental health and community health services trust. Rated 'outstanding' by the CQC, we're committed to providing the best possible care to people across Berkshire. As an employer, we're committed to offering an inclusive and compassionate environment where our people share in a sense of belonging and are supported to flourish.

Our values at Berkshire Healthcare are:

• Caring for and about you is our top priority
• Committed to providing good quality, safe services
• Working Together with you to develop innovative solutions

Your wellbeing is important to us. Some of the benefits of working for us include:

• Flexible working options to support work-life balance
• 27 days' annual leave rising with service + opportunity to buy and sell
• Excellent learning and career development opportunities
• 'Cycle to Work' and car leasing scheme including electric vehicles
• Access to a range of wellbeing tools and services
• Discounts at hundreds of popular retailers and restaurants
• Staff networks for race, diversity, disabilities, the environment and armed forces community to support equality
• Generous maternity, paternity, adoption and special leave
• Free parking across Trust sites

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The "must haves" for this role:

• A team player with experience of multidisciplinary working and working flexibly
• A holistic understanding of mental health needs and the intergenerational impact of mental health and trauma upon family functioning
• A desire to support families to improve outcomes for parents and their children

For further information about the role, please see attached job description and person specification.

We strongly encourage you to review how you meet the criteria in the person specification and write about this point-by-point in your supporting statement for the best chance of being shortlisted.

We're committed to equal opportunities and welcome applications from all sections of the community. Our commitment to inclusion is reflected in our accreditations: Race Equality Matters Silver Trailblazer, Neurodiversity in Business Corporate Member, Disability Confident Leader, Carer Confident Level 2, and the Armed Forces Covenant Gold Award. Reasonable adjustments will be provided to candidates as needed.

Please note, if we receive a high number of applications, we may close this role earlier than the advertised closing date, so please submit your application as soon as possible.

Person specification Education/Qualifications/Training

• Relevant professional degree level for own discipline: RMN or Dip/Bsc (Hons) in Mental Health Nursing / Registered Social Worker / Registered Occupational Therapist
• Continuing registration with body overseeing practice of core mental health profession, e.g. NMC or HCPC.
• Completion of a range of post-graduate or professional training courses related to specialism
• Qualification to Master's Degree level or equivalent experience.
• Psychosocial interventions
• Motivational Interviewing training
• Practice Placement qualification / Preceptorship and Mentorship
• Training in CBT and DBT skills
• Training in Leadership skills

Previous Experience

• At least 2 years of post-registration experience at B6 level or equivalent
• Experience of working in acute mental health inpatient/community services
• Experience of working in situations of crisis and emotionally demanding environments.
• Experience of leadership / management of professionally qualified junior staff
• Experience of effective supervision to professionally qualified staff
• Experience of group work
• Experience/training in motivational interviewing
• Experience in research and or audit
• Experience and knowledge of working in a multi-ethnic community

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

• Evidence of continuing professional development
• Experience of Clinical risk assessment and management in an inpatient or community setting.
• Experience of multi-disciplinary team working and inter-agency collaboration
• Skills in the use of complex methods of assessment and treatment of individual, couples, and families requiring sustained and intense concentration
• Ability to work with diverse communities in a wide variety of contexts.
• Able to communicate effectively, orally and in writing at an age-appropriate level - complex, technical, and/or clinically sensitive information to service users, their families, carers, and professionals within and outside the NHS/HCC
• Experience of audits/evaluations of interventions and implementation of any subsequent changes to practice

Additional Requirements

• Able to travel independently locally and outside Berkshire as required.
• Personal car and driver's license

These are the values that we live by at Berkshire Healthcare:

• Caring for and about you is our top priority
• Committed to providing good quality, safe services
• Working Together with you to develop innovative solutions

We welcome people who share these values to come and work for us.

Please find attached the behaviour framework that underpins these values for this job role.

At Berkshire Healthcare, we foster an inclusive workplace where everyone belongs.

We welcome talent from all backgrounds and offer guaranteed interviews to disabled applicants and armed forces community members who meet the minimum criteria.

Please note we may close positions before the advertised date.

Once you have applied, please check your email regularly for updates. All appointments are subject to NHS Employment Checks, and false information may result in withdrawal of offers. For information on how we store your information, please review our privacy statement.

No agencies, please.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

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.

Application numbers

This vacancy may close early if it receives a high number of applications. Please complete and submit your application in good time to avoid disappointment.