Highly Specialist LD/Autism Practitioner

Highly Specialist LD/Autism PractitionerThis role is part of exciting new developments across North Central London aimed at enhancing the existing mental health crisis services for young people with autism and/or LD and their families, with the aim of avoiding unnecessary admissions to mental health inpatient units and reducing the length of hospital stays. As part of this, a Specialist LD/A Practitioner is being recruited for each of the 5 NCL boroughs - Camden, Islington, Barnet, Enfield and Haringey.This post will be based in Islington within the Islington CAMHS Adolescent Assessment + Outreach Team, who work with CYP with acute, complex and chronic mental health difficulties. The post holder will also interface with local sector inpatient units, acute paediatric wards and Emergency Departments, Home Treatment Teams, LD/ASD Keyworker services and CAMHS neurodevelopmental pathways. All with the aim of enhancing the local community support offer, improving complex discharge planning, and reducing the length of inpatient stays for CYP with a diagnosis of autism and/or LD.Main duties of the jobThis post will be case holding, offering direct clinical interventions to a small clinical caseload, working individually with young people and their families where there is diagnosed autism and/or a learning disability; providing specialist, adjusted, support and interventions, which may include Positive Behaviour Support (PBS)-based interventions. The post will also offer advocacy and support for CYP and families in navigating local systems and processes, e.g., CETRs, and accessing autism-informed social prescribing and other appropriate local resources and services. The role will involve indirect work such as consultation to residential units, upskilling other CAMHS clinicians in PBS and adjusting treatments for CYP with neurodiversity, training networks around management of behaviours that challenge.The post holder will be a registered and highly specialist Learning Disability Nurse (RNLD), Mental Health Nurse (RMN), Clinical/Counselling Psychologist, Occupational Therapist (OT), Speech and Language Therapist, or Clinical Social Worker (SW). They will have extensive post-qualification clinical and therapeutic skills and experience in providing both direct and system support to children and young people with learning disabilities and/or autism who have significant mental health needs.About usWhittington Health serves a richly diverse population and works hard to ensure that all our services are fair and equally accessible to everyone. Nowhere is this more obvious than in the way we look after our staff. We aim to employ a workforce which is as representative as possible of this population, so we are open to the value of differences in age, disability, gender, marital status, pregnancy and maternity, race, sexual orientation, and religion or belief. The Trust believes that as a public sector organisation we have an obligation to have recruitment, training, promotion and other formal employment policies and procedures that are sensitive to these differences. We think that by doing so, we are better able to treat our patients as well as being a better place to work.Job responsibilitiesMAIN DUTIES1. Clinicala) To provide comprehensive, specialist mental health assessments, including risk assessments, of young people with a diagnosis of autism and/or learning disability, who are considered at risk of escalating into mental health crisis and/or inpatient admission.b) To hold a caseload of CYP with complex, high-risk mental health needs where there is also a diagnosis of autism and/or LD. To act as case manager for these cases, and to provide specialist, adjusted interventions as required, including PBS-based interventions and family work.c) To offer joint working to other AAOT clinicians, to support their work with CYP and families where there is a diagnosis of autism and/or LD.d) To work as part of the AAOT MDT to think about the clinical needs of CYP who may be on the local DSR, or who may present in crisis and require a psychiatric inpatient admission.e) Provide specialist consultation to other CAMHS clinicians and professionals working with CYP and families with a diagnosis of autism and/or LD, to aid developing a shared formulation and system-based thinking to complex case management, and to support development of appropriately adjusted management, care, crisis and safety plans.f) Provide specialist case consultation to Paediatric Mental Health Teams, inpatient units, Home Treatment Teams, Keyworker Services etc to support intensive crisis responses, aid complex discharge processes and to reduce admissions and length of inpatient stays.g) Attend and feed into the local Dynamic Support Register (DSR) and Islington Multiagency Planning and Support (IMAPS) panel.h) To ensure that the needs of the client group are paramount and be aware of and adhere to Islington Safeguarding Childrens Board (ISCB) Guidelines relating to Safeguarding Children.i) To provide reports and communicate in a skilled and sensitive manner concerning the assessment, formulation, treatment plans and needs of clients.j) To liaise with other health, social care, and education staff, from a range of agencies, in the care provided to clients from each service.k) To carry out clinical work in health and education settings, and clients homes to best meet the clients needs and in line with service practice.2. Teaching, Training, Consultation, Supervisiona) Provide training on neurodevelopmental conditions and LD, their impact on CYP and families, making adjustments, treatment and support possibilities etc to key agencies, services, teams and professionals, including the management of behaviours that challenge.b) To provide consultation to staff in residential units.c) To provide consultation and training to upskill other CAMHS crisis team clinicians, including in PBS approach so they use the same skills when working intensively with CYP/families, enabling a common language of PBS to be shared.d) Develop group and teaching possibilities for parents/carers on psychoeducation, strategies to manage challenging behaviours etc.e) To act as clinical supervisor to AAOT or other CAMHS clinicians, assistants, students and/or trainees, as appropriate to role, profession and in agreement with line-manager.f) To attend regular clinical and line management supervision, in line with CAMHS and professional guidelines.g) To participate in appraisals in line with CAMHS and Trust Appraisal Policy.h) To ensure the development and maintenance of the highest personal standards of practice, through active participation in internal and external CPD training and development programmes, in consultation with the post-holders line manager.3. Management, Policy and Service Developmenta) To work with NCL ICB project leads to monitor and report on the project against NCL agreed metrics.b) To advise clinicians and staff across the Trust and our partner agencies/services, in the field of neurodevelopmental disorder, non-medical prescribing, management of behaviours that challenge, etc, helping to develop standards underpinned by theory and research.c) To participate in the development of system wide policies and guidelines as a Senior CAMHS Clinician in relation to children and young people with neurodevelopmental disorder and then translate these policies into partnership working with other aspects of the service within and outside the trust e.g., NCL ICB, locality CAMHS, Adult Community Mental Health Teams and other key agencies including Childrens Social Care.d) To contribute to the development, evaluation, implementation and monitoring of the operational policies of Community CAMHS and specifically AAOT and services for CYP with a diagnosis of autism and/or LD.4. Clinical Governance, Research and Service Evaluationa) To participate in research undertaken within the service. Ensure dissemination of research findings on the health of children/young people with neurodevelopmental disorder across the local system and nationally as appropriate. To implement research findings in conjunction with other members of the service and integrate same into clinical practice.b) To maintain up to date knowledge of legislation, national and local policies and issues of relevance to the service and client group, specifically CYP with a diagnosis of autism and/or LD.c) To utilise theory, evidence-based literature, and research to support evidence-based practice in individual work and family work and with other team members and inter-agency colleagues.d) To take the lead as appropriate, in audit and research projects and co-ordinate these within the team and/or service.Person SpecificationEducation / QualificationsDoctorate in Clinical/Counselling Psychology, Registered Nurse Mental Health or Registered Nurse Learning Disabilities or Registered Children's Nurse. Part 3/8/13 or 15 NMC register / Qualified Clinical Social Worker, Occupational therapist or Speech and Language Therapist ENB 998 or equivalentRelevant masters or post-graduate qualification in child and adolescent mental health Post graduate qualification in a behavioural treatment modality eg: PBS Training in Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) ADOS training Non-medical prescribing qualification Formal training in clinical supervisionSkills & AbilitiesEvidence of well-developed clinical skills and knowledge in CAMHSEvidence of flexible working practices and excellent interpersonal and communication skillsClinical supervision skillsKnowledge & ExperienceSound working knowledge of evidence base in CAMHSKnowledge of developments in children and young people's services inter-agency partnershipsSpecialist knowledge and training in neurodevelopmental conditions and learning disabilities, their assessment and management.Trained in Positive behaviour Support (PBS) and/or Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT)Ability to undertake routine psychometric assessments of cognitive abilities, and ADOS assessments for autism.Knowledge of medicines, medication management and non-medical prescribing in CAMHSDisclosure and Barring Service CheckThis post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for an submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.£64,156 to £71,148 a yearper annum (pro rata) inclusive of HCAs #J-18808-Ljbffr