Creative Therapist

**Description**:
Harmeny Education Trust is a charitable organisation providing therapeutic care and education to children who have experienced early years trauma through abuse, neglect and family disruption, referred from all over Scotland. We currently work with children and young people aged 5-18, both on a day and all-year-round residential basis.

Our core service, Harmeny School, comprises:

- An education service, which includes an outdoor learning team.
- A care service, with five residential cottages and one day service cottage. The service also includes a therapies manager coordinating evidence informed approaches for a variety of our staff.
- Support services, made up of finance, estates, catering and domestic services, fundraising, IT, HR, learning and development, and admin teams.

Harmeny is committed to achieving the highest possible standards of care and education and to continuously improving our work. We have recently developed a practice framework, The Harmeny Way, which describes the unique combination of therapeutic approaches used to guide our work and ensure consistent practice with children and young people placed with us.

We wish to engage a **Creative Therapist** on a consultancy basis, who will provide creative therapy for children with social, emotional and behavioural difficulties.

The post-holder will support Harmeny’s Therapy Team by working directly with children, contributing to the positive culture and ethos in which the needs of the children are paramount and providing them with security, safety, care and social development to enable them to reach their potential.

The post-holder will be required to provide service for seven hours per week, with the option of either being here for one day between 8.30am - 4.30pm (with a one-hour lunch break) or for two half days. The daily rate of pay for services is £250.

You will not become an employee of Harmeny, but will work as an independent practitioner by offering your service to us and you will work with a minimum of four children per week during our school term time.

**Key Responsibilities**:
**General responsibilities**:

- Promote a positive ethos in the school consistent with Harmeny’s vision, purpose and core values.
- Adhere to the requirements of the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) Codes of Practice and to ensure that the highest possible standards of professional practice are maintained.
- Participate in role specific, induction training.
- Meet with the Therapies Manager to inform of progress, planning and reporting on a quarterly basis.

**Responsibilities in the role**:

- Liaise with Care and Education Teams on a regular basis.
- Assess the needs of the children and provide individual or group therapy sessions according to need.
- Provide therapy sessions to children as referred through Harmeny’s internal referral process.
- Ensure accurate observations and records of all clinical work are made and shared on the database.
- Produce written reports for reviews as requested and provide verbal or written updates at key team meetings when they occur.
- Provide leaflets and written information about the service you provide.
- Develop and produce awareness raising material or workshops to staff members, children and their families.
- Attend, where possible, regular Harmeny therapy review meetings to consider progress and liaise with other professionals such as residential child care workers, teachers, child and adolescent psychotherapists, psychologists and other support staff.
- Provide and maintain any materials or apparatus in good working order.

**Qualifications, Skills, Knowledge and Experience**:

- The Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) registered therapist.
- Post-qualification experience of supporting children who have experienced trauma and adversity using a therapeutic modality.
- Experience of working with children who are Looked After and Accommodated and who have Additional Support Needs.
- Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
- Good management and organisational skills.
- Excellent communication skills.
- Understanding of the ‘duty of care’ to children and colleagues.
- Experience, skill and commitment to working within a multi-disciplinary setting.
- A positive and supportive attitude to children and staff.
- A commitment to Children’s Rights and participation of children and their families.

**About Harmeny Education Trust**:
Harmeny Education Trust is a charity that provides care and education to remarkable children from all over Scotland who’ve had a challenging start in life. Our therapeutic services enable children to discover the wonders of childhood, and develop the skills and resilience to lead happy and fulfilling lives.