Primary Mental Health Practitioner

Communication and Relationship Skills To maintain confidentiality of information regarding children, young people and families at all times. Provide and receive complex or sensitive information where there are barriers to understanding and to be proactive, having the ability to pre-empt, work with and overcome barriers to communication. To promote and maintain effective communication and positive working relationships throughout both CAMHS, Early Help and wider services. To promote and maintain effective communication with children, young people and families, ensuring lines of communication are open to them so that they are able to participate fully within their care.

Provide formal and informal consultation/supervision to individual staff in school communities or groups of professionals. Establish and maintain formal links with Early Help Services, to be able to retain professional identity, maintain existing skills/knowledge base and negotiate appropriate levels of supervision. To attend and participate within regular team meetings and where identified wider CAMHS, Trust regional or national meetings. Knowledge, Training and Experience To have Nursing, Social Work or Occupational Therapy registration and use this knowledge in the care and treatment of children, young people and families.

To have specialist knowledge of the relevant CAMHS speciality, gained through in-depth post registration training eg CAMHS/Mental Health specific/relevant training. To have at least 4 years post registration experience within the speciality. To carry out the duties as directed by the relevant registration body and within the Code of Professional Conduct. To be a clinical resource within the service.

To take responsibility for own continuing professional development and performance. To carry out training sessions as identified/required. Analytical and Judgement Skills To be able to analyse and make decisions in relation to client and environmental risk and care in complex situations. Manage complex situations where analysis and interpretation of facts and a range of options are present.

Identify when the mental health needs of the child or young person are outside the scope of the Primary Mental Health and facilitate referrals to specialist CAMHS service and/or other agencies when appropriate. Deliver targeted interventions to prevent ill health for those identified at risk. This may include specific project work and be provided in collaboration with Early Help staff members and school staff. Provide relevant mental health information and advice to Early Help services about individual referred children.

Deliver child and young peoples mental health promotion packages alongside other members of Early Help Services. Monitor and ensure maintenance of standards of care, which comply with professional guidelines, local and national policies and relevant laws to ensure that therapeutic practice is of the highest standard. To practice across a range of arenas including individual, group and family interventions. To utilise own support mechanisms including own clinical/managerial supervision.

To be a clinical role model within the service. Provide clinical advice and consultation to both CAMHS and multi-agency colleagues. Maintain timely and accurate clinical records for clients on your caseload. To ensure that all aspects of legal frameworks, governing children and young people, such as Mental Health or Childrens Acts are adhered to at all times.

Responsibility for Policy/Service Development Contribute to the development of policies and procedures within the service. Contribute to the development of the service. Responsibility for Financial and Physical Resources Promote a safe working environment in line with Trust policies on Health and Safety by highlighting significant deficiencies to a senior colleague. Responsibility for Human Resources Where identified, line manage junior Nursing/Mental Health Practitioner colleagues.

Act as clinical/managerial supervisor, preceptor and mentor for junior Nursing/Mental Health Practitioner colleagues and students/trainees. Participate in the induction of new staff in the team. Responsibility for Information Accurately complete client clinical records, using both paper and computerised systems. Input information and have a working knowledge of directorate information systems.

Contribute to the development of practice within the team. Act as a mental health resource to the MAST and other relevant childrens Tier 1 services providing advice, information, consultation and training. Identify training needs in relevant primary care settings and liaise according with the Multi-Agency Training Co-ordinator. Deliver relevant training packages to Tier 1 staff in conjunction with the Multi-Agency Training Co-ordinator.

Has some discretion to work within a defined set of clinical/managerial parameters and to guide others. Be aware of and adhere to Trusts policies and procedures. Physical Effor