Senior ARMS Practitioner

Job summary

The postholder will contribute to the assessment ofpeople who may be suitable for the At-Risk Mental State pathway, they will liaise with and work alongside people from the ARMS team and wider Aspire service. You will alsocare coordinate a limited number of people, in addition to providingindividual, systemic and group-based therapeutic interventions.

Service development will be a key element of the role. Wewould like someone who would be proactive in engaging and working withdifferent communities, faith organisations, educational and statutory/non-statutoryservices, identifying and addressing potential barriers of certain communitiesin accessing services.

This position would be an excellent opportunity todevelop an area of special interest and expertise. We are looking forapplicants with a strong desire to work with people who express unshared andapparently unusual distressing experiences, and an ability to be a leader within the service.

Main duties of the job

The main duties of this role invove:

1. Have a working knowledge of current principles, evidence-based practice and service provision within the context of an ARMS service and the broader Early Intervention in Psychosis field.

2. To work jointly with and provide advice to, other team members in the provision of individual, family/social network-focused and group-based work, being sensitive to the needs of different ages and individuals/families from a range of racial, ethnic, cultural and religious backgrounds.

3. To undertake initial triaging and assessments using validated measures ( CAARMS; Comprehensive Assessment of At-Risk Mental State) to identify people with an at risk mental state, and formulating and care planning their presenting issues, signposting to alternative services where appropriate.

4. To assess clinical risk, proactively initiate and review risk management plans, and facilitate interventions that empower the service user and/or the family/social network to reduce and manage risk behaviours.

5. To care co-ordinate individuals on the ARMS pathway and their families/social networks to prevent the escalation of difficulties and minimise the need for future service input, through recovery-orientated collaborative care planning that empowers people to get their basic needs met ( housing, income) and develop a meaningful life ( meaningful support networks, occupation/activity, education and training).

About us

Inspire North aims to provide a high-quality customer service adhering to the principles of best practice, promoting equal opportunities and working positively with diversity. Inspire North is an ambitious, forward-thinking organisation and you must be committed to developing and enhancing the services we provide.

Community Links as part of the Inspire North Group is a provider of mental health support services to socially excluded groups working with vulnerable and disadvantaged individuals and families. We deliver a range of creative services in partnership with organisations who share our values across sectors and communities.

The organisation expects all its employees to carry out their duties in a professional manner with a client focus, ensuring that respect and courtesy is shown to them, colleagues, other service providers and all those in contact with the organisation. You are expected to uphold the values and ethos of the Inspire North Group at all times.

We are proudly and actively anti-racist and as such, you are expected to drive the anti-racism agenda forward.

Job description

Job responsibilities

Outline of the post:To be a key part of the multidisciplinary team in developing the At-Risk Mental State (ARMS) pathway and Early Intervention ethos within aspire and other services/communities in Leeds. This would include providing direct input to individuals and families/social and proactively engaging communities in enabling the early identification of people who may be at risk of experiencing voices, visions, extreme suspiciousness and other severe mental health difficulties to a degree that would meet the criteria for psychosis.

The postholder would be expected to work with the multidisciplinary team to assess people and determine their suitability for the ARMS pathway. They would also provide a supportive and responsive service to people on the ARMS pathway,meeting their needs through a team approach that will involve care coordination of complex clients and other therapeutic activities, such as facilitating network meetings, the development of groups and social recovery-orientated activities.

The main tasks include:

1. Have a working knowledge of current principles, evidence-based practice and service provision within the context of an ARMS service and the broader Early Intervention in Psychosis field.

2. To work jointly with and provide advice to, other team members in the provision of individual, family/social network-focused and group-based work, being sensitive to the needs of different ages and individuals/families from a range of racial, ethnic, cultural and religious backgrounds.

3. To undertake initial triaging and assessments using validated measures ( CAARMS; Comprehensive Assessment of At-Risk Mental State) to identify people with an at risk mental state, and formulating and care planning their presenting issues, signposting to alternative services where appropriate.

4. To assess clinical risk, proactively initiate and review risk management plans, and facilitate interventions that empower the service user and/or the family/social network to reduce and manage risk behaviours.

5. To care co-ordinate individuals on the ARMS pathway and their families/social networks to prevent the escalation of difficulties and minimise the need for future service input, through recovery-orientated collaborative care planning that empowers people to get their basic needs met ( housing, income) and develop a meaningful life ( meaningful support networks, occupation/activity, education and training).

6. Lead in areas of service development to improve the identification of potential referrals to the service, contributing to improved access and acceptability of the service to different communities, and reducing stigma and discrimination; especially those known to be at risk of not accessing services for psychosis

7. Aim to reduce stigma and discrimination in communities/society around the experiences that get labelled psychosis by actively engaging communities and facilitating a two-way exchange of information around ideas and responses to severe forms of distress.

8. To participate in the development and implementation of relevant policies and procedures to ensure a high quality, well governed service, and to participate in the collection of performance and outcome data, audit and service evaluation.

9. Promote client and carer involvement in all aspects of the service.

10. To provide the wider aspire MDT and other organisations with consultation, teaching and training, which supports them in understanding the ARMS pathway and assessing those who might be suitable for the ARMS pathway.

11. Providing clinical supervision and annual performance reviews for junior members of the ARMS team and students. Maintain supervision records as required.

Person Specification

Experience

Essential

Experience of working as a part of an MDT in a mental health setting. Experience of managing a caseload, such as using the Care Programme Approach. Experience of mental health either as a service user, carer, worker or volunteer.

Desirable

Experience of delivering supervision to junior team members and/or students. Experience of working in an ARMS/Early Intervention service and/or applying the principles and model of early intervention. Experience of working with adolescents and/or working or liaising with the Child & Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS). Experience of working within a CQC regulated service.

Knowledge and skills

Essential

A good understanding of the principles of Early Intervention, including At-Risk Mental State pathways. Good interpersonal skills including listening and displaying empathy. Able to work collaboratively, flexibly and imaginatively with clients, family/social networks, colleagues and other service providers, using open and honest communication. Strong understanding of clinical risk assessment and management, including therapeutic risk taking. Able to offer leadership to the team, demonstrate skills in supervising/developing staff and motivating individuals. Good verbal, written and numeracy skills sufficient to be able to make accurate written records and to convey complex information. Good technical literacy of Microsoft Applications Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook. Have access to a car for work purposes and hold a full current UK driving licence.

Desirable

Knowledge of legislation in relation to the client group and mental health. Language skills Urdu, Polish, BSL, etc.

Approach

Essential

Demonstrate understanding and commitment to equal opportunities and diversity. Demonstrate a commitment and enthusiasm for working with our service user group. Able to build and maintain relationships whilst maintaining appropriate professional boundaries. Demonstrate a willingness to participate in shaping the future of the organisation by taking on responsibilities and projects in addition to core workload. Demonstrate a willingness to participate in shaping the future of the organisation by taking on responsibilities and projects in addition to core workload. Demonstrate a commitment to enabling and empowering clients to become actively involved in Inspire North and its Associated Companies. Demonstrate an understanding of and commitment to our anti-racism agenda.

Qualifications

Essential

Possess a relevant professional qualification to degree or post-graduate level ( OT, Social Work, RMN) and/or equivalent significant experience in mental health.

---