Job summary
Bedfordshire Perinatal Mental Health Team is looking for passionate Registered Mental Health Social Workers who are looking to make a difference whilst working in an environment that promotes staff development and training opportunities. ELFT is passionate about developing its own staff, driving them to go on to become more established practitioners and this post is no different. You could be an existing Band 5 or Band 6 Social Worker looking to take your next steps or an experienced practitioner looking for a new venture; we have training and development opportunities tailored to suit your needs within the perinatal framework. Our team operates Monday to Friday from 9.00 am to 5.00 pm however there are opportunities for flexibility available in a team that is dynamic and transforming the way we offer support women and birthing people in Bedfordshire with perinatal mental health challenges. If this sounds like something that could inspire you then we want to hear from you!

Main duties of the job
We are looking for a clinician with a special interest in improving care for women, birthing people and their families. Experience of working in the perinatal mental health field is desirable; a keen interest in this specialist area is essential. The Perinatal Mental Health service provides specialist, multidisciplinary perinatal mental health care for women from preconception, during pregnancy and up to two years postnatal who live in Bedfordshire and Luton. To help support you with the above we offer a robust induction and tailored training is given and encouraged. ELFT perinatal teams do offer regular in-house training opportunities to learn from each other with the aim to continuously improve our practice.

About us
Our mission is to make a positive difference to people's lives by improving the quality of life for all we serve. Our values are: We Care, We Respect, We are Inclusive - so we are looking for people who live and breathe these qualities when supporting service users and carers, and in their relationships with colleagues in the Trust and our partner organisations.

Details
Pay scheme: Agenda for change
Band: Band 6
Salary: £39,959 to £48,117 a year per annum
Contract: Permanent
Working pattern: Full-time
Reference number: 363-BED8269577
Job location: Bedfordshire and Luton Perinatal Mental Health Team, John Bunyan House, Bedford Health Village, 3 Kimbolton Road, Bedford, MK40 2NT

Job responsibilities

• Support the delivery of highly specialist evidence based assessment, care planning, treatment and review for service users in the perinatal period.
• Provide specialist consultation, advice and support to Trust inpatient and community services on best practice when working with women/birthing people in the perinatal period.
• Work intensively with a small complex and challenging group of pregnant women/birthing people or those with an infant up to two years old.
• Work with colleagues to establish a clear process and criteria for receiving referrals to undertake direct work or information for advice and liaison work.
• Assist in setting up structures that allow the dissemination of knowledge and skills regarding working with perinatal service users in inpatient and community services.
• Liaise and work with Mother and Baby Units.
• Work as a member of the multi-disciplinary team exercising professional responsibility with team guidance and supervision, to provide risk assessment, monitoring and review of women with complex need in the perinatal period.
• Be mindful of the needs of women, children, young people, families and individuals from a wide range of racial, cultural, sexual, religious and social backgrounds and develop sensitive and innovative ways of meeting these needs.
• Participate in perinatal service user planning meetings, pre-birth and post-birth.
• Participate in team multi-disciplinary meetings, CPA Meetings and other Child Protection meetings/case conferences.
• Be responsible for monitoring, recording and reporting on clinical work and communicating highly complex clinical information to a variety of recipients, including patients, families, carers and other professionals, orally and in writing.
• Record relevant information at the time of referral, during ongoing work, and for evaluation purposes in line with ELFT record keeping policies.
• Seek consultation with clinical supervisor and line manager on clinical work and participate in regular supervision.
• Be aware of and comply with all Trust policies and procedures, and promote the Safeguarding and Promoting the Welfare of Children Policy and the Perinatal Mental Health Policy.
• Provide assessment, health education and guidance to partners of women in the perinatal period.
• Develop an assessment clinic for partners and co-parents of women in the service.
• Work with colleagues to promote and evolve a perinatal mental health service for the assigned locality.
• Maintain appropriate links with colleagues in perinatal mental health services, safeguarding children and parental mental health services across the Trust and other agencies.
• Attend ELFT Trust wide meetings as appropriate.
• Ensure documentation and care plans are developed, comprehensive and consistent with Trust policies and protocols.
• Provide clinical information as required for input into local and ELFT electronic data collection systems.
• With the line manager, construct a job-plan containing workload targets in line with service needs and local agreements.
• Be knowledgeable about and advise on best practice on treatment of pregnant and postpartum women, with particular regard to relevant NICE guidelines and MBRRACE reports.
• Be knowledgeable about and advise on best practice on safeguarding children, incorporating latest guidelines, policy and statutory requirements.
• Adhere to the NMC Standards of Conduct, performance and ethics for nurses and midwives.
• Participate in the Trust appraisal systems and be committed to ongoing continuing professional development.
• Support and assist with developing and delivering professional development training on perinatal mental health for Trust and external staff.

Person specification
Essential education and qualifications:

• Evidence of professional qualification in nursing
• Evidence of registration on Part 3 of NMC register
• Evidence of continuing professional development including recently in perinatal mental health practice and safeguarding children practice

Desirable education and qualifications:

• Educated to degree level or equivalent
• ENB 998 or equivalent
• Clinical supervision training
• Qualified non-medical prescriber
• Qualifications/ training in specialist skills e.g. therapeutic/ psychological interventions

Essential experience:

• Post qualification experience
• Post qualification experience working with women with serious mental illness
• Experience of managing a caseload of service users via CPA with evidence of completing high quality assessments
• Experience of working in a complex multi-disciplinary/ multi-agency context
• Experience of undertaking complex nursing and mental state, risk and needs assessments
• Experience of working in a multiracial/cultural community and of working with interpreters

Desirable experience:

• Experience of formal child protection processes and inter-agency work with families
• Experience of multi-agency pre-birth planning (CPA) for women with serious mental illness
• Experience of supervising mental health professionals and/or practice teaching

Essential skills and abilities:

• Ability to contribute to and facilitate effective multi-disciplinary/multiagency working
• Ability to implement evidence-based practice
• Ability to identify, recognise and understand safeguarding children issues and refer appropriately

Desirable skills and abilities:

• Ability to develop and deliver training on perinatal mental health and associated issues such as safeguarding children, domestic violence

Essential knowledge and understanding:

• Up to date knowledge of evidence based practice and current developments in perinatal mental health
• Knowledge and understanding of diversity and equality issues and their application in perinatal mental health services
• Knowledge and understanding of contributions of other disciplines and professionals to a multi-agency service

Desirable knowledge and understanding:

• Understanding of clinical governance and audit issues

Essential other requirements:

• Understanding of and commitment to equality of opportunity and diversity practice and related policies and procedures
• Understanding of and commitment to safeguarding children

Desirable other requirements:

• Evidence of networking with the field of perinatal mental health

Disclosure and Barring Service check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Certificate of sponsorship
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website. From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants.

UK registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see the NHS Careers website.

Employer details
Employer name: East London NHS Foundation Trust
Employer's website: https://www.elft.nhs.uk/

For questions about the job, contact:
Operational Team Lead, Georgia Betts, georgia.betts2@nhs.net, 01234290130

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