TAMHS Primary Mental Health Worker

SWLSTG MH Trust has a long history of providing schools in Merton with a targeted mental health service (TaMHS). After a consultation period, the service is being relaunched to provide schools with a sustainable, long term plan for meeting mild – moderate mental health need within schools.

We have a fantastic opportunity for clinicians with child & adolescent mental health experience to join our CAMHS in schools (TaMHS) team in Merton. This can be a full time or term time only role (ideal for working parents).

The clinicians will be allocated to a set number of schools which they will visit regularly. This would usually be one day per week in each of four different schools with the fifth day in the week allocated for additional admin, supervision and continuing professional development. Regular supervision will be provided by a highly specialist CAMHS professional.

TaMHS work includes undertaking consultation, conducting clinical assessments and delivering evidence based interventions in primary & secondary schools in Merton. The roles are adaptable based on the skillsets of the clinicians in post.

The TAMHS team delivers consultation, assessment & treatment for children & young people in Merton schools. The team offers a range of group and individual interventions that are geared to the needs of the school, its pupils, and their carers.

TAMHS exists within an overall network of child mental health resources that coordinates early help, target help and specialist interventions for children and young people according to presentation and need.

The postholders will be the main link person for their allocated schools, supported by their clinical supervisor. Clinicians will be embedded in their allocated schools in order to build supportive, collaborative working relationships with key staff members and best understand the needs of the schools.

Applications will be welcomed from qualified therapists who have good previous experience of working in Child & Adolescent Mental Health Services.

These posts will require:

• Qualification within a recognised mental health profession and registration at an appropriate level
• Clinical experience of working with children and young people within a mental health context
• The ability to work cohesively and collaboratively both within a small team and within the wider school and CAMHS systems
• Experience of or strong interest in delivering mental health interventions in school settings
• Commitment to using data and relevant measures to assess clinical outcome

SWLSTG MH Trust is also a lead provider within the South West London Schools Trailblazer programme and currently runs eight Mental Health Support Teams (MHST) across Merton, Sutton and Wandsworth, in addition to three Children’s Wellbeing Practitioner teams.

This allows for good joint working and resource sharing across multiple schools based teams. TaMHS clinicians will have opportunities for peer support and joint training opportunities across the wider schools based mental health teams.

About our locations:
Our Trust headquarters is located within the impressive grounds of Springfield University Hospital in Tooting and we also operate in nearly 100 other locations throughout the UK. This is easily accessible via the Northern Line (Tooting Bec Station) and via private transport. The Trust provides subsidised parking fares for all our substantive staff. Our main site is located immediately next to Tooting High Street where staff can easily access a range of shops, cafés and restaurants. We often run training sessions and CPD opportunities from this site.

As TAMHS is based across a number of schools in Merton, these post will need to be flexible in travelling to different school sites in Merton as appropriate. The MHSTs have bases within a local primary and secondary school and there is scope to link in with them in order to access peer support and development opportunities.

Clinical and Clinical Research
1. To assist the implementation of delivery of a range of psychological interventions to young people and parents within a school setting in line with NICE guidance.
2. To work jointly to implement a whole school approach to mental health under the supervision of a qualified professional psychologist or psychotherapist
3. To undertake protocol based psychological assessments of patients, including self-report measures, rating scales, direct and indirect structured observations and semi-structured interviews with patients and others involved in the client’s care.
4. To assist in the formulation and delivery of mental health care involving psychological interventions for mild to moderate mental health problems, under the clinical supervision of qualified professional psychologists / psychotherapists, in school and community settings.
5. To lead in the coordination and running of groups and workshops.

Teaching, Training and Supervision
1. In common with all applied therapists, to receive regular clinical supervision in accordance with professional practice guidelines and clinical governance guidelines.
2. To develop skills and competencies that assist in the delivery of current duties.
3. To regularly and systematically enter clinical data on IAPTus according to IAPTs protocols and to highlight areas of difficulty to the Lead Coordinator as soon as they arise.
4. To contribute to the training and support of others, including school staff and workers in the non-statutory sector enabling them to provide effective mental health care.
5. To inform primary care practitioners and users about local statutory and voluntary services to whom children and young people can be “signposted”.