Job Description

This is an opportunity for a highly motivated and experienced clinician to join our growing parent infant mental health (PIMH) service in Heywood, Middleton & Rochdale. The parent infant mental health (PIMH) service is a specialist mental health service for infants and their families under the age of 2. Candidates from backgrounds in Health Visiting, Social Work, Mental Health Nursing, Clinical Psychology and Child Psychotherapy are invited to apply.



To work as a specialist practitioner in the parent infant mental health (PIMH) service providing therapeutic support to families in the antenatal and postnatal period. To liaise closely with colleagues in Health Visiting, Midwifery, IAPT, Perinatal CMHT, NICU and Children's Social Care. To implement a community based therapeutic service to parents to be, infants, young children and their families with a particular focus on early intervention and those struggling with relationship difficulties.



The training and development aspect of the role involves acting as a specialist resource, and contributing to multi-agency training of relevant professionals. The post holder will be expected to offer consultation and clinical supervision to professional colleagues. The role will focus also on developing relationships and care pathways between our service and other key services in the borough.



The post holder will be a member the Heywood, Middleton & Rochdale Infant Parent Service, a specialist parent-infant mental health service for under 2s in Heywood, Middleton & Rochdale. The service is made up of clinical psychologists, child and adolescent psychoanalytic psychotherapists, specialist health visitors, mental health practitioners and team admin.



For detailed information please see attached



The postholder will work as a specialist practitioner supporting the development and delivery of the local parent infant mental health service, as well as taking a role in promoting and raising awareness of parent infant mental health in the local area. The role will focus on:

offering assessment, therapeutic intervention and consultation to support the mental health and relationships of infants and their parents/carers enhancing knowledge, skills and confidence in the local workforce through training, consultation, supervision and promotion taking a lead on developing relationships and care pathways between our service and other key services in the area depending on postholder's area of expertise, e.g children's social care, adult mental health. contribute to service development and evaluation to ensure we are providing a modern, inclusive and effective service to local families.

MAIN DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Clinical:

Delivery of service provision within the parameters of a high needs pathway,

focusing on vulnerable families especially during the perinatal period up until the child's 2nd birthday in a multi-agency context.

To provide specialist assessments of parents, infants and young children

referred to the service, using interpretation and integration of data from a variety of sources including self-report measures, direct and indirect

observation and interviews with clients, family members and/or carers. In

direct therapeutic work, provide specialist assessment and therapeutic

interventions focused on enhancing the relationship between a parent and infant. This therapeutic work requires empathy, understanding and the ability to contain difficult and highly expressed emotions in the parent and infant.

To formulate and implement plans for therapeutic intervention and

management from the point of referral in coordination with the multi disciplinary team.

To be responsible for implementing a range of parent-infant interventions for families, adjusting and refining formulations. To exercise autonomous professional responsibility for the assessment,

treatment and discharge of vulnerable families.

To undertake risk assessment and risk management for vulnerable families and their infants and to provide general advice to other professionals on psychological and social aspects of risk assessment and management. To undertake organisation, collaboration and liaison with relevant professional colleagues providing a comprehensive clinical, consultative, supervisory and teaching service as required internally or on an outreach basis. Carry out clinical audits of service performance, including service user

surveys and evaluations, and help to collate and disseminate the results for feedback, as required or directed.

To provide consultation and training on a wide range of children's emotional health and well-being issues to professionals from a range of services including GP's, Children's Social Care, Maternity, Early Help, Adult Mental Health Services, NICU and Health Visiting. To engage in/deliver managerial and clinical supervision. Work as a co-therapist where appropriate with other members of PIMH service and CAMHS. To be responsible for and manage a defined caseload and undertake case management responsibilities within the caseload. Make decisions on suitability of new referrals, adhering to the service referral protocols. Use highly developed communication skills in working with vulnerable parents and their infants to understand their personal and often very sensitive difficulties. Educate and involve family members and others in treatment as necessary conveying formulations with sensitivity in easily understood language. Adhere to an agreed number of contacts offered, and clinical sessions carried out per week in order to minimise waiting times and ensure treatment delivery remains accessible and convenient. To ensure and promote appropriate liaison with professionals from external agencies, particularly in relation to complex presentations. * To directly support colleagues in assessment and treatment of parent infant mental health where appropriate.