Advanced Practitioner, Perinatal Parent and Infant Mental Health

Transformationunitgm; Paignton; On-site; GBP 46,000 - 53,000; Part time

Job summary

A leading health organisation is seeking an Advanced Practitioner in Perinatal Parent and Infant Mental Health to join their 0 to 19 Torbay initiative. This role involves specialist assessments and interventions to support parent-infant relationships within a part-time schedule during term time. The successful candidate will collaborate with a multi-agency team to enhance mental health services for children and families, ensuring the voice of the infant is central to all care delivery.

Benefits

Carer-friendly employer

Flexible working

Qualifications

• Experience in a similar role is essential.
• Knowledge of Family Hub and 0 to 19 Torbay contract.
• Familiarity with infant mental health principles.

Responsibilities

• Provide specialist assessment and interventions for infants and parents.
• Facilitate training and supervision for staff.
• Conduct joint home visits with the 0 to 19 Torbay team.

Skills

Communication

Leadership

Empathy

Education

UK professional registration

Job description

Main area Public Health Nursing Grade NHS AfC: Band 7 Contract Permanent: Term time only Hours Part time - 22.5 hours per week (Term time only) Job ref 388-7123334-NMC

Employer Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust Employer type NHS Site King's Ash House Town Paignton Salary £46,148 - £52,809 Pro rata Salary period Yearly Closing 10/06/2025 23:59

Advanced Practitioner, Perinatal Parent and Infant Mental Health

NHS AfC: Band 7

Job overview

The role of the Perinatal Infant Mental Health Specialist (PIMHS) is to provide specialist parent/infant assessment and interventions within the 0 to 19 Torbay Family Hub initiative. The aim is to provide early identification, intervention and health promotion with regards to infant/early years mental health.

The post holder will facilitate supervision for the workforce developing and co ordinating training.

Main duties of the job

The post holder will ensure that the voice of the infant is central to care delivery and service development.

You will be involved with assessing and working with infants, parents, carers and families living in Torbay, delivering interventions to support the parent infant relationship.

The post holder will be responsible for delivering supervision to 0 to 19 Torbay staff on a 121 or group supervision basis.

Joint home visits and consultations will be undertaken with Health Visitors/members of the 0 to 19 Torbay team where further assessment and intervention is required.

Working for our organisation

0 to 19 Torbay is a partnership between TSDFT and Action for Children.

These services have come together to provide a universal service to children, young people and their families in Torbay working together with statutory and community services.

When working with an infant/ child or young person we will consider their family relationships, the role of adult behaviour and the wider context such as social network and the local community. By giving children the best start in life, to stay well and thrive.

Before and after birth we will support parents and babies to create the conditions where stress is reduced, positive bonds and attachments can form, and language and communication skills develop. Being baby, young person and family friendly.

Ensure services are equipped to support families with feeding and developing close, loving relationships, ensuring that all babies get the best possible start in life and to take young people’s needs into account (You’re Welcome).

Broadening the skills of the workforce.

Trauma and adversity are significant risk factors for poor health and wellbeing and reduced life chances over the course of a lifetime, therefore developing our approach to become a trauma informed workforce and services is important to ensure that people affected by trauma and adversity receive the best possible care, and support and that responses to their needs are safe, effective, person-centred and trauma informed.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Communication and working relationship

Communicate effectively with all statutory and non-statutory agencies associated with perinatal and parent/infant mental health

Use clear, concise written, electronic and verbal communication with clients, colleagues and key stakeholders

Share information appropriately adhering to TSDFT policies

Use professional, empathetic, listening and reflective skills with clients and staff when offering information and support

Demonstrate leadership skills with an ability to motivate others to promote a united approach to parent infant mental health (PIMH) across multiple agencies

Ensure that care is delivered in a way that is culturally sensitive and that the service is accessible to all

To participate and where appropriate lead multi agency meetings relating to PIMH

Communicate highly sensitive, complex or contentious information, both written or verbal, in a professional manner that is understood by clients, professionals, students and all partner agencies

Planning and organisation

Participate in organising and delivering 0 to 19 Torbay staff forums

Use impactful analysis, applying experience and modifying to suit the situation

Make decisions in a timely manner

Demonstrate excellent organisational skills being able to prioritise effectively, completing and finishing tasks in a timely manner

Be responsible for developing, leading, coordinating and delivering training regarding perinatal parent/infant mental health, to all staff within the partnership and Family Hubs when required, to ensure they have the correct level of skill and knowledge to deliver the most up to date clinical care

Analytical and judgement

Be able to use research to develop and shape practice and service development

Use enhanced clinical skills and expertise to support the 0 to 19 Torbay Team and Family Hubs as required

Define problems and develop solutions to resolve these

Undertake client and staff audits with support from colleagues and to review these audits, acting upon feedback to produce an action plan which will influence on going service delivery

To work with Data Analyst and Business Manager to ensure data is used to capture positive outcomes in PIMHC and to identify areas for target

Responsibility and accountability

· Provide specialist support to parents/carers with PIMH needs and create individual plans of care with named professionals to address this

· To offer consultation to practitioners when working with families that have complex family difficulties

· To undertake joint visits to families where initial intervention has been unsuccessful or where further assessment is needed

· To work with colleagues, partners and service users to identify needs of the local population

· Ensure recordkeeping is contemporaneous and accurate following Trust policy, and Nursing & Midwifery Council (NMC) guidelines

· Act as an autonomous practitioner, managing own workload, professional needs and target priorities with Service Manager

· Work with managers and the impact lead to incorporate PIMH support in all settings where we see clients to create a supportive social environment for parents, babies and their families

· Attend management meetings to report on Best Start for Life PIMH work and ensure PIMH threads through the work of the partnership

· Promote a culture where staff are encouraged to try new ways of working developing services to meet the challenges of working in communities with high level of need and deprivation

· To deputise for colleagues in their absence in own area of practice and the wider public health team

· Contribute towards the development and implementation of the Business Continuity Plan for SCPHN teams and 0 to 19 Torbay

· Be involved in the development of preceptorship and professional development programmes, identified by managers and professional Leads for staff

· Provide, through a link with the University and the TSDFT, input on curriculum planning and ensure that practice meets the requirements of the Nursing and Midwifery Council for Specialist Community Public Health Nursing

· Support colleagues with supervision when required and identified by Team Leaders or staff

· Attend 0 to 19 Torbay Operations Meetings supporting the PIMH agenda across the Partnership

· Attend Family Hub partnership board meetings if required to do so.

· Knowledge of and familiarity with infant development and infant mental health principles

· Level 3 knowledge of safeguarding procedures and able to refer to MASH and Early Help

· Experience and knowledge of working with more complex family difficulties and concerns, including families where children may be at risk or with serious concerns about parenting and safeguarding

Responsibility for patients and client care

To provide early identification, intervention and health promotion with regard to infant/ early years mental health

Ensuring the voice of the infant is central to the care delivery and service development

Identify therapeutic intervention to support infant mental health and parent infant relationships

Contribute to the development of pathways in delivering care which include the role of triage practitioner within 0 to 19 Torbay team

Maintain professional registration and work in accordance to NMC requirements

To ensure all interventions are evidence based clinically at an advanced level by providing professional advice and support to staff, colleagues and the public

To endorse the importance of antenatal contacts in order that discussions are commenced early about how to start forming close and loving relationships, therefore building on brain development which supports parental/carer responsiveness to infants/children

To work with families and the Infant Feeding Lead to support responsive feeding to prevent the exacerbation of perinatal distress

Engage in partnership work and community development in a variety of settings particularly in areas identified as requiring enhanced focus on PIMH

Be responsible for providing advice and guidance to staff and women around any prescribed or complementary medication for their mental health, especially linked to lactation concerns

Co-ordinate the assessment of parent/carer infant relationship and if appropriate identify intervention to support this

Develop comprehensive care pathways for women and families affected by mild, moderate and severe maternal mental health problems in active collaboration with colleagues, specialist Health Visitor for PIMH, infant feeding specialist Health Visitor, specialist mental health services and other providers of mental health services, (GP’s midwives, IAPT services, voluntary sector and volunteers)

Consider the impact of cross-cultural influences on PIMH

Policy and service responsibility

Take a proactive role in the development and review of Perinatal Infant Mental Health policies and guidelines

Contribute to the development of pathways in delivering care

Undertake appropriate risk assessments as required

Identify areas for research, audit and development relevant to PNMH

Initiate and participate in research & clinical audit programmes where indicated implementing finding into practice

Manage queries, concerns, complaints and compliments from clients or other professionals according to TSDFT policy and procedures

Responsibility for finance, equipment and other resource

Ensure any equipment used is fully functioning and serviced as recommended by the Trust or manufacturer

Ensure any information shared digitally remains contemporary and up to date. This includes our web site, social media and newsletters to staff and stakeholders

Responsibility for supervision, leadership and management

Provide one to one or group supervision for 0 to 19 Torbay staff (particularly health visiting) quarterly or more frequently where individual case supervision is required as requested

Provide support for members of associated steering groups, colleagues and stakeholders

Provide placement, supervision and assessments of students, undertaking annual supervisor /assessor updates as required

Demonstrate own duties to students, new starters and/or less experienced staff providing training opportunities as individually identified

Participate as required in the investigation of incidents and complaints

Monitor training skills of staff and develop learning plans to support individual needs when identified

Participate in in management supervision and appraisal and be accountable for their own professional development

Manage individual members of staff or a Team within the 0 to 19 Torbay service when required to do so

Ensure that the post holder has access to supervision.

Information technology and administrative duties

Responsibility with Specialist Health Visitor for research and development of PIMH across the Partnership

Identify unmet health needs, gaps in service, inequalities and advise on appropriate action to address these

Develop and deliver training and education based on national recommendation to all staff within the Partnership of 0 to 19 Torbay and allied professionals, as required

Participate in research and initiate audits with achievable action plans

Mentor and support staff to develop expertise around PIMH

Create and support clinical learning for staff with evidenced based foundations

Develop an excellent working knowledge of current IT systems

Ability to use and maintain IT data bases and have a basic understanding of spreadsheets being able to save data safely

Mobile working when required to do so

Make sure information is available and delivered in a culturally sensitive way using appropriate IT systems to support this

Contribute towards the quarterly collection of data for the Family Hubs

Person specification

• Evidence of working in the same or similar role.
• Knowledge of Family Hub and 0 to 19 Torbay contract

You will be joining the organisation at an exciting time. As the first fully integrated care organisation in England, we are working to improve the way we deliver safe, high-quality health and social care. We have a positive and vibrant working atmosphere, we are proud of our investment in our staff both in terms of developing potential career skills and valuing people.

If you provide support to a family member or friend with health or care needs, we aim to be a Carer-friendly employer. We have a ‘Staff Carers’ policy which includes flexible working where possible and a Carer’s Passport scheme that links you into support and discounts.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

• We reserve the right to close vacancies early if we receive a high volume of applications. Therefore, we encourage you to apply promptly.
• Please read the job description carefully and tailor your application to reflect the requirements of the role.
• Applicants who identify in their application form they are a part of the Armed Forces community will be guaranteed an interview, provided they meet the minimum essential criteria outlined in the job description and person specification for the role. Step into Health guidance can be found on our NHS Employers website.
• Correspondence will be sent via Trac, text, and email. Please ensure you check your email and Trac account regularly.
• Applicants with no previous NHS experience will ordinarily be appointed to the minimum of the band.
• If you have not received an invitation to interview within 28 days of the closing date, please assume that your application has been unsuccessful on this occasion.
• It is your responsibility to ensure the timely receipt of appropriate references.

The Trust is committed to preventing discrimination, valuing diversity and achieving equality of opportunity. No person (staff, patient or public) will receive less favourable treatment on the grounds of the nine protected characteristics as governed by the Equality Act 2010. If you require support you can obtain this from our Equality Business Forum which has representatives from all protected groups.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.