Lead Practice Tutor

Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust; Hemel Hempstead; On-site; GBP 35,000 - 55,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading mental health organization in Hemel Hempstead is seeking a Lead Practice Tutor to oversee educational programs. The role involves managing and supporting tutors, developing teaching materials, and ensuring the effective delivery of courses. Candidates should be educated to degree level with experience in managing educational settings, strong communication skills and a solid understanding of recovery principles. Enjoy competitive conditions in a vibrant organization focused on mental health recovery.

Benefits

Professional development opportunities

Flexible working arrangements

Supportive work environment

Qualifications

• Proven ability to manage competing priorities.
• Strong professional experience in relevant educational fields.
• Skilled in communicating with diverse learners.

Responsibilities

• Facilitate and evaluate timetabled courses and workshops.
• Support development and delivery of educational materials.
• Manage and supervise tutors to ensure quality education.

Skills

Experience in managing and supervising tutors

Excellent communication skills

Ability to facilitate educational content

Understanding of recovery principles

Ability to develop educational materials

Education

Educated to degree level

Job description

Overview

Please see the accompanying Job Description and Person Specification for full details. The Lead Practice Tutor plays a vital part in our core team and supports the smooth running of the college. Central to this role is working closely with the practice and lived experience tutors to co‑produce and co‑deliver a range of recovery‑focused courses. They will play an important role in developing and planning the delivery of the academic timetable. Alongside teaching courses from the college timetable, the post holder will support the Development Manager in the smooth running of the college and ensure the quality of the learning provision. They will use their own professional experience and qualifications to deliver courses alongside lived and practice‑experienced tutors. They will be involved in the co‑production, co‑delivery, and evaluation of educational activities and support the Development Manager in creating an academic timetable. The post holder will manage and supervise the tutors within the college and provide reflective support sessions, and supervision to the bank of tutors that deliver courses for us. They will ensure that all tutor recruitment checks and mandatory training is completed and up to date. The post holder will promote HPFT’s objectives and values, represent the Trust externally, and engage with professional bodies and regulators as required.

Responsibilities

• To co‑facilitate the delivery of timetabled courses, workshops and programmes.
• To manage tutors, including timetable allocations, development, teaching, recruitment, learning and wellbeing.
• To positively support, influence, and improve the quality and performance of the College.
• To support the development of new courses and educational materials.
• To co‑produce, co‑deliver and co‑evaluate course materials for the College.
• To offer regular group support to tutors and facilitate tutor meetings.
• To work closely with the College team and provide any required information or support, including course timetabling, prospectus, bookings, etc.
• To work closely with the College Curriculum Board to evaluate and approve courses and teaching material.
• Carry out any required administrative duties to ensure the College’s smooth and effective running.
• To promote and model the ethos and principles of recovery, co‑production and co‑delivery in all aspects of the work.
• Understand and value lived experience expertise in line with co‑production principles.
• Work within a delegated financial envelope and manage any delegated funds appropriately.
• The post holder must treat Trust property and resources carefully and respectfully, ensuring that public funds are used as efficiently as possible.
• As part of the College team, the post holder will have the opportunity to contribute to the college’s development and improvement. They will participate in audits, evaluations, and projects, ensuring the College remains evidence‑based in its delivery of education.
• To communicate effectively with stakeholders at all levels and across public and voluntary sectors.
• To be skilled at delivering educational content as well as role‑modeling the College and Trust’s values.
• To co‑plan, deliver and evaluate educational activities related to groups of learners with potentially multiple, complex and diverse needs, including people with mental health challenges, carers and supporters, professionals, and other members of the public.
• To work with people who access the College, carers and peers to inform course development and delivery style.
• To support the Trust at conferences, training events and other activities to promote the College, recovery and co‑production.
• To support the programme evaluation process, provide comprehensive written data analysis reports and recommendations for improvement and further development.
• To have a sound understanding of personal recovery, the value of and critiques of personal recovery and be able to communicate this to others.
• To understand clearly how the educational process supports mental health recovery.
• To ensure that all learning activities meet a range of learning styles and are always underpinned by the principles of co‑production and recovery‑focused.
• To develop and oversee the observation process for teaching staff.
• To have knowledge of and practical experience of teaching and training.
• To ensure that all tutors in the College understand and carry out their responsibilities.
• To be the initial point of contact for concerns about safeguarding students.
• To manage and organise own time and work efficiently, and adhere to deadlines to enable the smooth running of the college.
• To manage the teaching observation process and to create termly reports.
• To use IT skills to develop and maintain all course and learning materials and to collate reports on data collected by the Recovery College.
• To support the College team, as and when required, to develop course materials and course packs.
• To understand, contribute and co‑deliver the Student Development Programme and other College provision.
• Regular and continuous use of VDU equipment.
• The post holder will need to spend long periods within an office environment, sitting in a restricted position at VDU and keyboard computer.
• Delivering courses via online platforms as well as in‑person at different venues across Hertfordshire.
• Ability to travel around Hertfordshire.
• To assist managers in research and development activities such as audits.
• To contribute to developing guidelines, policies and competencies for practice within the College and to share this learning to shape delivery within the College.
• To support the sourcing and retention of learning venues across the Trust and Hertfordshire.
• To participate in mandatory training development opportunities.
• To take part in management supervision.

Qualifications

Review:

• Educated to degree level
• Evidence of continuing professional development

Desirable Criteria

• Teaching qualification
• Registered Health / Social Care Practitioner, Post‑registration clinical experience or teaching experience or equivalent.
• Experience of a mental health and/or teaching environment.
• Experience of supporting people with lived experience of mental health challenges.
• Experience of supervising or managing staff
• Experience involving people with a lived experience in co‑production and co‑delivery of educational sessions.
• An understanding of the principles of recovery
• Recent experience in delivering courses and presentations to a wide range of audiences.
• Confident support skills and willingness to develop leadership skills.
• Ability to motivate and inspire others and translate learning into effective and committed practice
• Excellent time management skills with an ability to manage competing priorities and demands
• Ability to communicate and work with people from all backgrounds in a strength‑based way
• Experience and knowledge of the theoretical underpinning of co‑production and recovery and evidence of putting these into practice.
• Experience of working in a health or social care or related environment
• Experience of working with a range of people in different settings.
• Ability to work collaboratively with a range of stakeholders
• Experience of working with monitoring/evaluation mechanisms and operational procedures
• Experience of overseeing the observation process for teaching staff
• Proven ability to challenge current working practices & introduce changes in light of evidence‑based recommendations
• Experience of personal mental health challenges
• Experience of having personally accessed mental health services
• Experience of having personally accessed inpatient mental health services
• Experience of creating project and support programmes
• Experience of service development, research and development activities such as audit, Excellent communication, negotiation and networking skills
• A commitment to eliminating inequalities for people with mental health or other health challenges and promoting inclusion of protected groups
• Ability to work alone and as part of a team writing skills, etc
• Experience of public speaking and delivering presentations.
• Excellent listening skills and communication skills (both written and verbal) with clear evidence of ability
• Experience of providing supervision both 1:1 and group to staff.
• Ability to prioritise activities to ensure efficient delivery of a programme of work
• Ability to analyse data to inform service improvements.
• Ability to identify problems and find solutions that deliver best outcomes
• Ability to develop evaluation and monitoring systems and to analyse data for performance reporting.
• Ability to devise and deliver a quality assurance programme for teaching within the college
• Problem solving, decision making and analytical skills.
• Make judgments, without direct supervision, as to the importance/urgency of workload issues.

Policies and Procedures

The postholder will have access to vulnerable people in the course of their normal duties and as such this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Health and Safety: The post holder has a duty of care to themselves and to others with whom they come into contact during their work as laid down in the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and any subsequent amendment or legislation.

Infection Control: All Trust staff will act as a role model and champion for the highest standard in all aspects of infection prevention and control and the implementation of all Infection Prevention and Control Trust policies and guidelines.

Equality and Diversity: Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust is committed to providing an environment where all staff, service users and carers enjoy equality of access, provision, opportunity and outcomes. The Trust works to eliminate all forms of discrimination and recognise that this requires, not only a commitment to remove discrimination, but also action through positive policies to redress inequalities. Providing equality of opportunity means understanding and appreciating the diversity of our staff, service users & carers and ensuring a supportive environment free from harassment. As a result, Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust actively encourages its staff to challenge discrimination and promote equality of opportunity for all.

Confidentiality: Employees must maintain the confidentiality of staff, patients and Trust business and have the responsibility to comply with the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) 2018 and be aware of the Caldicott principles.

Standards of Business Conduct and Conflicts of Interest: The Trust has adopted a Standards of Conduct Policy reflecting NHS Management Executive Guidelines. All staff must ensure that they act as a role model by upholding the principle of a leading mental Trust. Staff should inform their line manager if they work for any other organisation to ensure that this Trust complies with the Working Time Regulations.

Information and Records Management: The post holder must be competent in using IT and have the relevant skills to carry out the activities required for the post. To comply with the Data Protection Act 1998, Freedom of Information Act 2000 and Department of Health Code of Confidentiality in line with Trust procedures. To adhere to the Trust's policies on records management including creation, use, storing and retention and disposal of records.

Safeguarding Adults and Children: The Trust is committed to ensuring adults and children are protected and come to no harm from abuse. All employees have a responsibility to be aware of national and local policies, their individual responsibilities with regards to the protection and safeguarding of both adults and children and must adhere to them at all times.

Organisational Change: As services develop and change, the post holder may be required to undertake other responsibilities within the Trust.

Flexible Working: The Trust believes that its staff members are its most valuable asset and is committed to attracting and retaining the very best, and utilising all the talent and experience available. The Trust recognises the importance of helping its employees balance their work and home life by offering flexible working arrangements that enable them to balance their working life with other priorities, including parental and other caring responsibilities, life‑long learning, charity work, leisure activities and other interests.

Health and Safety at Work: In accordance with the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1992 (as amended) and other relevant Health and Safety legislation.

Corporate Information

Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust are one of just five mental health trusts to achieve an overall rating of ‘Outstanding’ from the Care Quality Commission. Our family of over 4,500 members of staff provide health and social care for people with mental ill health, physical ill health and learning disabilities across Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Essex and Norfolk, delivering these services within the community and several inpatient settings. Everything is underpinned by choice, independence and equality, with our Trust values embedded throughout. Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust is rated by the Care Quality Commission as an Outstanding provider of mental health and learning disability services. In 2021, we won the prestigious Health Service Journal award for Mental Health Trust of the Year, with the judges saying they were “blown away” by our people's achievements and that everything they saw “sings and hums”. This year, our staff rated us the 4th best mental health and learning disability trust to work for out of all 52 trusts in the country. Our staff tell us that they are proud to be part of the HPFT team, proud of the standard of care we provide and proud that service users are our top priority. Our people tell us they feel supported though a great development, wellbeing and work‑life balance offer and a highly compassionate, values‑driven culture. We are equally proud of our staff, who live our values of being welcoming, kind, positive, respectful and professional.

UK Visa

Candidates who require a Skilled Worker visa to work in the United Kingdom can determine the likelihood of obtaining a Certificate of Sponsorship for this position by assessing their circumstances against the criteria specified on the Check if you need a UK visa – GOV.UK website. We would encourage all applicants to review the criteria carefully to understand their eligibility for sponsorship.

Professional Registration

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.