Youth Justice Service Worker

NELFT NHS Foundation Trust; Essex; Remote; GBP 42,000 - 65,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Induction programme in Rainham

Job summary

NELFT NHS Foundation Trust is recruiting for a post holder to assess and address mental and physical health needs, including substance misuse issues, for young offenders. The role involves prison visits, working with youth in custodial settings and coordinating with SET CAMHS and other agencies.

The successful candidate will be professionally qualified and registered, with relevant mental health or psychological therapy training, and will manage a defined caseload within the Youth Offender

Qualifications

• Must be professionally qualified and registered with an appropriate regulatory body.
• Experience with mental and physical health and substance misuse assessments.
• Ability to work with young people in custodial settings and in Youth Offending Service contexts.
• Maintain accurate records and prepare case reports for managers and courts.

Responsibilities

• Provide evidence-based mental and physical health assessments and reports.
• Promote mental/physical health and refer to appropriate health services.
• Contribute to programmes to reduce offending risk; develop group work for youth in the crime system.
• Provide supervision and consultation to other professionals and supervise students on placement.
• Provide pre-sentence reports to Crown and Magistrates Court as needed.

Skills

Mental health assessment

Risk assessment

Interdisciplinary collaboration

Liaison with CAMHS

Education

Registered healthcare professional

Tools

Record keeping

Job description

Job overview

The post holder will provide assessment, interventions and reports regarding mental and physical health, drug and substance misuse issues and contribute to programmes designed to reduce the risk of offending behaviour. Prison visits and working with young people in custodial establishments is an important part of the post. Close working links will be maintained with the wider SET CAMHS. The post holder must be professionally qualified and registered with an appropriate regulatory or professional body, with relevant mental health and/or psychological therapy training.

Main duties of the job

Clinical

• 1. To provide evidence based mental and physical health and risk assessments, drug and substance misuse assessments, interventions and reports, both independently and alongside other professionals within the Youth Offending Service locally and the multi-agency network.
• 2. Promote and assess the mental and physical health of young offenders and refer to relevant health services as required.
• 3. Contribute to programmes designed to reduce the risk of offending particularly where the primary factors pertain to mental health and substance misuse issues.
• 4. Develop community based group work programmes to work with young people within the youth crime system, including prison visits.
• 5. Provide support and advice to the families, parents and carers of young offenders in relation to their emotional and mental health.
• 6. Provide supervision and consultation to other professionals providing parenting programmes, support and advice to the families, parents and carers of young offenders.
• 7. Provide assessment, risk assessment and interventions to sex offenders and refer, as necessary, to other services and agencies in order to meet identified needs where assessment indicates more specialised interventions and treatment.
• 8. Provide assessment of physical health needs, provide some direct intervention e.g. programmes of immunisation and refer to primary healthcare where appropriate e.g. dentist, GP, school, nursing and further immunisation.
• 9. Manage a defined limited caseload.
• 10. Refer young people, as necessary, to other services and agencies in order to meet identified needs where assessment indicates more specialised interventions and treatment e.g. drug and substance misuse.
• 11. Participate in regular individual, clinical and management supervision.
• 12. Maintain accurate computer and paper-based records, prepare formal reports, letters, case summaries and collect such information as required by the Youth Offender Team Managers and the Trust.
• 13. Develop and maintain operational and liaison links to the wider SET CAMHS, adult mental health services and specialist drug and substance misuse teams.
• 14. To work closely with the YOT Drugs Worker on common cases.
• 15. To provide pre-sentence reports to Crown and Magistrates Court, appear in Court as witness and to advise the Court.

Teaching, Training, Consultation

• 16. Offer consultation and advice to professionals seeking to understand the mental health of the client group, including other mental health professionals.
• 17. To support the delivery of teaching packages on adolescent mental health issues to other professionals e.g. magistrates, counsellors, school nurses and CAMHS.
• 18. Support the development of evidence based practice by participating in or conducting research and audit.
• 19. Take students on placement, providing supervision and guidance where appropriate.

General

• 20. Contribute to the operational and strategic development of the Youth Offending Service.
• 21. Maintain professional competence/standards through participation in individual performance review, continuing professional development and professional forums.
• 22. Observe the requirements of relevant legislation, including the Crime and Disorder Act, 1998, the Children Act, 1989, the Mental Health Act, 1983 and the Data Protection Act 1998.
• 23. Comply with Trust and Youth Offender Team policies and procedures, including commitment to equal opportunities and social inclusion.
• 24. Comply with the requirement of Child Protection Policy as agreed with the Youth Offender Team and Area Child Protection Committee.
• 25. To maintain confidentiality as per confidentiality policy.
• 26. Carry out other duties consistent with the grading of the post as required.

Starting with NELFT

NELFT place a great deal of importance on new starters being properly welcomed and inducted into the Trust. All new starters will join the Trust on the first Monday of each month and will undertake a comprehensive induction of up to two weeks which will include mandatory training, systems training and the allocation of equipment. As part of the process new starters will have the opportunity to also meet the executive team, senior managers and attend a number of drop-in sessions focusing on engagement, health and wellbeing and key processes. The induction will be held at our head office in Rainham, Essex.

Probationary Period

This post will be subject to a probationary period. Internal applicants are exempt from the probationary period (unless you are an internal applicant currently part way through a probationary period or currently a bank member of staff).

Working for Us

Joining #TeamNELFT means you’ll become part of a welcoming and supportive working environment. We’re CQC rated Good, and we want you to join us on the journey towards an Outstanding rating. NELFT has sites across North East London and Essex. We provide community and mental healthcare services to adults and children within these areas.

The Trust has award-winning equality and diversity initiatives, along with staff health and wellbeing activities. We invest significantly in your development because when you feel valued and supported, we can deliver the highest quality care to our patients. We are a Level 3 Disability Confident Leader, have been recognised in the Working Families Top 10 Employers benchmark for five consecutive years, and hold a Carers UK Level 1 Accreditation. Through our staff networks and training opportunities, we strive to foster a just and compassionate culture at NELFT.