About the Role
Full-time (36 hours per week).
The Therapeutic Support Worker (Mental Health Practitioner) will work alongside multi-disciplinary professionals in a co-located Therapeutic Hub which offers therapeutic support to the children and families open to Children's Services, as well as expert advice to the practitioners supporting them.
In collaboration with other members of the Hub, the post-holder will triage and undertake assessments of children and young people open to Children’s Services with emerging and complex mental health and behavioural difficulties. They will provide time-limited, therapeutic interventions to improve the mental health and emotional well being of children and young people. They will undertake psycho-education sessions with families to improve their relationships and understanding of one another's needs. The goal is for this support to stabilise the placement of a child or young person with their family and to reduce the risk of them entering care, or to help support their reunification when they have been.
A core element of this role is to also support the children living in Sutton’s residential children’s homes, whom the Hub practitioners therapeutically support. The post-holder will provide support to the staff to ensure that the resident children are being cared for in the way most responsive to their needs, therefore stabilising their placement. They will also complete psycho-education sessions with families to increase their insight and, hopefully, to improve their relationships with their children and thus increase the chance of them returning home.
This role is most suited to a Registered Nurse (Mental Health/ Learning Disability) but we also welcome applications from those holding an alternative clinical skill-set (i.e. Occupational Therapist, Mental Health Social Worker).
About Us
The Therapeutic Hub is part of the Targeted Early Help and Integrated Support Service. We are an innovative multi-disciplinary team staffed by experienced and qualified practitioners. The team benefits from the expertise of professionals from mental health, speech and language, education and social care. We work together to offer therapeutic support to children and young people open to Children’s Services who have emerging or complex mental health or behavioural needs. This includes young people who are accommodated in residential or foster care. The Hub serves as a therapeutic support to Sutton’s in-house residential children’s homes.
The range of work with children and families is varied, dynamic and constantly developing in response to changes in the fields of developmental trauma, attachment and neurodevelopment.
The Therapeutic Hub supports the embedding of Sutton's practice models by promoting a restorative and trauma informed approach in our work, not only with children and families but also the systems surrounding them.
About You
This is a rare and exciting opportunity to be part of an innovative and developing service. We are a friendly and supportive team, staffed with passionate and aspirational practitioners. We are looking for an exceptional individual to join us and to make a real difference in the lives of children and their families.
We are looking for a self-motivated and enthusiastic professional who holds a recognised clinical/therapeutic qualification, and who has significant post-qualifying experience of working within specialist settings supporting the therapeutic needs of young people. It is most suited to a Registered Nurse (Mental Health/ Learning Disability) but we also welcome applications from those holding an alternative clinical skill-set (i.e. Occupational Therapist, Mental Health Social Worker). You will need to be registered with a governing body. You will have significant experience of assessing, planning and offering therapeutic interventions to children and young people with emerging or complex mental health concerns.
You will be proactive in your approach to learning, with a creative drive to promote the emotional well being and mental health of children and families who have been impacted by trauma. A good working knowledge of relevant legislation and current national guidelines and policies as they relate to mental health and children's safeguarding are essential, and prior experience in the child protection arena will be advantageous. A good working knowledge of trauma-informed practice, confidence with delivering training and providing group supervision is also required.
As the successful candidate will be working within a multidisciplinary and multidimensional model, you will need to have the necessary communication skills to work closely with both external and internal professionals to provide the best possible therapeutic care for the young people in receipt of the therapeutic service. Excellent communication, organisational, and written skills are essential as is the willingness to learn new skills in new areas.
Sutton combines a high quality of life, green and spacious, with distinctive town centres providing access to jobs and culture the capital has to offer.
Ofsted rated us as ‘Good’, with 'Outstanding' leadership, in December 2021. However, we have not rested but continue to strive to do more for families, strengthen practice and bring innovative ways of working across our systems.
As an organisation that values and nurtures talent, we’re committed to helping you fulfil your potential and will offer you a supportive, friendly and collaborative environment to grow and develop your career and skills. We’re constantly striving to improve our ways of working so putting your ideas across - however big or small - will be fully encouraged and supported by your colleagues and our dynamic and experienced management team.
In addition, we offer a modern and flexible working environment for our staff, supported by our IT infrastructure, including Google Chromebooks and Google Apps.
Employees have access to a wide range of benefits, some of which include:
Generous annual leave entitlement plus bank holidays (pro-rata if part-time working hours apply)
Flexi-time (Please note, this applies to roles at grades 1-9 only)
Comprehensive learning and development programme
Local and national discounts for shopping, eating out and leisure activities
Interest free season ticket loans
Local Government Pension Scheme
Car parking scheme
Bicycle loan facilities and cycle to work scheme
Zip car scheme
Free eye tests and contribution towards glasses
Confidential wellbeing and counselling support
Subsidised gym membership
Interested in working in Sutton? Hear from our staff below on why they think Sutton is a great place to be a Social Worker.
If you have any questions about applying for this role, please contact recruitment@sutton.gov.uk