Support Practitioner – Maternity Cover

Job Title:	Support Practitioner (Day Shifts) – 12 months maternity cover
Responsible to:	Service Manager
Responsible for:	N/A
Hours of Work:	37.5 hrs per week
Location:	YMCA Together Nightingale House
Salary and benefits:	£25,177 per annum Holiday entitlement is 25 days plus bank holidays Company Contributory Pension Scheme Medicash

 

YMCA Together is a registered charity and company Limited by Guarantee. We were founded in 1846 and so we build on a long history of providing a place for people experiencing challenging times in their lives.

YMCA Together is a truly value driven organisation.

Our vision is that everyone should feel safe, understood, empowered and positive for their future. We meet our vision by working within our values of Strength, Humility, Respect, Empathy and Kindness. These SHREK values run through all that we do from recruitment to how we work alongside people in our services to our partnership approach with other providers.

Our clear vision and values come together to help us in our mission to inspire and support people to change their lives by instilling hope, valuing the person and maximising potential.

Job Purpose

To provide stepped up, crisis care to people to prevent an initial hospital admission. YMCA Together are able to adapt and flex our current provision to enable a safe and therapeutically beneficial environment to support service users in crisis.

We provide crisis accommodation (stepped-up care) & delayed discharge accommodation (stepped-down care) within Stepping Stones and Drop In provision.

Duties and responsibilities

• To work as part of the daytime Support Team
• To provide an accommodation based support service to people in a period of crisis within a psychologically informed environment that is underpinned with a Trauma Informed Care approach
• To recognise that all people who access the service will be in a period of mental health crisis and will need a considered and planned response
• To ensure each service user will receive personalised support taking into account their identified risks and personal needs
• To provide a high level of therapeutic support to individuals in mental health crisis & professionally diagnosed complexities of needs
• To provide a safe, welcoming environment with excellent standards and an ethos of service delivery that encourages all service users to engage with support on offer
• To facilitate access to service 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
• To respond to emergency referrals and/or situations
• To offer a safe space with a temporary 7 day stay of crisis support whilst alternative arrangements for support & safe return to own accommodation are put in place
• To Support service users transitioning from Hospital Wards to achieve their goals and targets as defined/ agreed within the projects Multiple Needs Assessment Tool & Framework
• To safely facilitate a return to the home for clients accepted into the crisis accommodation-based support
• To implement practical, feasible &effective resettlement planning & support for clients accessing the delayed discharge accommodation-based service.

Specific Duties

• Receiving referrals for clients in mental health crisis & accommodation based social crisis (through Meresycare) via Crisis Resolution Home Support Team (CRHT), Community Mental Health Team (CMHT) Care Coordination & Integrated Hospital Discharge Teams
• Responding to referrals within set timescales (1 hour)
• Assess any referrals to determine suitability to the service & if accepted arrange for move into the accommodation
• Undertake initial needs & risk assessments
• Preparation of room prior to move in being completed
• Carry out induction to all new clients of the service
• Completion of housing benefit application and YMCA Together License Agreement
• Complete the welcome process to the service – which may include supporting with the preparation of food & drink
• Make arrangements for client to attend meetings with Crisis Resolution Home Support Team (CRHT) or Community Mental Health Team (CMHT) Care Coordinator
• Support with effective pathway & resettlement planning – what needs to be in place for clients when they return home or access their own independent accommodation
• Carry out evening welfare checks during every shift
• To monitor clients emotional & mental wellbeing
• To contribute to & to follow a 7-day reoccurring timetable for clients
• To contribute & follow every clients Wellness Plan – this covers 6 domains: Wellness Tools, Triggers, Early Warning Signs of Distress, Decline, Crisis Planning & Post Crisis Planning

• To facilitate &/or attend regular three-way meetings between ourselves, the service user, the Crisis Resolution Home Support Team (CRHT) or Community Mental Health Team (CMHT) to ensure progress and problems are discussed in a timely fashion.
• To work with a range of statutory and voluntary sector partners to address any identified needs
• Ensuring all clients are registered with a GP and dentist
• Referring & linking clients to specialist services & other community services where appropriate
• To provide client activities each evening in line with the set service activity timetable
• To socially engage with clients outside of designated timetabled activities to reduce social isolation & promote inclusion
• If required, in the event of an acute mental health episode/crisis, to follow the agreed service pathways with Merseycare & Crisis Resolution Home Support Team (CRHT), to ensure clients receive appropriate support
• To display a willingness to work with clients who display challenging behaviours which may include verbal aggression
• To deal promptly with all serious incidents, complaints and safeguarding/abuse disclosures
• To creatively support and engage with clients that have a wide range of complex and challenging support needs
• To provide appropriate support for referred “drop-in” clients who are unable to access our accommodation-based service, but require short-term overnight support, whilst suitable arrangements are made for their on-going support
• To provide 24/7 crisis telephone support for anyone who accessed the service previously or anyone referred via CPN to avoid attendance at A&E
• To monitor rent & personal service charge payments using housing management systems
• To support & facilitate effective resettlement planning sessions to enable clients to successfully move-on from the service
• Assisting service users in their personal hygiene and the general up-keep of their room
• To support in the turning around & cleaning of void rooms within limited timescales
• To provide “drop-in” support when required to clients of OUR House.

Health and Safety

• To liaise with all emergency services when necessary
• Ensure at all times the safety of yourself and others on the premises in which you work
• To conduct daily Health and Safety checks
• To report, log and communicate all incidents to the appropriate people
• Conduct welfare checks as specified during the shift
• Ensure adherence to YMCA Together visitor’s policy and procedure
• To adhere to all risk management protocols.

Teamwork

• To share information and expertise with the team, covering absence, and working together to provide a high-quality service
• To contribute to the formulation of policy and procedures in relation to support services
• To attend and participate in regular team meetings to ensure good communication.

 Professional Practice and Development

• Attend regular supervision sessions with the Service Manager in accordance with the supervision contract
• Maintain good professional practice and ensure ongoing development, through use of supervision and training
• Respect the confidentiality of clients using the service and be responsible for the security of personal and confidential information
• Carry out all these duties within the organisation’s safety guidelines
• Ensure personal records are correctly maintained
• Ensure effective communication with staff within YMCA Together
• Work flexibly to meet the changing needs of the organisation
• Undertake any other duties that may be reasonably requested
• Flexible and positive approach with all team members
• To be committed to learning and personal development both as an individual and as part of a team
• Develop and/or maintain excellent and robust relationships, protocols, contacts and service level agreements with Merseycare, referring agencies, statutory services and wider stakeholders
• Uphold and nurture YMCA’s Equal Opportunities policy of anti discrimination across all services
• Ensure compliance with code of conduct, including professional boundaries and confidentiality at all times.

It is recognised that the organisation is operating in a dynamic environment and as such this job description may be varied in consultation with the post holder to reflect evolving needs of the business and changing nature of the job.

Person Specification – Support Practitioner

	Essential	Desirable
Qualifications		Educated to level 3 in mental health, housing (CIH or equivalent) or Qualification or working experience in homelessness, mental health, housing or advice
Experiences	Experience of supporting people in a work environment Experience of partnership working Experience of formulating risk assessments Working experience of maintaining up to date electronic records and calendars	Experience of working within a psychologically informed environment (PIE) Experience of Trauma Informed Care and of working in a therapeutic environment
Knowledge	A working knowledge of providing support A working knowledge of Health & Safety issues A clear understanding of complex needs support issues such as mental health, homelessness, substance misuse and offending Knowledge of safeguarding protocols Understanding of how to deal with challenging and chaotic individuals	Knowledge of health interventions Knowledge of welfare rights
Skills	Computer literate, competent in working with Microsoft word, outlook, windows Excellent communication, engagement and interpersonal skills Excellent administration skills	Analytical, data collation and reporting skills
Behaviour/ Attributes	Committed to improving the lives of people with complex needs Committed to own personal development and CPD planning Creative and dynamic approach with the ability to “think outside of the box” when providing solutions Energetic, highly motivated with a reputation of being held in high regard by peers Excellent interpersonal/ communication skills Excellent negotiation/ mediation skills Committed to own career development Ability to work within & have commitment to YMCA ethos, philosophy and SHREK values, Strength, Humility, Respect, Empathy and Kindness Energetic, dynamic and self motivated

YMCA Together does not accept C.Vs. All applications must be made using the YMCA Together application form. To download a copy of our application form, please click HERE

To apply, please email your completed application form to recruitment@ymcatogether.org.uk