Are you a motivated, forward thinking clinician who is looking to join an ever growing and evolving team? PALMS are seeking to appoint a Senior Positive Behaviour Analyst who can work flexibly and is committed to supporting the full PALMS' team as well as CYP and their families across Hertfordshire.

PALMS is evolving and we want to welcome additional clinicians to be part of our vibrant and multi-disciplinary team who include Clinical Psychologists, Positive Behaviour Analysts, Systemic Therapists, Learning Disability Nurses, Psychiatrists, Mental Health Practitioners, Speech and Language Therapists and Outreach Workers.

Main duties of the job

The ideal candidate will be:

• Passionate about and have a desire to contribute to change and development in a vibrant NHS team
• Dedicated to supporting CYP with autism and/or learning disability and their families
• Collaborative in their approach to work with families, networks, and others services
• Able to work both in a team environment and autonomously
• Able to maintain a high degree of professionalism when working in settings where there is a highly emotive atmosphere.
• Flexible in their approach and have resilience under pressure

About us

PALMS (Positive behaviour, Autism, Learning disability, Mental health Service) works across Hertfordshire providing a specialist multi-disciplinary approach. PALMS is a CAMHS commissioned service which offers individually tailored support for children and young people (CYP), aged 0-18 who have a global learning disability and/or Autistic Spectrum Disorder, helping families to manage challenging behaviour, toileting, feeding and sleeping concerns which have not benefitted from community interventions and/or to support mental health needs which cannot be met with reasonable adjustment by other CAMHS services. Additionally, PALMS also supports problematic sexualised behaviours. Interventions include workshops, groups, individual therapy, parent as therapist sessions, and a family clinic. PALMS aims to keep children and young people with their families within Hertfordshire thereby improving outcomes for all family members.

PALMS predominantly applies narrative, systemic, positive behaviour, and bio-psycho social models adhering to the STOMP / STAMP and Transforming Care Agendas.

Job description
Job responsibilities

PALMS principally deliver a flexible service according to need and personal circumstances, in a planned way. For example, for a full-time worker this equates to flexibly working 37.5 across the working week. PALMS are open to flexible working and therefore part time / job share would be considered, working a minimum of 0.6 WTE.

The post is Fixed Term for 2 years and will cover the East and North of the county Hertfordshire with a principle base in QEII Hospital, Welwyn Garden City.

We have continued to support CYP and their families through the COVID19 pandemic embracing virtual working whilst continuing to offer face to face work where clinically appropriate. Virtual working offers flexibility to both team members and families and is now embedded in the PALMS team.

We can offer you:

• Regular clinical and professional supervision
• Regular appraisal, personal development planning and opportunities for continuing professional development. This includes specific support with regards to fulfilling the PALMS role. Recent examples include the team undertaking training in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), sleep assessment and intervention, and systemic and family practice.
• Regular opportunities to meet as a team including peer reflection and Intervision.
• Opportunities to work closely with a multi-disciplinary team and learn from other evidence based frameworks and approaches.
• Opportunities to provide clinical supervision and line management to other members of the PALMS team as appropriate.
• Opportunities to connect with local and national networks
• Involvement in providing training.
• 27 days annual leave, 29 if you have worked for the NHS for 5 years and 33 if you have worked for the NHS for 10 years, in addition to 8 days bank holidays.
• Entitlement to the NHS pension scheme.

Closing date for applications will be midnight on Sunday 10th July 2022 with interviews running Friday 22nd July 2022. Interviews will be run using Microsoft Teams and full details and instructions will be provided to successful candidates

Whilst it is not a legal requirement, Hertfordshire Community NHS Trust encourages and supports all staff to be vaccinated as this remains the best line of defence against COVID-19.

Person Specification
Training and Qualifications
Essential

• MSc in Applied Behaviour Analysis and / or Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities or equivalent.

Desirable

• Further post graduate training in relevant areas of autism, mental health and / or research design and analysis.
• Accredited or working towards Board Certified Behaviour Analyst (BCBA),

Experience
Essential

• Minimum of 2 years of working clinically with people who have intellectual and developmental disabilities and / or an autistic spectrum disorder including the application of Applied Behaviour Analysis.
• Comprehensive assessment and intervention of challenging behavior including physical aggression, verbal aggression, self injurious behavior and comprehensive assessment and intervention of toileting, feeding and sleeping concerns.
• Development of positive behavioural support plans.
• Implementation and evaluation of positive behaviour support plans.
• Experience of working with individual's who are non-verbal or who have significant communication difficulties.
• Attendance and participation at multi disciplinary meetings.
• Experience of teaching and training others, using a variety of multi-media materials.
• Experience of providing clinical supervision.
• Experience of multi-disciplinary team working

Desirable

• Implementation of the periodic service review.
• Experience of service quality monitoring.
• Experience of working in a mental health setting with children and young people.
• Experience of duty working as part of a crisis pathway
• Experience of taking a lead professionally
• Line management experience

Knowledge and Skills
Essential

• High level of communication skills (written and verbal) including an ability to communicate and work in settings in which the atmosphere may be highly emotive, abusive or hostile.
• Ability to communicate sensitive information to service users, carers and colleagues
• An understanding of the impact of challenging behaviour.
• An ability to make autonomous clinical judgements involving highly complex facts and situations
• Up to date knowledge of policies and procedures and clinical issues relating to specific client group.
• Practical computing skills including the use of databases and spreadsheets

Personal Abilities
Essential

• An interest in working children who have a learning disability and/or an autistic spectrum disorder.
• Values that match positive behaviour practices.
• Positive interpersonal skills
• An ability to interact with children who have a learning disability and or an autistic spectrum disorder and their families.
• An ability to interact effectively with staff from all disciplines.
• Ability to establish and maintain professional relationships
• An ability to work effectively in a range of direct care settings with families, carers and staff.
• Good organisational skills and an ability to manage their workload
• Ability to work independently, reliably and consistently
• Capable of using initiative and maintaining professional boundaries.
• Ability to concentrate for prolonged periods
• Ability to use supervision appropriately and effectively.
• Ability to work as part of a 'virtual team'.
• Ability to work with children & young people whose behaviour is personally challenging.
• Ability to think clearly and express self

Other Specifications
Essential

• Car driver (unless having a disability as defined by the Equality Act 2010)

Any attachments will be accessible after you click to apply.

812-22-PALMS-SPBA