We are looking for a driven and creative Health Improvement Practitioner to join the Manchester Healthy Schools Team, to lead in the area of Drugs, Alcohol and Risk Taking Behaviours.

One of only a few programmes of its kind remaining across the country, the 'Manchester Healthy Schools' team is looking for a motivated and flexible person with a proven record of working with children and young people across public health education. Managing and co-ordinating work within various health and education settings can prove challenging. It also calls for a varied skill set. But, if you want a challenge, like building relationships with a range of professionals and enjoy training and educating others, this role presents a real opportunity to make a difference and have a positive impact on the health and wellbeing of Manchester's children and young people

Main duties of the job

We are Manchester Local Care Organisation - an exciting, new public-sector organisation that is bringing together NHS community health services and social care services in the city. A rewarding role for anyone wishing to make a difference to the health and education of children and young people, you will lead in the specialist area of drugs, alcohol and risk taking behaviours.

As the drugs, alcohol and risk taking behaviour practitioner specialist, you will have the chance to make a vital contribution to the delivery of evidence-based health promotion/health improvement programmes for children and young people

The post will require you to work closely with teachers and other professionals, both outside, and within education-based settings.

Educated to degree level in a relevant discipline or with an equivalent professional qualification, your strong communication, negotiation and leadership skills will enable you to deal with school staff and other health professionals. What's more, you should be comfortable working both independently and as part of a team in order to support the delivery of the Healthy Schools Programme.

Good planning, organisation and public speaking skills are key and we'll be looking for a competent trainer who is able to adapt their training style to suit various audiences.

A willingness to travel throughout the city in order to get the job done is important too. Accordingly, you'll need a full driving licence and your own car.

About us

MFT is one of the largest NHS Trust In England with a turnover of £2.8bn & is on a different scale than most other NHS Trusts. We're creating an exceptional integrated health & social care system for the 1 million patients who rely on our services every year.

Bringing together 10 hospitals & community services from across Manchester, Trafford & beyond, we champion collaborative working & transformation, encouraging our 28,000 workforce to pursue their most ambitious goals. We set standards that other Trusts seek to emulate so you'll benefit from a scale of opportunity that is nothing short of extraordinary.

We've also created a digitally enabled organisation to improve clinical quality, patient & staff experience, operational effectiveness & driving research, and innovation through the introduction of Hive our Electronic Patient Record system which launched in September 2022.

We're proud to be a major academic Research Centre & Education provider, providing you with a robust infrastructure to encourage and facilitate high-quality research programmes. What's more, we're excited to be embarking on our Green Plan which sets out how MFT continues to play its part in making healthcare more sustainable.

At MFT, we create and foster a culture of inclusion and belonging, provide equal opportunities for career development that are fair, open, and transparent, protecting your health and wellbeing and shaping the future of our organisation together.

Job description

Job responsibilities

To find out more about the key responsibilities and the specific skills and experience youll need, take a look at the Job Description & Person Specification attachments under the Supporting Documents heading. So that youre even more equipped to make an informed decision to apply to us, youll need to take time to read the Candidate Essentials Guide that sits with the Job Description and Person Specification. This document provides you with details about the Trust, our benefits and outlines how we care for you as you care for others. Most importantly, it also contains critical information youll need to be aware of before you submit an application form.

Diversity Matters

MFT is committed to promoting equality of opportunity, celebrating and valuing diversity and eliminating any form of unlawful discrimination across our workforce, ensuring our people are truly representative of the communities we serve. All individuals regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation are encouraged to apply for this post. As an inclusive employer, we are here to support you. If you have any special requirements to help you with your application, email our team at resourcing@mft.nhs.uk.

Were looking forward to hearing from you!

Person Specification

Experience

Essential

• Experience of working with schools and school staff/Healthy Schools Programmes
• Experience of working with children and young people
• Experience of delivering training or teaching about understanding of PSHE education, specifically in the field of drugs, alcohol and risk taking behaviours
• Experience of project management and leading health programmes and interventions
• Experience of undertaking monitoring and evaluation using data
• Experience of supporting the continued professional development of other professionals through training
• Experience of multi-agency partnership working
• Experience of working with diverse communities within an equality framework and an understanding of Equal Opportunities.
• Experience of policy development
• Experience of developing teaching and training resources including lessons and teaching curricula

Desirable

• Experience of delivering PSHE in a school setting
• Experience of working with parents
• Experience of working with young people vulnerable to risk taking behaviours with proven support and interventions
• Experience of delivering lessons and/or creating resources on gambling harms, knife crime and other risk taking behaviours

Skills/Ability

Essential

• Ability to communicate, negotiate and influence at a number of different levels.
• Ability to plan, deliver and evaluate training
• Ability to understand, analyse and use data to inform best practice
• Effective communication at all levels, including verbal, written and presentation skills
• I.T Skills e.g. Email, website maintenance/navigation, Microsoft office, Microsoft Teams and/or other online delivery methods

Knowledge and Understanding

Essential

• Knowledge and understanding of the theory and practice of health promotion and/or public health
• Knowledge and understanding of the issues leading to health inequalities
• Understanding of improving health outcomes for children and young people
• Understanding of national policy drivers for drugs, alcohol and risk taking behaviours for children and young people
• Understanding of current guidance including the statutory requirement for drugs and alcohol, policy and legislation

Desirable

• Knowledge and understanding of young people vulnerable to risk taking behaviours such as drug and alcohol misuse, gambling harms, knife crime, child criminal exploitation.

Personal attributes/other

Essential

• Self-motivated and able to work under own initiative
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team
• Good organisational skills
• Undertaken continual professional development
• Flexible and co-operative approach
• Full UK driving license and access to a vehicle
• Willing to travel throughout the city

Education

Essential

• Education to relevant degree or equivalent professional qualification in the field of drugs, alcohol and risk taking behaviours, School Nursing, teaching (PGCE) or Public Health.

Desirable

• Youth Work Qualification

Employer details

Employer name

Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Community

Wythenshawe Offices, Stancliffe Road

Manchester

M22 4PJ

Any attachments will be accessible after you click to apply.

349-LCO-V6448413-*C