Job overview

An exciting opportunity has arisen to work along side the existing perinatal mental health specialist in Brighton and Hove  .    The Post holder, working within Sussex Community Foundation Trust (SCFT) will be responsible for leading and developing Perinatal and Infant Mental Health services across the local health sector The Post holder will ensure, jointly with other services, the development of multi-disciplinary pathways, policies, and procedures to address the mental health needs of women in the perinatal period and their families. This is an established service and the team  also work collaboratively with their west Sussex counterparts . The post sits within the Brighton and Hove Heathy Futures Team based at Tarner Family Hub a highly specialist team that works with hard to reach families  and vulnerable families and is well supported by our safeguarding team   and nursing Heads of service  providing robust clinical supervision and support.

Main duties of the job

The post holder will act  as a specialist practitioner to manage, develop and lead family based care in the perinatal period where the parents have or are at risk of developing mental health difficulties and where these are likely to impact on their infant’s emotional development. This will supplement the care given by the universal health visiting service.

 Act as an advocate for parents and their infants with perinatal mental health difficulties to ensure they receive active and effective care. This will be done by liaison with adult mental health, perinatal services and other partner agencies.

To Lead on Perinatal and Infant Mental Health training for all 0-5 teams in line with NICE/IHV guidance and the HCP, including the roll out of Promotional Guides. Provide awareness training for partner and third sector agencies. The post holder will lead the provision of perinatal and infant mental health awareness training, support and advice to the wider workforce

 To improve the quality of the learning environment by providing evidence-based consultation, support, supervision and training to colleagues to develop their skills in critical thinking, reflective practice and knowledge about perinatal and infant mental health and the importance of whole family engagement. This will include identifying, sourcing and planning training required for clinical teams and leading the evaluation and benefits realisation of the impact of training on clinical outcomes.

Working for our organisation

We are the main provider of NHS community services across East and West Sussex, with 6,000 staff serving 1.3 million people. We deliver essential care to adults and children, helping them manage their health, avoid hospital admissions, and reduce hospital stays.

Our Trust vision is to provide excellent care at the heart of the community. We offer opportunities across medical, clinical, support, and corporate services.

Why work for us?
•    Positive 2024 NHS Staff Survey results, highlighting compassionate leadership and wellbeing
•    Varied environments: community hospitals, patients’ homes, and bases across Sussex
•    Flexible working options: part-time, flexi-time, annualised hours, and flexi-retirement
•    Excellent training, development, and research opportunities
•    Accredited Living Wage Employer, we ensure fair pay for all our staff
•    Cost-effective workplace nurseries in Crawley, Hove, and Brighton
•    Active EMBRACE, Disability & Wellbeing, LGBTQIA+, and Religion & Belief networks
•    Level 3 Disability Confident Leader and Veteran Aware Trust

Our values—Compassionate Care, Working Together, Achieving Ambitions, Delivering Excellence—guide everything we do.

We embrace diversity and encourage applications from all backgrounds, particularly from ethnically diverse, disabled, and LGBTQIA+ individuals. We aim to create an inclusive environment and support reasonable adjustments during recruitment.

This post may close early if sufficient applications are received.