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Job summary

Main area
Senior Positive Behaviour Analyst
Grade
NHS AfC: Band 7
Contract
Permanent
Hours
  • Full time
  • Part time
  • Flexible working
37.5 hours per week
Job ref
812-24-PALMS-SPBA-A
Employer
Hertfordshire Community NHS Trust
Employer type
NHS
Site
Peace Children's Centre
Town
Watford
Salary
£43,742 - £50,056 per annum
Salary period
Yearly
Closing
20/05/2024 23:59

Employer heading

Hertfordshire Community NHS Trust logo

Senior Positive Behaviour Analyst

NHS AfC: Band 7

Job overview

PALMS (Positive behaviour, Autism, Learning disability, Mental health Service) is evolving and we want to welcome additional clinicians to be part of our vibrant and multidisciplinary team which includes Clinical Psychologists, Positive Behaviour Analysts, Systemic Therapists, Learning Disability Nurses, Psychiatrists, Mental Health Practitioners, Speech and Language Therapists and Outreach Workers.

With the continued evolution of PALMS we are seeking to appoint an additional Senior Positive Behaviour Analyst who is a motivated and forward thinking clinician and leader who can work flexibly and is committed to supporting CYP and their families across Hertfordshire and the full PALMS’ team

Main duties of the job

The ideal candidate will be:

  • Passionate about and have a desire to contribute to change 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
  • Have professional registration for your specialty

Working for our organisation

PALMS 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 Autism 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. Interventions include workshops, intervention groups, individual therapy, parent as therapist sessions, and a family clinic. PALMS aims to keep children and young people with their families 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.

Detailed job description and main 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.

We are committed to supporting flexible working options for staff, wherever possible, and welcome discussions on flexible working patterns to support our staff to maintain a healthy work life balance. 
We welcome diversity in our workforce and are interested in applicants from all backgrounds and ages

We can offer you:
•    Regular clinical and professional supervision including opportunities to meet as a team including peer reflection and Intervision
•    Regular appraisal, personal development planning and opportunities for continuing professional development. This includes specific support with regards to fulfilling the PALMS’ role. 
•    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.

Interviews will be run either in person at one of our bases or using Microsoft Teams, full details and instructions will be provided to successful candidates.


Closing date: 20th May midnight 2024
Interview date: 31st May 2024

Word versions of documents are available if needed to allow for any adaptations to be made i.e. font, colour, background, convert to Read Aloud.

Person specification

Training and Qualifications

Essential criteria
  • MSc in Applied Behaviour Analysis, Positive Behaviour Support, and / or Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities or equivalent
  • Accredited as a UKBA(Cert) and registered with the UK Society for Behaviour Analysis and / or
  • Board Certified Behaviour Analyst (BCBA) with eligibility for registration with the UKSBA
Desirable criteria
  • Further post graduate training in relevant areas of autism, mental health and / or research design and analysis.
  • Eligible to supervise candidates pursuing their UKBA(cert) or BCBA qualification

Experience

Essential criteria
  • Significant experience 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
  • Experience of taking a lead professionally
Desirable criteria
  • Clinical experience in a child learning disability context.
  • Experience of service quality monitoring.
  • Clinical experience of working in child and/or adolescent mental health context
  • Experience of delivering Clinical Supervision and Line Management
  • Experience of multi-disciplinary team working
  • Experience of co facilitating or delivering group interventions.

Knowledge and Skills

Essential criteria
  • 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 criteria
  • An interest in working children who have a learning disability and/or an autism 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 criteria
  • Eligible to live and work in the UK
  • Hold a full, valid, UK driving licence and have access to a car to use for business purposes (unless you have a disability as defined by the Equality Act 2010)
  • Willingness to travel to alternate locations to provide services.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Race CodeVeteran AwareApprenticeships logoNo smoking policyHSJ Best places to workCare quality commission - GoodDisability confident employerStep into health

Applicant requirements

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Documents to download

Apply online now

Further details / informal visits contact

Name
Kayleigh Rodbard
Job title
Clinical Lead & Senior Positive Behaviour Analyst
Email address
[email protected]
Telephone number
01727 582122
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