Position overview

This is an exciting opportunity to join the collegial Forensic Mental Health Services (FMHS).

FMHS is a unit of Mental Health, Justice Health, and Alcohol & Drug Services, Justice Health Services (MHJHADS). FMHS provides mental health care across the lifespan and across a range of settings, including a centralised community health facility, youth and adult custodial facilities, off campus community liaison, court settings, and secure inpatient units. The care provided is underpinned by the National Principles for Forensic Mental Health Services. The service aims to provide collaborative care guided by principles of Recovery and involving the consumer, their carers and other key services.

FMHS is one service with three distinguishable, yet integrated service components as follows:

• Custodial Mental Health services including:
  • CMH – Child and Adolescent at Bimberi Youth Justice Centre (CMH – CA)
  • CMH – Adult at the Alexander Maconochie Centre (CMH – A)
• Forensic Inpatient Mental Health Services
  • Dhulwa Mental Health Unit
• Forensic Community Mental Health Services, including:
  • FMHS Forensic Consultation and Intervention Service (FoCIS)
  • ACT Fixated Threat Assessment Centre (ACT FTAC)
  • FMHS Mental Health Court Assessment and Liaison Service (MHCALS)

This position would primarily be based in the community facets of Forensic Mental Health Services, though could be based within other areas of the FMHS for suitably skilled and interested candidates.

Community facets of FMHS encompass a specialist multidisciplinary tertiary mental health service that aims to provide expert assessment, knowledge, and skills to general mental health services (including community and inpatient services) and other stakeholders (including police, courts, and custodial centres) regarding treatment and support of people experiencing mental illness/disorder who are at high-risk of offending and/or those already in the criminal justice system.

As a specialist area, clinicians within FMHS are provided with specialist training and specialist clinical supervision and are consistently encouraged to be involved in a collaborative and multidisciplinary team environment. Clinicians are supported to maintain continuing professional development requirements, appropriate to area of service provision, including forensic mental health-specific training, individual and group-based clinical supervision, research groups, and regular in-services.

Key Responsibilities

Under direction of the Clinical Lead, Community Forensic Mental Health Services, you are expected to provide, under supervision, quality mental health assessments to adults and young people presenting with mental illness who have had contact—or are at risk of having contact—with the criminal justice system, and contact with external stakeholders including community and inpatient mental health services, the ACT Administrative and Review Tribunal and ACT Law Courts.

Under supervision, you will prepare professional clinical reports and undertake forensic risk consultations with mental health clients including structured risk assessments for offending behaviours, and/or provide brief professional reports on general mental health issues to the ACAT and the ACT Law Courts.  As part of a collaborative team of allied health professionals, nurses, and psychiatrists, you will also provide consultation and liaison to various stakeholders regarding the treatment and management of high-risk individuals and people at various stages in the legal process. You will have the opportunity to provide targeted therapeutic interventions for problem behaviours appropriate to your training and skills, and will facilitate referral and follow-up where appropriate.

Staff working within FMHS are supported via access to regular clinical supervision, a collaborative and multidisciplinary team environment, and professional development appropriate to area of service provision.

You will report to the Clinical Lead of the relevant program area and will support them via keeping effective records and data sets, maintaining mandatory learning and professional registration, and participating in quality improvement activities and other service development processes.

You will:

1. Provide appropriate skilled assessment and interventions to individuals experiencing mental illness and/or those presenting at risk of self-harm/suicide who are involved with the criminal justice system.
2. Exercise independent judgment on routine matters and under decreasing professional supervision when performing novel, complex, or critical tasks.
3. Complete clinical and program records and prepare professional reports to standards required, and meet local and legislated documentation and data collection requirements.
4. Liaise effectively with a range of stakeholders, including other mental health services, government and non-government organisations.
5. Undertake clinical supervision and professional development activities and assist in the supervision and education of Health Professional/Psychologist Level 1 staff members, psychology interns, technical and other non-professional staff.
6. Participate in the analysis, evaluation, planning and implementation of services including quality improvement projects or research in specific area of work, as required.
7. Undertake other duties appropriate to this level of classification which contribute to the operation of the organisation.

Competencies

Specific responsibilities include but are not limited to the following.

• Adaptability and flexibility to accommodate change and respond to novel situations.
• Ability to communicate effectively with complex and challenging clients
• Resilience and calm in the face of conflict or uncertainty.
• Curiosity

Qualifications

Essential

• Psychologists: Registered or eligible for general registration with the Psychology Board of Australia under AHPRA
• Social Workers: Degree in Social Work and a member or eligible for membership of the AASW and hold a WWVP Act card.
• Occupational Therapists: Registered or eligible for general registration with the Occupational Therapy Board of Australia under AHPRA.

Desirable

• Postgraduate study or training in Forensic Mental Health or a related field.
• Have an understanding of how the National Safety and Quality Health Service (NSQHS) indicators align with this role.

Experience

Essential

• Minimum of 1-year, full-time equivalent, clinical experience post-qualification.

Desirable

• Professional experience in forensic mental health or a related field (i.e., custodial settings, community mental health, secure inpatient settings).
• Experience of working in public or acute mental health services or via other services engaged with public mental health clients.
• Experience or knowledge of the CHS Exceptional Care Framework and all other related frameworks.

Prior to commencement

Appointment to this position is conditional on being granted and retaining appropriate clearances:

• Pre-employment National Police Check.
• Current registration issued under the Working with Vulnerable People (Background Checking) Act 2011 is required.
• Comply with Canberra Health Services Occupational Assessment, Screening and Vaccination policy.
• Comply with CHS credentialing and scope of clinical practice requirements for allied health professionals.

Important information

All employees are required to:

• Adhere to the Canberra Health Services Values and the ACT Public Service Code of Conduct.
• Act in accordance and comply with all relevant Safety and Quality policies and procedures.
• Comply with all relevant clinical and/or competency standards.

CHS is leading the drive to digitally transform health service delivery in Australia through the implementation of a territory wide Digital Health Record. Computer literacy skills are required which are relevant to this role as you will be responsible for completing required documentation and becoming a proficient user of the Digital Health Record and/or other Information Technology systems; once proficient, you will need to remain current with changes, updates, and contingencies.

What you Require (Key Selection Criteria)

These are the key selection criteria for how you will be assessed in conjunction with your resumé and experience.

1. Proven ability to undertake collaborative mental health assessments, treatment planning and intervention for people experiencing significant mental health conditions.
2. A demonstrated understanding of the principles of Recovery and the implications for practice in a forensic population.
3. Proven effective verbal and written communication skills, including excellent clinical record keeping, and the ability to communicate clinical concepts effectively to a range of stakeholders.
4. A working knowledge of current mental health service provision in the community and other support services relevant to the successful care of mental health consumers in the community.
5. Demonstrates understanding of, and adherence to, safety and quality standards, work, health, and safety (WH&S) and the positive patient experience. Displays behaviour consistent with CHS’s values of reliable, progressive, respectful, and kind.

Work environment description

The following work environment description outlines the inherent requirements of the role and indicates how frequently each of these requirements would need to be performed. Please note that the ACT Public Service is committed to providing reasonable adjustments and ensuring all individuals have equal opportunities in the workplace.