Position overview

The Perinatal and Infant Mental Health Consultation Service (PIMHCS) is a community based, multidisciplinary service for women with moderate to severe mental health problems who are planning pregnancy, are pregnant, and in the first year after birth.

We aim to provide specialist perinatal consultation, mental health assessment and advice to clients and to referring services. Our service delivery is attachment theory based and trauma informed, with a strengths and recovery focus.

The PIMHCS aims to be responsive and flexible in our service delivery, recognising the importance of the mother-infant relationship and keeping the needs and safety of the child central to care and treatment planning.

The role will require the team member to provide triage, assessment and clinical interventions to perinatal women and their families, experiencing complex mental health with significant psychosocial issues.

The PIMHCS clinical and support services include psychiatric clinics, GP consultation, comprehensive perinatal mental health assessments and treatment planning as well as collaborative work with other mental health clinicians, midwives and other support services, such as the child and family centres and CYPS.

The service also provides psychoeducation, therapeutic support in adjusting to pregnancy and parenting, and mother-infant attachment interventions including the Circle of Security (COS) parenting program, Mother-Infant Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (MI-DBT) and Building Blocks, an infant lead play mother-infant group.

Health Professional Officers within the CAMHS are expected to be actively involved in professional development and supervision, participate in quality improvement initiatives and contribute to the multidisciplinary team. Additionally, the role is required to be available to work within all program areas of CAMHS, as service needs arise.

Note:

• An Order of Merit may be used to fill future identical full time and part time temporary vacancies across CAMHS within a 12-month period.
• Selection may be based on written application and referee reports only.

Key Responsibilities

Specific responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following:

1. Within a recovery framework, trauma informed and attachment focused lens, provide perinatal mental health assessment and case formulation, evidence based individual and group therapeutic interventions to perinatal women (and their families), who are experiencing significant mental health issues, complex trauma and psychosocial stress.
2. Work collaboratively with the multi-disciplinary team, which includes participation in the clinical review of clients, the development and implementation of recovery-oriented care and safety plans for perinatal clients and their infants and the maintenance of high-quality and accurate health care records, including risk assessments.
3. Provide clinical support, consultation and liaison to other ACT health employees and to external health care and community service providers, such as general practitioners and non-government agencies.
4. As an active team member contribute to team development and quality improvement initiatives through the membership of committees, staff meetings and working parties.
5. Undertake and provide clinical supervision and participate in professional development activities.
6. Work within the Mental Health Act and other relevant legislation.
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.

• Ability to work productively, professionally, and generously within a multi-disciplinary team.
• Commitment to achieving positive outcomes for parents, their infants, families and/or carers.
• Ability to respond to and prioritise competing demands in a calm and efficient manner while maintaining high work standards.
• Be flexible, adaptable and comfortable with a changing, exciting and challenging working environment.

Qualifications

Essential

• For Social Work
  • Degree in Social Work
  • Professional membership or eligibility for professional membership of the Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW)
  • Registration under the ACT Working with Vulnerable People Act 2011
• For Psychology
  • Degree in psychology
  • Be registered or be eligible for general registration as a Psychologist with Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA).
• For Occupational Therapy
  • Degree in occupational therapy
  • Be registered or be eligible for registration with Occupation Therapy Board of Australia and eligible for professional membership of Occupational Therapy Australia.

Desirable

• Have an understanding of how the National Safety and Quality Health Service (NSQHS) indicators align with this role.

Experience

Essential

• A minimum of 1 years’ post-qualification experience working professionally in respective field.

Desirable

• 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 and must be addressed in your application:

1. Demonstrated ability to provide perinatal mental health assessment of parents with moderate to severe mental health issues, utilising evidence based (individual and group) therapeutic interventions within a trauma informed, attachment based and recovery framework.
2. Demonstrated ability to effectively consult, support and work in partnership with families, carers, other health professionals and agencies, to improve therapeutic outcomes for the PIMHCS clients and their infants.
3. Demonstrated ability to work effectively as a member of a multidisciplinary team.
4. Demonstrated involvement and willingness to participate in clinical research, quality improvement activities, training, teaching, clinical supervision, and the supervision of others.
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.