Position overview

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

The team provides specialist perinatal consultation, mental health assessment and advice to clients and to referring services.

The service also provides psychoeducation 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.

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 triaging, assessment and case formulation, evidence based individual and group therapeutic interventions and consultation to perinatal women (and their families) who are experiencing significant mental health difficulties, 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 planning 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, liaison and education to clients and their families, to other CHS services and employees, and to external health care and community service providers, such as general practitioners and non-government agencies.
4. Work collaboratively as a multi-disciplinary team member, contributing discipline specific clinical expertise and participation in research, quality initiatives and contributions to the multidisciplinary team needs and processes.
5. Undertake clinical supervision and professional development activities and provide clinical supervision as required.
6. Work within the Mental Health Act and other relevant legislation.
7. Undertake the  duty officer role.
8. Undertake other duties appropriate to this level of classification which contribute to the operation of the organisation.

Competencies

Specific competencies include but are not limited to the following.

• Clinical skills, including the ability to conduct a comprehensive mental health assessment, including a mental state examination, with a specialist perinatal focus, also including group work facilitation.
• Communication skills, including the ability to consult and liaise with clients and their families and other professionals working in the perinatal sector.
• Ethical practice, such as maintaining patient confidentiality and making sound clinical decisions.
• Demonstrated ability to apply specialist knowledge and discipline-specific skills.
• Strong ability to work collaboratively within a multidisciplinary team, with a high level of verbal and written communications skills.
• Ability to engage respectfully with patients, carers, staff, and other stakeholders.
• Maintain a high level of accuracy and attention to detail, particularly in clinical documentation.
• Active participation in quality improvement, to improve the quality and outcomes of the service.

Qualifications

Specific qualifications include, but are not limited to, the following.

Essential

• Relevant Tertiary qualifications in Social Work or Occupational Therapy.
• Social Workers: Degree in Social Work, professional membership, or eligibility for professional membership of the Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW), and registration under the ACT Working with Vulnerable People Act 2011.
• Occupational Therapists: Be registered or be eligible for general registration with Occupational Therapy Board of Australia under the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA).
• Must hold a current driver’s license.

Desirable

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

Experience

Specific experience include, but are not limited to, the following.

Essential

• Applicants must have a minimum of 3 years paid work experience in a related/relevant organisation/service.

Desirable

• Prior knowledge and/or experience in supporting women in the perinatal and postnatal period is highly desirable.
• Prior knowledge and/or experience in mental health is highly desirable.
• Experience or knowledge of the CHS Exceptional Care Framework and all other related frameworks.

Please note prior to commencement successful candidates will be required to:

• Undergo a 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 the 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. Demonstrates high level mental health knowledge, skills and experience in clinical assessment, evidence based therapeutic interventions, care planning and group work for people with moderate to severe mental health presentations within a trauma informed, attachment based and recovery framework.
2. Demonstrates ability to effectively communicate, liaise and consult, and work in partnership with a range of people, parents, families, carers, other health professionals and agencies to improve clinical outcomes for parents and their infants.
3. Demonstrates experience in working effectively as a health professional within a multidisciplinary team.
4. Demonstrates 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.