Position overview

Mental Health, Justice Health and Alcohol and Drug Services (MHJHADS) provides support to children, youth and adults through inpatient and outpatient settings, community health centres, justice health facilities and other community settings, including people’s homes. We partner with our health care consumers, their family, carers, government, and community organisations to ensure that they receive the best possible care during their treatment and recovery.

All care that we provide is driven by our values of being kind, reliable, respectful, and progressive. We’re also guided by contemporary mental health and human rights legislation which means we operate within a framework that ensures the rights and dignity of people are promoted and protected.

MHJHADS services include:

• Adult Community & Older Persons Mental Health Services
• Adult Inpatient Mental Health Services
• Alcohol & Drug Services (ADS)
• Child & Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS)
• Justice Health Services (JHS)

Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) provides assessment and treatment for children and young people who are experiencing moderate to severe mental health issues. CAMHS provides governance for the Eating Disorders Services in the ACT.

The Eating Disorders Service, comprising of a number of programs: Eating Disorders Residential Treatment Centre, Eating Disorders Program, Eating Disorders Clinical Hub and Short-Term Recovery Intervention for Disordered Eating (STRIDE) Program provides support and treatment to children, adolescents and adults who are experiencing an eating disorder as their primary presenting issue.

The Eating Disorders Clinical Hub (The Hub) is the central referral point for access to all community-based eating disorders services in the ACT. The Hub provides and supports a range of coordinated eating disorders services within the ACT and provides a flexible and efficient “Stepped Care” treatment model. The Hub’s core business includes, assessment and treatment, care planning, group psychotherapy, consultation and liaison, education and training and system integration to strengthen eating disorders services across the Territory.

The Eating Disorders Residential Treatment Centre is a 12 bed health facility for people with a primary diagnosis of an eating disorder over the age of 16 who can be safely medically monitored and managed in the Centre but require further nutritional, psychological and psychosocial support to achieve long term recovery. It will have a homelike, residential feel and will focus on the psychological recovery of participants by providing specialist, intensive nutritional, psychological treatment with 24/7 nursing support for a period up to three months.

Key Responsibilities

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

Under limited direction of the management and senior clinicians for routine matters and under routine professional supervision for more complex tasks you will:

1.Undertake clinical assessment and evidence-based intervention, including meal therapy with young people and adults with an eating disorder, including those with complex needs. Clinical assessment and intervention include but is not limited to:

• Case formulation and treatment planning.
• Develop recovery plans in collaboration with participants and their families/carers where appropriate.
• Develop and facilitate group sessions or programs using evidence-based principles.
• Psychoeducation and evidence-based therapy interventions for eating disorders and co-occurring conditions in individual and family sessions.
• Discipline specific assessments that will inform a participant’s care plan.
• Crisis management and safety planning.

2.Participate within a multi-disciplinary team, which includes involvement in the clinical review of current clients.

3.Include parents, carers, children, guardians, Nominated Persons, GPs, and other service providers in the recovery and treatment planning process, as required.

4.Participate in clinical supervision, continuing professional development and personal performance review process. Provide professional supervision and training to staff at Health Professional Levels 1 as appropriate, students, Allied Health Assistants, and other support staff. Provide education to internal and external stakeholders.

5.Actively contribute to the implementation of clinical governance activities, quality improvement projects, research programs, and health promotion in areas relevant to service.

6.Work within the mental health 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.

• To be successful in this position, you will have a demonstrated track record of working in a multi-disciplinary team environment and supporting and contributing to a healthy workplace that embraces diversity, encourages collaborative teamwork and complies with all the applicable regulatory and legislative requirements set out for such a role.
• To be successful in this position, it is expected that the successful candidate will have the following attributes:
• Commitment to achieving positive outcomes for people presenting with eating disorders, their families and/or carers.
• Ability to work collaboratively within a multi-disciplinary team and be flexible, adaptable and comfortable with a changing working environment.
• Ability to respond to and prioritise competing demands in a calm and efficient manner while maintaining high work standards.

Qualifications

Essential

• Psychologists: Be registered or be eligible for general registration with Psychology Board of Australia under the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA).
• 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).
• Dietitian: Relevant qualifications, under the APD Registration - https://member.dietitiansaustralia.org.au/registerofAPD

Desirable

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

Experience

Essential

• A minimum of 12 months post-qualification experience working professionally in respective field.
• Must hold a current driver’s license.

Desirable

• Experience and or knowledge of working with people with eating disorders is desirable, however not essential.
• Experience in working with children and young people.
• 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) Act2011is 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. Proven ability to provide assessment, and evidence-based treatment to young people and adults with complex needs, including eating disorders, within a recovery framework.
2. Demonstrated ability to effectively liaise and consult with families, carers and other health professionals and agencies.
3. Demonstrated ability to work effectively as a member of a multidisciplinary team and to provide consultation on professional issues to non-clinical staff.
4. Demonstrated participation and willingness to participate in clinical research, quality improvement activities, training, teaching and clinical supervision.
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.