Position overview

Mental Health, Justice Health, Alcohol & Drug Services (MHJHADS) provide health services directly and through partnerships with community organisations. The services provided a range from prevention and treatment to recovery, maintenance, and harm minimisation. Consumer and carer participation is encouraged in all aspects of service planning and delivery. The Division works in partnership with consumers, carers and a range of government and non-government service providers to ensure the best possible outcomes for clients.

The Division delivers services at a number of locations, including hospital inpatient and outpatient settings, community health centres, detention centres, other community settings including peoples’ homes.

These 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)

CAMHS provides assessment and treatment for young people up to the age of 18 years who are experiencing moderate to severe mental health issues. CAMHS also provides high-quality tertiary mental health care for young people aged 14-25 experiencing first onset psychosis.

The Senior Mental Health Clinician will under limited direction of the Specialist Youth Mental Health Outreach (SYMHO) Team Manager, work within a recovery framework to provide assertive engagement, assessment, therapeutic intervention, and clinical management for young people at high risk of developing a serious long-term mental illness. The position will hold a caseload and provide clinical leadership within the multi-disciplinary team.

Key Responsibilities

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

1. Work collaboratively with young people, their families and carers, the multidisciplinary team and other health and community service providers to develop and implement cohesive, recovery-oriented responses to the needs of young people and their families and carers.
2. Provide clinical leadership, support, consultation, and liaison to other team members, other CHS employees and to external health care and community service providers, such as general practitioners and non-government agencies.
3. Maintain high-quality health care records, including accurate and timely completion of risk assessments, file notes and outcome measurement tools.
4. As an active team member you will contribute to team development and initiatives and be involved in service development through membership of committees and working parties.
5. Undertake and provide clinical supervision and 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 competencies include but are not limited to the following.

1. Ability to work effectively independently and within a multi-disciplinary team.
2. Be flexible and adaptable in an often fast paced and changing environment.
3. Commitment to achieving positive outcomes for young people and their families and carers.
4. Ability to respond to and prioritise competing demands in a calm and efficient manner while maintaining high work standards.
5. Understanding of the Mental Health Act and other relevant legislation that may apply to this position.

Qualifications

Essential

Psychologists:

• Relevant tertiary qualifications
• Be registered or be eligible for registration with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA).

Social Workers:

• Relevant tertiary qualifications
• Eligibility for professional membership of the Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW)
• Registration or eligibility for registration under the Working with Vulnerable People Act 2011

Occupational Therapists: 

• Relevant tertiary qualifications
• Be registered or be eligible for registration with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA).

Desirable

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

Experience

Essential

• Minimum of 3 (preferably 5) years’ experience working professionally in a related relevant organisation.

Desirable

• Previous experience working with young people in a similar setting.
• Proficient computer literacy skills.
• 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.

1. Proven high level ability in assertively engaging with young people, including those who are reluctant to engage with services.
2. Demonstrated high level mental health knowledge, skills and experience in clinical assessment and therapeutic intervention to young people experiencing mental health difficulties, utilising evidence-based practice.
3. Demonstrated experience in and commitment to working collaboratively with young people and their families and carers, the multidisciplinary team and other health and community service providers to develop and implement cohesive, recovery-oriented responses to the needs of young people and their families and carers.
4. Demonstrated keen participation 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 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.