Position overview

This is an exciting opportunity to lead the collegial Custodial Mental Health Service, within Forensic Mental Health Services.

Forensic Mental Health Services (FMHS) is a unit of Mental Health, Justice Health, and Alcohol & Drug Services, Justice Health Services. 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 (CMH) including:
  • CMH – Child and Adolescent at Bimberi Youth Justice Centre (CMH – CA)
  • CMH – Adult at the Alexander Maconochie Centre (CMH – A)
• Forensic Mental Health Inpatient Service (FMHIS)
  • Dhulwa Mental Health Unit
• Forensic Community Mental Health Services (FCMHS) including:
  • FMHS Forensic Consultation and Intervention Service (FoCIS) including:
  • ACT Fixated Threat Assessment Centre (ACT FTAC)
  • FMHS Mental Health Court Assessment and Liaison Service (MHCALS)

Custodial Mental Health Services (CMHS) is responsible for the delivery of high-quality mental health care to adults in custody at the Alexander Maconochie Centre (AMC), and to young people at Bimberi Youth Justice Centre (BYJC) experiencing moderate to severe mental health concerns.

This position is based at the Alexander Maconochie Centre and Bimberi Youth Justice Centre.

As a specialist area, clinicians within FMHS are provided with specialist training and specialist clinical supervision. Clinicians are also supported to maintain any continuing professional development requirements, appropriate to area of service provision, such as attendance to group supervision, research groups, and/or in- services.

*Note: The role is a co-classified position for HPO4 or RN4.1.

Key Responsibilities

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

As Team Manager of Custodial Mental Health, you will be expected to oversee the provision of high-quality mental health care including legislated induction screening, assessment and management of detainees at risk of self-harm or suicide, and community equivalent psychiatry services within the ACT’s two correctional centres - the Alexander Maconochie Centre and Bimberi Youth Justice Centre. You will be required to manage a multidisciplinary team of clinical staff including medical, nursing, and allied health professionals, provide clinical governance in respect to clinical service provision, complete a range of administrative tasks including supporting rostering, lead quality improvement activities, and liaise effectively with partner agencies including JHS Custodial Health, other health services, ACT Corrective Services, CYF, and external agencies such as NGOs. You will be supported by a Clinical Nurse Consultant and report to the Senior Manager, Forensic Mental Health Services.

You will:

• Coordinate, review and manage allocated human and material resources of the Custodial Mental Health team to facilitate the safe and effective delivery of quality clinical and therapeutic mental health services. This includes supporting roster development and leave planning to ensure adequate skill mix, resource availability, and continuity of care within a complex and high-risk custodial environment.
• In collaboration with the Senior Manager of FMHS, provide professional consultation and liaison to a range of stakeholders including ACTCS, other MHJHADS services, other health providers, NGOs and oversight agencies.
• Coordinate staff performance management processes, orientation and training and provide support for learning and development requirements for staff & students in collaboration with the Senior Manager FMHS and in consultation with the Discipline Principals.
• Provide leadership and have accountability for the development, delivery, and evaluation of high-quality clinical and therapeutic mental health services within a complex custodial environment. This includes managing team activity against governance requirements and service KPIs, while ensuring the efficient use of human and physical resources.
• Contribute to policy development and lead implementation, actively contribute to planning and to the maintenance of clinical standards for the team in collaboration with the Forensic Mental Health Clinical Director and Operational Director, Senior Manager FMHS, Discipline Principals and staff.
• Identify and address clinical governance issues within the service to ensure a best practice standard of care and safety, including policy and systems review, and quality improvement activities.
• Promoting quality activities and processes that support compliance with the National Safety and Quality Health Service Standards and contribute to the governance structure by active participation in service development, committees, policy development and other relevant working groups.
• Undertaking other duties appropriate to this level of classification which contribute to the operation of the section with the delivery of person and family centred, safe and high-quality patient care.

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 and with influence on clinical issues.
• Resilience and calm in the face of conflict or uncertainty.

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 card.
• Occupational Therapists: Registered or eligible for general registration with the Occupational Therapy Board of Australia under AHPRA.

Desirable

• Current driver’s licence.
• Post-graduate qualifications 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 5 years post-qualification work experience.
• Prior experience in public mental health, and/or a correctional setting.

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.

1. Demonstrated clinical leadership and competence in providing and coordinating evidence-based assessment, care planning, and risk management for individuals with moderate to severe mental illness.
2. Proven ability to provide effective leadership, operational oversight, and human resource management of a multidisciplinary team to deliver high-quality health services.
3. Demonstrated excellence in communication, negotiation, and conflict resolution skills with a demonstrated ability to foster collaborative relationships with stakeholders to ensure effective health service delivery.
4. Demonstrated ability in developing, implementing and reviewing systems to ensure effective, responsive clinical governance and quality outcomes including initiating service evaluation, quality improvement activities, policy development, and implementing change.
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.