Lead Practitioner - RISE

Job Title: Lead Practitioner - RISE

Responsible to: Service Manager - RISE

Salary: £24,007.00 - £25, 839.00

Hours of Work: 36.25hrs 5 days over 7. This role includes weekend work, early morning, and evenings and on call responsibilities

Main Responsibilities

To support the Service Manager in delivering the RISE care at home service through key working with Service Users who have forensic mental health issues and are at high risk of embarking upon offending behaviour or have had offending behaviour in the past, on a basis as outlined in the support package to reduce/prevent offending behaviour. Encourage community integration and sustain their tenancy independently wherever possible. The Lead Practitioner will also carry out induction and mentoring of new staff, supervising practitioners and deputising on behalf of management as required with responsibilities such as directly supervising support workers attending multi-agency meetings and working closely with the Care Managers. The Lead Practitioner will also manage the weekly rota and both Care Planner and PASS systems to ensure that they are maintained accurately.

Job Activities

• To understand the physical, emotional, cultural, and social needs of the service users, including a wide range of needs, illnesses and disabilities
• An understanding of working with people who have mental health problems and people who may be vulnerable in their home and their communities
• Working to a person-centred and enabling approach
• To observe and promote the service user’s choice, independence, dignity, privacy, fulfilment and other rights
• To create and maintain good communication and develop effective working relationships with service users, families and multi-disciplinary teams
• To actively support the Support Practitioners, through field-based induction and by providing support and supervision in line with national and organisational guidelines and standards
• Development, implementation and review of risk managed and outcomes focused care plans with service users
• To work pro-actively and responsively to ensure a continued high level of service provision and safe and appropriate risk management
• Delivery and facilitation of training and accurate training record keeping
• Work with Service Users to provide daily support and monitoring in the home and the community in accordance with the requirements of Care Management.
• Ensuring the appropriate risk assessments are in place for all activities carried out and monitoring as required, ensuring compliance to licence conditions, reporting any and all breaches of these immediately and as directed.
• Form, develop and maintain relationships with service users, key working Service Users, in line with their care packages to reduce/prevent offending behaviour, re-integrate into society and sustain their tenancy with support.
• Engage with and support service users to support and assist in the community reintegration.
• To maintain service user records via Care Planner and PASS, submitting them as instructed to the Care Manager, Police and other Multi Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) partners as appropriate.
• To encourage service users to make appropriate practical arrangements regarding accommodation, employment, education and training needs.
• Assess and review service users’ circumstances through accurate & appropriate information gathering and review meetings with Care Management.
• Ensure that the basic needs of service users are addressed and met (food, shelter, warmth, bathing, clothing, etc.).
• Provide service users with ongoing support in their tenancies, liaising and working with a range of agencies on their behalf where required.
• Assist service users in identifying external sources of support and to engage with other agencies in relation to improving their lifestyle (including accommodation situation, economic well-being, health, quality of life, practical skills, social functioning, general outlook and reduction in risky behaviour).
• Intervene in a crisis to effectively pre-empt and/ or de-escalate accidents and incidents.
• Engage in partnership working by liaising/working with a range of agencies on behalf of service users, including social work, housing, health, police, courts, utility companies, debt agencies, Department for Work & Pensions, other voluntary sector organisations and other professionals such as lawyers, etc. to ensure a seamless service is delivered.
• Advocate on service users’ behalf and generally assist them with communication issues.
• Work with service users to tackle debts, to manage budgets and maximise their income.
• Provide emotional support to service users.
• Assist service users with substance misuse/mental health issues using a risk harm minimisation approach and engage the support of other agencies as required.
• Ensure that service users’ views remain paramount and ensure that potential obstacles such as literacy & numeracy are assessed and addressed.
• Assist in protecting service users from abuse and work with other agencies in this regard.
• Carry out other relevant work commensurate with the post as required.
• Induct new staff into the service and provide mentoring support and guidance to direct reports and less experienced staff.
• Supervision of support practitioners.
• Deputise for the Service Manager as and when required.

Systems

• Maintenance of digital paperwork – Utilising Care Planner and PASS Systems to record all information in relation to Service User Management. Writing letters on behalf of service users, report writing, H&S checks, diary entries, hours worked on tasks, etc.
• Day-to-day operation of service (budgeting, appointments), meeting attendance.
• Service finance (ACC payment control).
• Computers/IT systems – Word, Excel, email, databases.

Quality Standards

• Working to the appropriate Care Inspectorate standards.
• Working to the appropriate Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator standards.
• Working to the appropriate SSSC standards
• Working in partnership with the commissioner.
• Working to the appropriate Environmental Health standards.

Requirements

Essential

• A qualification of N/SVQ3 in Care, or equivalent.
• Literacy and numeracy at a level to maintain all the appropriate paperwork, write reports and support plans and give budgeting advice.
• Able to use computer applications such as Word, databases.
• An understanding of social issues such as criminal justice, homelessness, mental health, substance misuse.
• A minimum 6 months experience in a social care/ support environment in a voluntary or paid capacity.
• Experience of working with disadvantaged people.
• Experience working with offenders
• Full Driving License

Desirable

• An understanding of legislation/practice pertaining to the work.

Key Capabilities

• Interpersonal understanding – listens and understands expressed feelings; demonstrates concern for others; encourages others to express themselves.
• Emotional awareness – manages strong emotions and responds constructively; keeps own feelings in check; deals with stress
• Service user orientation – strives to meet and surpass service users expectations; maintains appropriate contact until problem is resolved; makes self available to service users at critical periods; able to advocate on behalf of service users.
• Flexibility – adapts easily to changes at work; modifies behaviour in response to a situation; sees the merits of differing viewpoints.
• Initiative – takes responsibility; looks ahead and anticipates what needs to be done; is able to assess and manage risks.
• Team working – contributes fully to team work; establishes positive relationships with the team.
• Working within Professional Boundaries – Demonstrates professional curiosity; accepts responsibility for own work; seeks and uses professional support; understands the principle of confidentiality.
• Leadership – gives recognition and credit; generates enthusiasm and commitment.
• Developing others – assumes responsibility for addressing service users’ skills; encourages initiatives in problem solving and making choices.

Other information

ou can expect the following working for us:

• Comprehensive training through our online Learning Management System
• Opportunity to pursue on the job qualifications and career progression
• Online timesheets and expenses
• We are a Living Wage Foundation accredited employer - pay is reviewed annually each April
• Benefits including Bike to Work Scheme and an Employee Assistance programme
• A warm and friendly team environment where everyone is valued.
• Mileage paid at the national rate.

It's important to us that we recruit people who share our values and who want to make a difference. Our interview process is designed to get to know you better and to find out why you want to work for us. If you are nervous, please don't be - there are no right or wrong answers.

Because we work with vulnerable people, we have a responsibility to safeguard them. We undertake background and reference checks, and it is a term of employment with us that all employees register with the Protecting Vulnerable Groups ("PVG") scheme operated by Disclosure Scotland.

We guarantee an interview to candidates who have lived experience within the areas of society and the issues that we support and those who are care experienced, subject to meeting the minimum criteria for the role.

We're an equal opportunities employer and value diversity - exclusion has no place in our workplaces. If you need us to make reasonable adjustments to allow you to attend an interview with us, just let us know.

We regret that due to current Home Office rules, we are not able to sponsor applicants for this role, so you must be eligible to live and work in the UK without sponsorship.

The closing date for this position is 5pm on Tuesday 25th January 2022.