Job Description

Job title:

Mental Health Practitioner (Psycho-Social Support) – Pathfinder
Programme
Pay scale NJC Pts. 18 – 28 (£24,982- £32,234) per annum (pro rata)

Grade:
Contract end date:  Fixed term ending 31st December 2021, subject to funding, with the

Annual Leave:
Responsible to:
Location:

Hours of work:
Job Summary:

possibility of extension up to three years
27 days per annum (pro rata)
Service Manager (Psycho-social Support)
Office base in central Manchester and community based work in
localities across Greater Manchester
Full time (37.5 hours per week)
This is an exciting opportunity to play a pivotal role as Mental Health
Practitioner on the new Greater Manchester Pathfinder programme.
Greater Manchester Better Outcomes Partnership has teamed up with
the charity DePaul UK, 42nd Street and other partners to support young
people at risk of homelessness. The programme aims to improve
individuals’ confidence and resilience to avoid longer term
homelessness, while supporting them to sustain an existing tenancy or
move into new accommodation. You will work closely with the team of
Progression Coaches at DePaul UK, enabling them to refer young
people experiencing difficulties with their mental health and emotional
wellbeing for support, as part of their wider personalised holistic
package. The pilot is aimed at 18–35 year olds, but you will work solely
with young people aged 18-25 years.

You will work in close liaison with DePaul UK, but you will sit within our
wider therapeutic team whose work combines individual support,
advocacy, delivery of projects and groups, and encourages young
people’s participation in the service. The core element of the post is the
direct delivery of individual therapeutic support to young people. This
opportunity enables you to play a central role in contributing to a
compelling evidence base for the continuation of the Pathfinder
programme across Greater Manchester. The success of Pathfinder pilot
will be assessed and will inform future approaches to tackling
homelessness in the city-region.

Our headquarters are in central Manchester but you will need to be
happy to travel to deliver support in community based locations across
Manchester, Salford and Bolton. This will be dependent on the access
needs of young people and the needs of the service.

Date:
Version:
Author:

May 2021
Final
Tess Gregson

Mental Health Practitioner (Psycho-Social Support) – Pathfinder Pilot.May 2021                                                                  1

KEY TASKS:

1.0  SPECIFIC TO THE POST HOLDER

1.1  To deliver initial meetings so as to make appropriate initial assessments of the mental
health needs of young people aged 18 to 25 years. This will be a holistic needs
focused assessment including an assessment of risk.

1.2  As part of assessment and ongoing work, to identify and assess risks collaboratively

with young people and manage risk issues through full risk assessment, the
development of crisis action plans and appropriate liaison with relevant services e.g.
statutory crisis teams, GPs.

1.3  To ensure that all assessment work with young people aged 18-25 years proactively
engages with issues of equality, inclusion and the social model of mental health.

1.4  To refer young people (18-25 years) after initial assessment to the appropriate 42nd

Street service or to an alternative external agency.

1.5  To establish relationships with and provide individual support with built-in reviews to
young people experiencing a wide range of mental health difficulties. This work
includes individual support, preventative work and work with young people who may
have had considerable contact with mental health services.

1.6  To offer a range of short, medium and long term support to young people in line with

assessed need and outcomes of regular reviews.

1.7  To be involved in the planning, delivery and evaluation of group work which responds
to the needs of young people who are isolated and under stress.  This will include co-
delivery of ongoing drop-ins and groups with members of 42nd Street staff.

1.8  To work with other staff to continue to develop an accessible and appropriate

individual support service at 42nd Street.

1.9  To ensure that the services provided are accessible and responsive to the needs of

Black, LGBTQ+ and other minoritised young people.

1.10  To liaise and network if requested to do so, with identified groups, agencies and

individuals who may be in contact with young people.  For example, schools, CAMHS
/ AMHS, children’s services, GPs, youth and community services, and parents/carers.

1.11  To play a role in the development and sharing of good practice in responding to the

mental health needs of young people in 42nd Street and externally.

1.12  To play an active part in the evaluation of your work and to respond to the changing

needs of young people by developing new areas of work.

1.13  To work at our Manchester office base and at community venues across Greater
Manchester, dependent on the access needs of young people. This may involve
some lone work with support of the duty management system.

2.0  SHARED WITH ALL WORKERS:

2.1  Ensure that the values and principles underlying the organisation's mental health and
emotional  well-being  support  with  young  people  are  maintained  and  developed.

Mental Health Practitioner (Psycho-Social Support) – Pathfinder Pilot.May 2021                                                                  2

These  include  an  active  commitment  to  anti-discriminatory  practice  and  to  ensuring
that services are accessible to those young people who are often excluded from such
services,  for  example,  black  young  people,  disabled  young  people,  gay,  lesbian,
bisexual and trans young people.

2.2  Be aware of and ensure compliance with legal requirements and internal policies with
particular reference to information governance, data protection, confidentiality, health
and safety, and safeguarding children and vulnerable adults.

2.3  Ensure  the  maintenance  of  standards  of  practice  according  to  42nd  Street  and  any

regulating, professional and accrediting bodies (e.g. BPS, HSCIC, UKCP, BABCP).

2.4  Contribute  to  the  development  of  42nd  Street  through  active  involvement  in  team

meetings, consultations and other relevant systems and structures.

2.5  Maintain  all  relevant  information  systems  including  monitoring  and  evaluation,

recording and personnel systems.

2.6  Be involved in staffing 42nd Street’s Duty/Co-Worker system, where this is relevant to

the role.

2.7  Participate in managerial and external supervision and have an active involvement in

professional development opportunities at 42nd Street.

2.8  Maintain safe systems of work at all times and take care of your own safety, and that

of colleagues and others who may be affected by your activities.

2.9  Undertake any other duties that may be required which are commensurate with your

role.

2.10  Undertake any requests made by the Leadership Team at 42nd Street that is relevant

to this post.

2.11  Provide  some  of  your  work  at  times  other  than  office  hours  so  that  the  service  is
accessible,  depending  on  the  operating  times  of  partners  and  the  needs  of  young
people, this could mean evening and weekend work.

The  main  responsibilities  are  not  an  exhaustive  list  of  duties,  only  a  general  guide  to  the
post.   In  consultation  with  the  post-holder,  the  duties  may  change  from  time  to  time  to
reflect the changing needs of the service.

Mental Health Practitioner (Psycho-Social Support) – Pathfinder Pilot.May 2021                                                                  3

PERSON SPECIFICATION:
Mental Health Practitioner
(Psycho-Social Support) –
Pathfinder Programme

Note to applicants: The ideal post holder should meet all the essential requirements detailed below.
Consideration will be given to desirable requirements if there are more than 6 candidates who meet
all the essential requirements. With reference to the requirements under item 4 where it is
referenced ‘application’ it is sufficient to indicate agreement to commit to the identified professional
areas.

SELECTION CRITERIA

METHOD OF
ASSESSMENT

ESSENTIAL  DESIRABLE

1.   Training, Qualifications & Experience
The successful candidate will have:
a.  A relevant professional qualification in Social

Work or Youth & Community Work at Graduate
Level or the equivalent.

✓  Application

b.  A minimum of 2 years’ experience working with

young people aged 18-25 years.

✓  Application
✓  Interview

c.  Experience in providing effective and

empowering individual support to young people
(18 - 25 year olds) under stress / with mental
health difficulties.

✓  Application
✓  Interview

d.  Experience of delivering psycho-social support

to young people with learning disabilities,
and/or neurodiverse young people.

✓  Application
✓  Interview

e.  Experience of providing effective short term

(such as Brief Solution Focused Therapy) and
long term support.

✓  Application
✓  Interview

f.  Experience of assessing the mental health

needs of young people from diverse
backgrounds.

✓  Application
✓  Interview

g.  Experience of working with young people with

mental health difficulties in a group setting, and
an ability to deal with difficult and challenging
group dynamics.

✓  Application
✓  Interview

h.  Experience of assessing and working with

young people who self-harm and/or experience
suicidal feelings.

i.  Experience of delivering individual therapeutic
support to young people in the context of an
online service.

j.  Experience of delivery mental health and

✓  Application
✓  Interview

✓  Application
✓  Interview

✓  Application
✓  Interview

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

Mental Health Practitioner (Psycho-Social Support) – Pathfinder Pilot.May 2021                                                                  4

emotional wellbeing support to young people at
risk of homelessness.

2.   Knowledge
The successful candidate will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:
a.  The mental health needs of young people

including an awareness of issues of diversity,
the social context of their lives and of the
different ways they may express stress.

✓  Application
✓  Interview

b.  Proficient ICT skills including use of Office

applications.

✓  Application

3.   Skills & Abilities
The successful candidate will be able to:
a.  Engaging young people individually using

creative and imaginative methods, models and
processes.

✓  Application
✓  Interview

b.  Liaise and network with a range of agencies
including statutory and voluntary sector
organisations.

✓  Application
✓  Interview

c.  Work in a way that engages and demonstrates
consistent commitment to issues of equality
and diversity.

✓  Application
✓  Interview

d.  Develop and deliver external training for a

variety of audiences.

✓  Application

e.  Effective and positive communicator, both in

person and in writing.

✓  Application
✓  Interview

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

f.  Plan, organise and prioritise own workload and

manage time effectively.
4.   Professional Commitment
The successful candidate should be able to demonstrate commitment to:
a.  Ensuring that issue of equality and a respect
for diversity is reflected in all aspects of work.

x

✓  Application
✓  Interview

✓  Application
✓  Interview

x

b.  Work at locations across Greater Manchester
and work up to 2 evenings per week and
occasional weekends.

✓  Application

c.  Continued professional development through
undertaking training and participating in other
learning opportunities.

✓  Application

d.  Recognition of the need to be accountable for

work through supervision, performance
management and other relevant processes.

✓  Application
✓  Interview

e.  Work as part of a team, contributing to 42nd

Street’s effectiveness, quality of services, skills
and expertise.

✓  Application
✓  Interview

x

x

x

x

Mental Health Practitioner (Psycho-Social Support) – Pathfinder Pilot.May 2021                                                                  5