Perinatal Support Worker | Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust

The post holder will be part of a multi-disciplinary team, contributing to the effective provision of Perinatal Mental and Infant Mental Health Services to an identified caseload of women. The core purpose of the team in which the post-holder will work, is to deliver high quality, tailored interventions in maternal mental health and attachment based approaches to mothers and infants. The service will have a key role in raising the profile and standards of mental health care for expectant and newly delivered mothers across universal and specialist services.

Under the supervision of the care coordinator, the post holder will provide support and education to defined caseload of women with moderate to severe perinatal mental health problems, and those with pre-existing severe mental health disorders to help promote well-being, promote mother-infant relationships and reduce risk, during a vulnerable time for women's mental health. They will contribute to holistic community assessments, in a range of settings, with a strong emphasis on the parent-infant relationship and safeguarding. The post holder will actively work with families and carers in their home and in the community working flexibly and will offer practical support and advice based on the identified needs of service users and their children.

Mersey Care is one of the largest trusts providing physical health and mental health services in the North West, serving more than 1.4 million people across our region and are also commissioned for services that cover the North West, North Wales and the Midlands.

We offer specialist inpatient and community services that support physical and mental health and specialist inpatient mental health, learning disability, addiction and brain injury services. Mersey Care is one of only three trusts in the UK that offer high secure mental health facilities.

At the heart of all we do is our commitment to 'perfect care' - care that is safe, effective, positively experienced, timely, equitable and efficient. We support our staff to do the best job they can and work alongside service users, their families, and carers to design and develop future services together. We're currently delivering a programme of organisational and service transformation to significantly improve the quality of the services we provide and safely reduce cost as we do so.

Flexible working requests will be considered for all roles.

Clinical:

Undertake person centred / essential lifestyle planning with individuals, enabling people to be involved and have a say in the development of their own care.

To provide practical and emotional support to families/carers of identified service users and their families.

To provide appropriate information/education to service users, families and carers in offer to promote coping skills to maintain an appropriate level of care to children.

To support service users to engage effectively with the agreed care plan and access appropriate services provided on a regular and consistent basis.

To attend and provide information to client review meetings/CPA for service users you are working with.

To liaise and work collaboratively with other professionals in the evaluation of intervention plans, and demonstrate change through the use of outcome
measurement tools e.g. HONOS, CORE 10 etc. including work with partner
agencies to facilitate inclusion and improve health and social care outcomes for service users.

Work under the direction of senior practitioners to facilitate recovery. To take responsibility for supporting an agreed caseload of people within recovery.

Undertake/contribute to the comprehensive assessment of service users, including ongoing evaluation of care, working with them to plan recovery outcomes.

Participate in the recovery plan, clinical monitoring and support of community patients. As directed by the senior practitioner and within agreed service frameworks, including accompanying service users to various venues identified in the recovery plan.

Review and evaluate recovery plans as directed and support clients in achieving identified goals, utilising therapeutic interventions as appropriate to skill level and competence.

Provide practical and emotional support to help mum's prepare for their new baby's arrival

Supporting partners, siblings and wider family members prior to baby's arrival.

Provide education and support to help enhance the attachment and bonding process through pregnancy using current research.

Provide best practice advice and model behaviour in relation to talking, playing and interacting with babies.

Offer Video Interaction Guidance, where qualified or in training under appropriate supervision.

Help to identify early warning signs of relapse by monitoring the service users progress, level of functioning and mental state and alert appropriate staff involved in their care.

To participate in ongoing risk assessments, identifying and escalating any concerns.

Report any adverse effects of prescribed medication to the senior practitioner to ensure appropriate review.

Positively promote independent living of service users within their community.

Developing a rapport but within appropriate and transparent boundaries.

Provide regular and practical support to service users and their carers in developing and managing dignity and independence.

Report regularly to care co-ordinators as appropriate key worker.

To maintain adequate records as required by existing procedures, entering appropriate details on the service users case notes as necessary.

To ensure the service user understands and has a clear pathway of care across sector/agency boundaries with key contact points/named individuals.

Monitor and review client progress by means of regular reviews and close liaison with the client, their Care-Coordinator and other members of the Perinatal Team.

All employees have a duty to safeguard and promote the welfare of vulnerable adults, children and young people in all relevant areas of their work. This will include timely attendance at relevant training events, self-directed updates, attendance at Safeguarding supervision and compliance with the Safeguarding Procedures.

Any other duties appropriate to role as indicated by the service manager, line manager or lead medical officer.