Parent Infant Therapist -Recruit to trainNHS

Job summary

A fantastic opportunity has arisen for TWO highly motivated and enthusiastic NHS AfC Band 6 posts for practitioners who have the passion for working with families to support parent-infant relationships. The successful applicants will receive training on the Recruit to train: Postgraduate Diploma in Infant Mental Health and Early Years Practitioner Training CYP: Parent Infant Pathway, University of Manchester and be part of the Blackpool Parent-Infant Relationship Service (PaIRS) employed by Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

As part of the service Hub and Spoke model, the successful applicants will work with families predominately in the Central Lancashire region. However, you may be required to work in any other locations across the ICB footprint.

Applicants must be able to start the Post Graduate training programme taught academic dates in January 2027 and commit to attendance at all university based taught and self-study days required by Manchester University - for more information please visit Child and Young Peoples Postgraduate Training Programmes | Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS FT

As this course is funded as a Recruit to Train (RtT), prospective students must meet the criteria for the training course. Applicants should have a minimum of 2 years of working in a core profession in Infant Mental Health/Early years/Family work and should have an undergraduate degree or equivalent (Level 6)The teaching consists of face-to-face and online.

Main duties of the job

This intensive training post will equip the post holder to provide interventions based on CYP Psychological Trainings core principles and evidence-based approaches for parents and their infants who are experiencing common mental health and relationship difficulties. You will receive regular workplace clinical supervision.

Successful applicants will attend the course teaching 2 day a week including 1/2 day Video Interaction Guidance (VIG) supervision, and will work in the service for the remaining days of the week using your newly developed skills to ensure you gain the necessary clinical practice hours to fulfil the academic programme.

The course provides high quality training in the key skills required to be an evidence-based practitioner working within Infant Mental Health. There will be opportunity to gain clinical experience in VIG as an attachment-based intervention when working with infants and children aged 0 - 2 years and their parents/carers. Successful applicants will work towards becoming a VIG Accredited Practitioner by the end of the course. The course will provide model specific supervision in VIG as well as teaching on both VIG skills-based workshops and evidence-based theory and literature relating to supporting the emotional wellbeing and mental health of 0-5s and their parents/carers. There will also be regular workplace clinical supervision.

Job description

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

1. To ensure high quality specialist parent infant relationship mental health assessment and interventions of babies, preschool children and their families.

2. To provide or provide access to a range of quality psychotherapeutic interventions in accordance with individual assessed need. This will include the planning implementation and evaluation of a variety of therapeutic approaches either alone or as a member of the MDT.

3. To deliver therapeutic input to parents and infants referred to the team.

4. To work as a co-therapist where appropriate with other members of the team

5. To be responsible for and manage a defined caseload and undertake case management responsibilities within the caseload.

6. To identify and develop strategies to manage risk to the infant and others in line with Blackpool Teaching Hospitals and perinatal and infant mental health procedures and protocols.

7. To initiate and build working relationships with infants, children, parents, carers and families who are referred to the service.

8. To liaise closely with a wide range of agencies regarding individual care packages and to promote awareness of parent-infant mental health issues with these agencies.

9. To undertake liaison and joint work with professionals outside the MDT.

10. To provide consultation and training on a wide range of parent-infant emotional health and well-being issues to professionals from a range of services including GPs, Early Help and Primary Care services, adult mental health services, and perinatal services.

11. You will be trained to deliver VIG (Video Interaction Guidance to promote Positive Sensitive Parenting) with parents and infants showing signs of attachment difficulties. This intervention is for supporting parents to develop more attuned parenting in the context of difficulties in the parent-infant relationship. You will be assessed through written case reports, keeping a log of your clinical practice and submitting recordings of your practice with written reflections based on these.

12. To attend multi-disciplinary meetings relating to referrals or clients in treatment, where appropriate.

13. To complete all requirements relating to data collection within the service.

14. To routinely monitor effectiveness of clinical work by use of Routine Outcome Measures and where outcomes are not improving for children and families to engage in peer review meetings and supervision.

15. To take part in the PaIRS service duty rota in order to provide urgent triage of parents and infants in line with Blackpool Teaching Hospitals Trust care protocols to advise other professionals regarding risk and work with them to develop a plan of care for the parent and infant.

16. To engage in/ deliver managerial and clinical supervision, including with appropriate consent, recording and reviewing of live clinical work.

17. To keep coherent records of all clinical activity in line with service protocols and use these records and clinical outcome data in clinical decision making.

Personal

1. To identify own Continuing Professional and Personal Development needs with the Clinical Lead and/or Clinical Supervisor.

2. To maintain a current professional portfolio and participate on programmes of personal development and training, which will be identified as part of the individual performance and development review.

3. To maintain all professional registration requirements.

This job description is not exhaustive but is intended to give an overall picture of the role. Other duties within the general scope of the post may be required from time to time.

About us

Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is part of the Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care System (LSCICS)supporting a population of around 1.6 million people.

Blackpool Parent-Infant relationship team are excited to be expanding their team and inviting applications from passionate and enthusiastic people who want to make a real difference to families lives. We want to appoint someone who has the passion and drive to keep the voice of the infant at the heart of the early years provision. The team is multi disciplinary and led by a Clinical Consultant Psychologist, the posts will be based in Preston Lancashire and will work in an integrated way with other local professionals.

Following successful completion of the course, the fixed term training contract will end.However, applicants will be encouraged to apply for suitable Band 7 vacant posts within the service and will be provided with support and advice in job applications.