PBS Lead Practitioner

Are you looking for a new opportunity where every day is different? Somewhere that allows you to build on the developed skills you already have from working in the health and social care sector?

We have an exciting and incredibly rewarding new role of PBS Practitioner, you’ll enjoy every opportunity to bring your compassion and empathy to work in an environment where you can have a positive impact on improving both the long term and the everyday lives of the people we support.

PBS APPROACH AND Turning Point Scotland

Taking a PBS approach to supporting people who have learning disabilities, autism and mental health is not a new concept to TPS. We have in place a number of approaches, resources and training tools in place to support the delivery of a positive approach. Such as;

• MAPA Training:all staff working in the PBS Team expected to have a leadership role in this area and be qualified to deliver MAPA training.
• Communication tools e.g. Talking Mats, Makaton, Communication Charts/Plans
• Peron-centred approaches
• Commitment to Keys to Life and Citizenship
• Functional analysis and understanding the environment
• Support planning and behavioural support plans
• Autism awareness
• Introduction to Forensics
• Supervision and support, PDRP

PBS is a whole-system approach to supporting people with complex support needs. It is not a single intervention but rather a person-centred approach which puts people at the centre, working in partnership with the person and their carers to enable the right support to be provided at the right time. The additional value from having a PBS focussed team is to support staff teams at times when the challenges are all-consuming and they are feeling a ‘bit stuck’. An external professional(s) i.e. one who is not invested in the support the person receives, can take an objective view of the situation and offer solutions. Debriefing and reassurance to the staff team in supporting the individual, could be part of the role.

The PBS team is not a replacement for multi-agency support, but an additional and faster response through:

• Manage and prevent staff burnout, lessen the impact of challenging periods on staff and people we support
• Rapid response: prevent placement breakdown.
• We currently support individuals who present with complex issues
• It links in well with and supports our other resources (see above)
• It has a trauma informed basis
• It fits well with a citizenship approach
• Establish positive links with reputable external networks

FUNDING

The initial funding for this service is for a 2-year pilot period. Throughout the pilot there will be 6-monthly reviews to establish the feasibility of the service. During the reviews we will be monitoring funding and considering how the service can be sustained in the longer term.

Staff will be clear from the outset that this is a 2-year funded service and as such, investment in other overhead costs e.g. office/accommodation, will be based in the Renfrew office, which has longer sustainability and available space.

In Summary

Turning Point Scotland has a history of supporting and understanding individuals with complex issues taking a trauma informed approach across all areas of our work. The PBS and Trauma-informed approaches that we take across the diverse nature of our services, will allow this model to be implemented across TPS services. However, this pilot project will concentrate on the specific geography of Greater Glasgow and Clyde area and North Lanarkshire.

TPS recognises that all behaviours are a process of communication and have a valuable meaning. Therefore, a PBS approach seeks to understand people's behaviour and communication with a view to improving support, changing structures, cultures, environments, and empowering people. By offering less restrictive alternatives to physical restraint and psychotropic medication, PBS can play an important role in developing effective community-based support to individuals currently living in hospitals.

The fundamental purpose of this project is to develop a culture of positive and proactive approaches across the LD and Forensic services, and, equip our services with a Practice Leadership toolkit that encourage peer understanding and support, with an emphasis on debriefing, reflection and problem-solving.

Further information can be found by clicking on these links Job Description & Person Specification

We are a large, stable national provider and a charity. As we are not for profit there is ongoing investment into our staff training and development, a good GPP pension scheme, and annual leave and sick pay that significantly exceeds the statutory minimum.

We also have a brilliant employee assistance programme (independent advice, information and support online, by phone and in person), a group reward scheme to help your money go further and access to a contributory ‘hospital’ fund. We have a relationship with a credit union and promote saving directly from salary.

We aim to provide a working environment where opinions and ideas are valued and arrangements are in place to ensure that there is a high level of staff representation and that people are encouraged to make their views heard and to participate at service and organisational levels.

As a leading national social care provider our breakthrough and forward-thinking models of practice and service are well recognised. Examples of this recently have been: Housing First, Psychologically informed environments (PIE), Citizenship and both Scottish and International research and evaluation of a range of projects. We work across a wide range of types of services and the organisation provides pathways for development: a career development workshop; appraisal; learning and training options; internal forums and project groups; and opportunities for internal secondment, temporary acting up or sideways roles and career progression.

The annual leave entitlement will be (reduced pro rata for part time posts and will include a proportional entitlement to public holidays)

25 days per year, plus 8 public holidays and 2 local holidays.