Specialist Support Officer

Job summary

We have looking for one new Specialist Support Officers to join our Herfordshire Early Help Eating Disorder team. This is a hybrid role working remotely from home, in our therapy rooms and on client sites across Hertfordshire.

To provide support to children and young people (5 to 17 years) using our services offering peer support, helping them realise their goals as agreed within their care plan through one-to-one support which may include our peer-led groups, online support and volunteering opportunities as part of their supported self-care.

This role will require the ability to deliver our face-to-face services in community venues and virtually working from home.

The role requires the ability to relate to and work with a range of professionals to ensure provision of high quality and safe Early Help Eating Disorders services in partnership with Hertfordshire CAMHS Eating Disorders team, Community Mental Health Support Teams in Schools and with referring GP's.

The post holder will have at least two years experience of working with people with disordered eating and/ or mental health difficulties and have a good understanding of the pathways and VCSE/NHS services across Hertfordshire to ensure equity of services are delivered on and off site and through our digital services.

You will be working as part of a multidisciplinary team that includes other health service staff and social workers, and colleagues from across our organisation.

Main duties of the job

Manage a caseload of children and young people (5 to 17 years) who use our services from self, parent and professional referrals.

Formulate plans for the management of a service users disordered eating problems, based upon an appropriate agreed recovery plan with the service user and their family parent/carer.

Implement a range of interventions to tackle the individuals eating disorder behaviours adjusting and refining approaches, informed by evidence-based approaches.

Exercise professional responsibility for the treatment plan goals, including communication with the NHS Care Coordinator and others involved in care.

Work as part of a multi-disciplinary team with other NHS services to safeguard and ensure the quality of care of the service user.

Undertake risk assessment and risk management for individual service users and to work in collaboration with other services to manage risks identified.

Develop self-help groups and positive activities for people experiencing problems with eating difficulties

Participate in liaison with community teams to contribute towards decision making, helping to ensure an inclusive approach is maintained at all times.

About us

First Steps ED is an evidence-based eating disorder charity working across England. We support people of all ages, genders, and backgrounds with all types of eating disorders.

We are experts by experience, a quality-assured, research-based Charitable Incorporated Organisation (1185092), and a leading light working as an integrated partner in the health and education environments. We are trailblazers in innovative service redesign, continuously benchmarking ourselves against the best eating disorders service models world-wide to ensure that the local people who approach us for help, receive evidence-based care, support, and the real possibility that recovery is achievable for eating disorders and people are no longer defined by their illness.

Our staff also work across a range of multi-disciplinary primary and secondary care eating disorder pathways as an Integrated Community Service team.

You will be joining our new Hertfordshire service team supported by the organisation and work closely with NHS healthcare, local authority and education colleagues from local schools.

Full training and supervision in disordered eating and disorders will be provided and you will have access to continued professional development opportunities as part of our multi-award winning eating disorder charity.