Specialist Helpline Adviser

We are recruiting for a Specialist Helpline Adviser within the Parents Helpline team. This is a permanent, part-time position, where successful candidates will work on the helpline 2.5 days per week.

Our helpline currently works within a hybrid model, with the part time members of the team coming into the office one day per week. Our position concerning working arrangements may change in the future. We are considering piloting extended helpline opening hours in the evening and/or at the weekend in the future, so you will be required to work occasional out of hours work within this role. We are keen to hear from candidates who have availability on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

About this role

As a Specialist Helpline Adviser, you will respond to calls with multiple concerns which may require specific expertise from parents/carers seeking support for their child's mental health. You will use your expert knowledge and professional experience to offer vital support to parents/carers. Based on your professional experience, you will be specifically routed calls that relate to the following topic areas: autism spectrum disorder (ASD), attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), attention-deficit disorder (ADD), learning difficulties and disabilities, speech and language problems. You should have a good level of understanding around these key topic areas and be able to offer general advice around them. You will also be expected to respond to general helpline calls during busier periods, to help the team respond to service demand.

You will also use your knowledge, expertise and professional experience of working with individuals who are diagnosed (or suspected to have) neurodivergent conditions, Special Educational Needs (SEN) and/or speech and language problems to provide specific advice to parents and carers. You will inform service users on how they can access and navigate statutory support services, signpost to other organisations, provide practical tips and strategies that can be used at home, and offer lots of emotional support and validation.

You will be trained as a safeguarding officer for the service and take responsibility for ensuring safeguarding concerns are identified and appropriately responded to.

The Specialist Helpline Adviser role is a part-time position to allow successful candidates to continue working within clinical/professional settings and maintain their appropriate level of registration and/or accreditation.

To be eligible for the position, candidates must continue working within a relevant professional setting for the duration of the role.

To ensure you are able to fulfil the requirement of working from our London based office for one day per week, please ensure you check the travel time and journey costs from your home address prior to applying.

About you

Candidates will be shortlisted based on:

• Significant experience of working with SEN and Neurodivergence in child, adult or community settings/services. Experience in diagnostic assessments and/or supporting families post-diagnosis.
• Experience/expertise in at least one of the following areas is essential (please note that you do not have to have expertise in all of these additional areas to be considered for the position):
  
  • eating problems and disorders
  • major mental illness for example bipolar disorder
  • schizophrenia and emotionally unstable personality disorder (EUPD)
  • obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and body dysmorphic disorder (BDD)
  • inpatient care
  • substance misuse and addiction
  • school avoidance
  • youth offending and involvement with the criminal justice system
• Current experience of working with and providing interventions to young people and their families in a professional or clinical setting e.g. mental health services, community services, specialist units, school. Ability to demonstrate continued employment within a professional setting and fulfilment of CPD opportunities.
• Experience of responding to safeguarding concerns effectively, following protocols, reporting concerns and ability to identify risk within young people and adults.
• A relevant professional/clinical qualification in young people's mental health. Must hold and be able to maintain current registration and/or accreditation with a relevant professional body.

Within your application, you should make it clear which topic areas listed above you have expertise in and outline your experience in working with young people and their families who have these concerns.

We welcome applications from Black and minoritised, LGBTQ+ groups and those with disabilities, as they are currently under-represented. For more information about the role, download our job pack.

One of our values is: "We celebrate what makes you you - whoever you are, we welcome you and encourage you to be true to yourself".

If you are excited about helping us to achieve our mission, passionate about working at an organisation that puts the lived experience of young people at the heart of everything we do and want to be part of our drive to become a truly anti-racist organisation we want to hear from you.

• three days additional leave over Christmas and New Year
• auto-enrolment onto pension scheme where YoungMinds will match your contribution up to five per cent
• statutory benefits such as parental leave and sick pay
• a wide range of other health, wellbeing and lifestyle benefits
• a dedication to continued professional development, training and shared best practice

We want to see a world where every young person who is struggling feels able to reach out, and has people and services around them who can really help.