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Setting: Social care provider organisation, over 400 care homes and supported living places.
Making people smile, and supporting them to have greater autonomy over their own lives, to lead the lifestyle they want for themselves.
Michael
on what brings joy to the role
Overview of current role
I have oversight of our health and wellbeing team and our organisational strategies, so we are in place to positively impact on lives of people supported and the skill/knowledge of their supporters. I support in setting the tone for the organisation and instrumental on leading on strategy in relation to:
- behavioural support
- health promotion
- support to people with profound and multiple learning disabilities
- people with significant mental health issues including personality disorder
- suicide and self-harm risk
- offending risk
- acquired brain injury.
I am able to positively influence the quality of lives for people with learning disabilities and autistic people, who experience a lot of inequalities in life.
How did I get here
Post training, I worked in a new community home that the local trust was setting up for young autistic people as an assistant charge nurse. I then went on to work in a variety of homes as deputy manager and then manager for young people with a learning disabilty and/or autism.
I then progressed into clinical specialist roles within social care providing behaviour support within the organisation. I worked on clinical governence and policy and procedures, responsible for clinical risk and trends in mortality. I used my nursing qualification to be successful in this role but other clinical qualifications such as psychology or psychiatry would be considered.
Qualifications
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registered nurse – learning disabilities
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you would need to have the entry level requirements for a nursing degree programme
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post registration I completed a PG diploma in mental health and learning disabilities at institute of psychiatry.
Knowledge and skills
- Clinical expertise in supporting people with learning disabilities, autism and mental health with a variety of complex needs.
- Collaborating with people supported, families, health and social care professionals.
- Reading and interpreting into practice research/new guidance to focus on best practice support and being forward thinking.
- Working across a system engaging in various external networks including Positive Behavioural Support Networks, I was involved in establishing the national Profound and Multiple Learning Disability service standards with others, involved in Community of Practices and family groups.
- Assessing the risk of offending or reoffending I am equipped to complete a number of actuarial assessment tools including HCR-20, ARMIDILO-S.
- Trained to be a clinical reviewer and LeDer reviewer.
- In house development and leadership programmes.