Occupational Therapist CAMHS
The closing date is 17 November 2025
The Occupational Therapy position aims to increase capacity into the Northumberland Mental Health Support Team, called Be You. The successful candidate will be based within the Primary Mental Health Work service and work within the Be You programme, alongside Primary Mental Health Workers, Educational Mental Health Practitioners, Educational Psychologists, Designated Senior Mental Health Lead in schools Coordinator and a Peer Mentor Worker.
The Mental Health Support Team currently covers school partnerships in Blyth, Hexham, Cramlington, Seaton Valley, Ashington, Bedlington, Alnwick and Coquet.
The Occupational Therapy role is part of a new model of working, to support those pupils with mild to moderate mental health needs, within the 'coping and getting help sector' of the Thrive model.
We aim for these posts to offer support to improve a whole schools approach, to enable schools to improve their understanding of the impact of environment upon pupils functioning. To support with transitions, conducting an audit of the physical environment. To provide a consultation/ advise and signposting role for the Be You staff and school staff. To facilitate training to school staff / parents/carers and psychoeducation workshops for parents/carers on the resilience model to promote independence.
Main duties of the job
To provide consultation, advice and guidance to school settings to promote inclusivity within the education environment. This may involve providing recommendations on strategies the school may be able to implement to support individual children as well as groups of children and young people. The consultation role extends to supporting our clinical workforce to enhance engagement of children and young people in their individual or group based therapy.
Alongside the consultation role, there are training packages that school can request to promote awareness, knowledge and skills of their workforce.
Supporting parent and carers is a key part of this role and this support aligns with the training offer we have for school staff which ensures a consistent approach across those who are supporting the children/young people.
The role will involve actively evaluating the offers being provided and then using the information from the analysis to improve and develop the service further.
Job responsibilities
* To be professionally accountable for own clinical activity, working autonomously to deliver Occupational Therapy within a children and young peoples early mental health intervention framework.
* To support and strengthen universal provision through building capacity and capability within the extended community services partnership of staff (e.g. working with a range of multi- agency professionals working with children and young people including universal and targeted services across health, education and social care).
* To continue to develop the Occupational Therapy focused pathway within an early intervention mental health model including children and young people presenting with mild to moderate mental health needs including those with a neurodevelopmental need and those that are struggling to attend school .
* To promote the mental health and emotional health of children, young people and families in the community including schools, in line with national and local policy and guidance.
* To provide advice and guidance utilising an Occupational Therapy perspective as well as utilising a wider psychosocial framework to support children and young people and families who experience challenges to emotional wellbeing.
* To use an Occupational Therapy framework and assessment and support where possible to help with the early identification of need within a diverse population of young people who experience emotional distress. This may include support for families where there are wider challenges around Special Educational Needs or Social Emotional and Mental Health Needs
* To work compassionately with service users and carers to achieve identified occupational therapy goals and to promote social inclusion, independence and wellbeing.
* To provide the best possible experience for service users, carers and families.
* Responsible for ensuring the highest professional standards and attitudes towards the care of children and young people and their families is maintained at all times and that care is delivered in accordance with evidence-based practice by all staff for whom the post holder has designated responsibility.
* To facilitate others in the team to develop competence by providing clinical leadership and specialist clinical advice on more complex cases.
* To provide consultation, advice and guidance to a range of professional supporting thechild or young person within the PMHW team and external universal and targeted multi -agency colleagues.
Qualifications
* Degree in Occupational Therapy or equivalent
* Post -graduate qualification in a relevant area
* Registration with HCPC
* Clinical Supervisory Skills course (or willingness to undertake within agreed timescale).
* Trust training in Appraisal and Recruitment (or willingness to undertake within an agreed timescale)
* Numeracy, Literacy and ITQ level 2 (or equivalent)
* Accredited Practice
Experience & Knowledge
* Significant experience in Occupational Therapy including direct work experience with children and young people in mental health, neuro-developmental or learning disabilities with complex needs.
* Experience of working autonomously within the community and with a range of multi -agency services supporting children.
* Experience of consultation and negotiation.
* Experience of developing and delivering training programmes for professionals and parents/carers.
* Day to day supervision of staff
Other Requirements
* It is an essential requirement of the role that the post holder has a valid driving licence and is either a car owner and able to use the car for work purposes, or has a Trust personal lease vehicle which may be used for the role. However, the Trust would consider making reasonable adjustments to the role, if necessary, to enable a disabled person to undertake the role.
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
Full-time, Flexible working, Compressed hours
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