Job overview
This post provides a fantastic opportunity to lead the integrated schools pathway in Luton, forming innovative and forward-looking services that are developing substantially across Bedfordshire and Luton CAMHS. In Luton this includes an established CAMH School Liaison Team, our Wave 2, 5 and 9 Mental Health Support Teams (MHST), and our upcoming Wave 14 Team in January 2026. Mental Health Support Teams are part of an exciting project funded by NHS England, Health Education England and partners with the aim of improving the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people in the community in response to the government’s Green Paper for Young People’s Mental Health. Bedfordshire & Luton CAMHS have been successful in benefitting from significant investment in this area.
Main duties of the job
The post holder will be the Integrated Lead for the schools pathway teams across the Luton locality as we move towards an integrated schools offer in the coming year, and they will work with team operational leads and with the overall strategic Clinical Lead for CAMH Access Services to offer a comprehensive first step in mental health support, accessible and acceptable for all communities living in Luton, following the Thrive model. The post holder will lead the development of a wide range of targeted interventions, projects and system change with the aim of delivering whole school and community approaches to supporting young people’s mental health. We aim to develop an integrated neighbourhood-based core offer to all schools across the locality, and an enhanced offer where there is greater need (such as in communities with greater health inequalities) over the next two years.
Working for our organisation
Our mission is to make a positive difference to people's lives by improving the quality of life for all we serve. Our values are: We Care, We Respect, We are Inclusive – so we are looking for people who live and breathe these qualities when supporting service users and carers, and in their relationships with colleagues in the Trust and our partner organisations.
Luton specialist CAMH services offers a comprehensive and seamless stepped model of support for all communities in Luton. As a first step, CAMH Access Services offer (Giving Advice and Early Getting Help) services through all schools in Luton, with the Primary Care Access Service (or, PCAS) offering services through all GP practices. We also have a clinician embedded within Early Help Services, all forming a strong early intervention and community based service in communities. As a second step, we have our multi-disciplinary teams offering Later Getting Help and Risk Management support, and as a third step we have a local Inpatient Unit for young people, along with an admission avoidance pathway.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
The post holder will play a lead role in integrating an early intervention offer with partners, including the third sector, who offer emotional well-being support, and broader strategies such as Luton aiming to become a child friendly town, with the aim of a clear integrated multi-agency pathway from all schools to first step mental health support. They will also help lead on the realisation of an integrated systems model of resilience and relationally focused model of early mental health for and with communities. The post holder will also take the lead in assimilating national guidance, policies and learning into local operational policies and working procedures for a number of innovative projects across the schools pathway across the locality, within a community resilience model, and ensure the adherence to performance monitoring and reporting of the pathway.
Interview date – Wednesday 17th September 2025
For any questions or further information, please feel free to contact Dr Vicky Taylor, Clinical Team Lead for Luton CAMH
Please feel free to contact us, and either call us on 01525 638613/614, or email us at
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
1. Qualification in appropriate mental health profession such as; Clinical or Family of Psychology, Systemic Family Therapy, Child Psychotherapy, Nursing, Social Work, including a substantive psychological therapy/clinical qualification, and registration with relevant UK governing body.
Desirable criteria
2. Parenting qualification and parenting supervision qualification.
3. Supervision qualification
4. Specific therapeutic modality training and qualification e.g. CBT, DBT, IPT etc.
5. Management or leadership training
Experience
Essential criteria
6. Substantive experience of working in a senior post in CAMHS at a Band 8A level, Tier 2 and education settings, working with complex and serious aetiology of mental health difficulties, and in promoting and developing collaborative partnership approaches in the community to improve mental well-being
7. Previous experience of supervising clinicians and training colleagues, where LI-CBT is part of the wider offer
8. Previous experience of developing partner relationships, particularly in relation to service development capacities, using an asset-based and resilience based approach to mental well-being.
9. Experience of consultation within CAMHS and with the multiagency network, underpinned by systemically informed formulations
Desirable criteria
10. -Negotiation with statutory agencies, such as HEE and NHS England, and also HEIs
11. Delivery of parenting programmes – Webster Stratton, Triple P, NVR etc.
Knowledge
Essential criteria
12. Evidence of well-developed highly specialist clinical skills and knowledge in CAMHS
13. Core psychological therapy skills applying to models of change at inter-connected systems levels
14. Highly specialist skills in assessing for complex aetiology of mental health, neuro-developmental, learning and social factors impacting on the wellbeing of children and young people
15. Knowledge of and skills in trauma-informed care as relating to specialist CAMHS practice and ability to translate this to other children’s services and their roles within such a framework
Skills
Essential criteria
16. Up to date and specific knowledge of current national issues, guidelines, and policies pertinent for CAMHS
17. In depth knowledge of CAMHS issues including complex and highly specialist mental health assessment and interventions, whole school and community approaches
18. Knowledge of the Children’s Act and other appropriate legislation that is most current to provision of CAMH services
19. A working knowledge of Safeguarding Guidelines