CAMHS Operational Lead
The closing date is 04 May 2026
Job summary
Core CAMHS is a Tier 3, multidisciplinary service central to Gloucestershires Childrens Mental Health provision, supporting children and young people with moderate to severe mental health needs.
The service is recruiting an Operational Lead who will be a key leader, providing compassionate, effective leadership to ensure high‑quality mental health care for children, young people, and families. This role offers opportunities to use a wide range of skills, make a meaningful impact on the local population, and support workforce development.
Main duties of the job
The role requires a professional health or social care qualification, current registration, and experience within a childrens mental health care setting. Core operating hours are 9:00 am to 5:00 pm Monday to Friday with some flexibility according to service need. Presence and engagement are valued, and the capacity to travel between bases and meetings is required.
* Communicate and collaborate effectively with a wide range of people, from children and families to all levels of the GHC organisation and partners
* Lead compassionately, with our GHC Trust Values integral to your approach
* Place the voice of children and families at the centre of service delivery and development
* Provide planning, development and delivery of service and quality improvements in line with local and national priorities and strategy
* Operationally enable clinically led services to collaboratively achieve effective governance
* Be confident to prioritise, adapt and problem‑solve in this fast‑paced environment
* Lead on key tasks/projects associated with the delivery of effective community services, working collaboratively with key partners
* Analyse data and write reports adapted to the audience
Job responsibilities
Overarching responsibility: Leadership and management of the operational requirements of the Gloucestershires Children & Young Peoples Service (Core CAMHS team)
Be jointly accountable with the Deputy Service Director for the quality of integrated, highly specialised therapeutic services for children, young people and their families who have complex mental health needs, which are safe, inclusive, effective, and accessible.
Ensure that clinical and operational processes are in place for governance, quality assurance, risk assessment and management, promoting the safeguarding and welfare of children and effective care.
Maintain and update own professional highly specialised and expert knowledge and skills through Continuing Professional Development (CPD), including advanced specialist theoretical and practical knowledge over a range of domains: clinical, managerial, research, development, and leadership, and maintain a professional portfolio.
People leadership and management
Provide operational leadership to a countywide staff group, using personal initiative and operational independent judgement and decision making.
Manage and support staff through effective regular 1‑to‑1s and caseload management, ensuring regular clinical supervision and in line with Trust HR policies and procedures, including staff coaching, appraisal, development, and supporting performance.
Oversee workforce planning and workload capacity frameworks, including analysing workload capacity data and integrated performance activity.
Leading Service Delivery
* Contribute to the planning, development and delivery of service and quality improvements in line with local and national priorities
* Lead on key tasks/projects/agreed targets associated with the delivery of effective community services
* In collaboration with Clinical and Professional Leadership structures, lead on the development and sustainability of coherent and robust clinical teams
* Be responsible for planning and interpreting policy development and implementation for the Service, and influencing policy within multi‑agency domains in conjunction with key CAMHS stakeholders
* Manage delegated budgets to ensure that resources are allocated efficiently to provide the highest possible standard of care
* Provide formal reports regularly for governance and oversight purposes and to associated CYPS and Trust Committees or other bodies such as the ICB as required
Collaborative working with children and families at the centre
* Engage with the particular needs of specific communities and promote partnership working with other agencies and organisations
* Prioritise the development of mechanisms to promote better consultation and collaboration with children and young people service users and their parents/carers within care pathway planning, as well as wider operational and strategic issues and developments
* Liaise with advocacy services to promote high‑quality service experience
Work collaboratively with key partners and subcontractors
* Prioritise the development of mechanisms to promote better consultation and collaboration with children and young people service users and their parents/carers within care pathway planning, as well as wider operational and strategic issues and developments
Person Specification
Qualifications – Essential
* Professional Health or Social Care qualification: Clinical Psychology, Child and Adolescent Psychotherapist, RNLD, RMHN, OT, MHSW
* Demonstrate current registration with a regulated professional body/organisation: NMC, HCPC, BPS, ACP
* Evidence of formal postgraduate learning within a relevant CAMHS setting
Experience – Essential
* Ability to travel between bases and meeting/training venues during their working day that may be across the county and occasionally outside the county
* Demonstrable understanding of national childrens mental health and the wider childrens services agenda, policies and directives
Desirable
* Robust knowledge of relevant theories, evidence‑based practice and research in the field of childrens services
* Knowledge of policies, procedures, and professional standards within NHS Trust service
* Robust knowledge of statutory legislation relevant to CAMHS
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 CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration.
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