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CAMHS Senior Mental Health Practitioner
The closing date is 26 September 2025
We have an exciting opportunity for a senior mental health practitioner to join the CAMHS Emotional Wellbeing Service in Kirklees, a service for looked after children and care leavers.
The service is provided by an integrated team of social care and CAMHS practitioners using the 6 Ps formulation practice model, providing specialist assessment and consultation to the network around the young person in care, including foster carers and residential practitioners within local authority childrens homes. Additionally, trauma informed, evidence-based interventions are provided by the team to support the mental health and wellbeing needs of children and young people.
Our team currently consists of psychologists, senior social work practitioners, student counsellors and team managers. This is a new role within the team which has been introduced so that we are better able to meet the needs of children and young people in care. You will have experience of delivering high quality, effective mental health interventions working in CAMHS/with vulnerable young people.
We welcome applications from registered mental health practitioners (NMC/HCPC) and registered social workers (SWE).
Hours of work are 9-5 Monday Friday.
All employees of the Trust are strongly encouraged to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 to protect patients.
Main duties of the job
To work collaboratively with practitioners and care providers, providing advice, formulation and consultation to improve outcomes for looked after children, their carers and families.
To hold a caseload of children and young people presenting with a wide range of complex needs, undertaking assessment and formulation, developing care plans and providing effective interventions.
To contribute to service development, including the development of the therapeutic model across fostering and residential childrens homes.
To develop and facilitate training for carers and professionals.
Supervision and professional support are offered along with opportunities for professional development and training.
For more information about the role please contact Kirsty Wilson, team manager 07443710021.Interview date 21/10/25.
At the time of advertising, this role does meet the minimum requirements set by UK Visas and Immigration to sponsor candidates to work in the UK. We look forward to receiving your application.
About us
We are a specialist NHS Foundation Trust that provides community, mental health and learning disability services for the people of Barnsley, Calderdale, Kirklees and Wakefield. We also provide low and medium secure services and are the lead for the west Yorkshire secure provider collaborative.
Our mission is to help people reach their potential and live well in their communities, we do this by providing high-quality care in the right place at the right time. We employ staff in both clinical and non-clinical services who work hard to make a difference to the lives of service users, families and carers.
We encourage and welcome applications from all protected characteristic groups, we value diversity and want our workforce to be reflective of our communities.
Being a foundation Trust means we’re accountable to our members, who can have a say in how we’re run. Around 14,300 local people (including staff) are members of our Trust.
Join us and you will be one of over 4,500 staff committed to supporting and improving the mental, physical and social needs of the thousands of people we meet and help each year.
We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expect all colleagues and volunteers to share this commitment.
We do reserve to right to close vacancy before the advertised closing date if necessary, so please apply as soon as possible.
Job responsibilities
For full job description, please see attached supporting documents.
JOB SUMMARY
This job description is an outline of the main duties of the post. The post-holder will be required to undertake other duties commensurate with the grade as directed.
The content of this post will be reviewed in consultation with the post-holder when necessary and in line with the service developments.
To provide highly specialist skills and expertise, facilitating interventions of the highest quality in the field of mental health, including emergency assessments and intensive interventions with children, young people and their families.
To work autonomously and collaboratively within the MDT, providing consultation and teaching for other agencies/professionals.
To provide supervision and teaching to all other disciplines within CAMHS and to deputise as agreed for the team leader.
To promote safeguarding and the welfare of children and young people.
KEY RESULT AREAS:
CLINICAL
To work autonomously within professional guidelines and exercise responsibility in accordance with the Trust Policies and procedures.
The post-holder will have highly developed skills in assessing the needs of children and their carers based on the analysis of highly complex facts and situations. Interventions will be planned based on the assessment information and interpretation of this. The clinical assessment will include gathering appropriate historical information from the child and family, allied to clinical observation of family relationships and mental state of the child and other family members, and obtaining relevant information from other agencies. Offering highly specialist expertise in child and adolescent mental health, ensuring clear documentation in all appropriate case notes and sharing assessments and information with the family and all relevant professionals.
To undertake highly specialist initial assessments of young people following acts of serious self-harm and attempted suicide in line with evidence based practice.
To undertake highly specialised risk assessments following referral for presentations requiring urgent mental health or psychiatric assessment and plan relevant interventions.
To implement intensive interventions with young people and their families, as relevant to the post-holders main clinical role, i.e. group and individual work, systemic family interventions. This will include analysis, interpretation and evaluation to reformulate plans of care.
The post-holder will provide therapeutic care to emotionally demanding clients in highly emotive situations.
The post-holder will develop and maintain therapeutic relationships with children and carers. This will include cases of high complexity which require more specialised levels of assessment and therapeutic skills.
As part of multi-disciplinary team, the Senior Mental Health Practitioner will deliver and devise complex packages of care. Provide individual and family review/follow-up sessions to children, young people or their carers.
To take a lead role in setting guidelines and standards that will ensure all young persons identified with complex problems are discharged from Specialist CAMHS with an appropriate package of care from universal services.
The post-holder will have skills to communicate highly complex information regarding personal psycho-social problems in an empathic and supportive way using the highest level of interpersonal skills in situations which can be highly emotional and sometimes antagonistic. Service users and families may have difficulty or be reluctant to understand what is communicated to them.
Communicate complex, sensitive or contentious information utilising highly developed interpersonal skills. Take into account issues of confidentiality and the consent of Adults and Young People. Considering and assessing a childs maturity to consent.
To work with children, young people (0-18) and their families, liaising with external agencies, e.g. Education, Social Services and Paediatric Services. Presenting problems are frequently complex and require that sophisticated packages of care are negotiated and delivered. To actively promote user/carer involvement in all aspects of care planning/delivery whilst respecting the rights, capabilities and wishes of the individuals concerned.
We are aware that an increasing number of applicants are using AI technology to generate responses on NHS Job application forms. Over reliance on AI-generated content in application forms is strongly discouraged and we will conduct a thorough screening process before selecting candidates to progress to the next stage. If you are using AI to enhance your application, please disclose this in your NHS Jobs application form.
Person Specification
Personal Attributes
* Able to work autonomously and as part of a team.
* Commitment to multi-agency approach/working.
* Ability to work and make decisions under pressure.
* Calm, confident, innovative, creative and assertive.
* Ability to make and lead decisions under pressure/crisis situations.
* Willingness to be flexible and adaptable in accordance with changing service priorities.
* Commitment to challenging discrimination and improving accessibility of services.
* Ability to cope calmly in a crisis.
* To demonstrate good self-care and encourage the same in team members.
* A Current driving licence and access to a car during the working day is essential (reasonable adjustments will be considered for any applicants who are unable to drive due to a disability).
* To have integrity, be honest, open, transparent and respectful.
Physical Attributes
* Ability to undertake the duties and demands of the post. A satisfactory sickness record over the previous 2 years (subject to the need to act with fairness and equality of opportunity, particularly where the sickness is related to a disability and/or pregnancy).
Experience
* Experience of delivering training to others.
* Substantial post qualification experience, some of which must be working with Children, young people and their carers in a mental health or other complex care setting.
* Experience of working in different cultural contexts.
* Knowledge and experience of working with Equality and Diversity.
* Multidisciplinary team working.
* Inter-agency liaison and consultation.
* Experience of providing highly specialist advice and supervision to other professionals.
* Knowledge of relevant legislation and guidance for working with children, young people, mental health and safeguarding.
* Evidence of advanced clinical/therapeutic knowledge and skills in mental health.
* Extensive experience in assessment and risk management and ability to implement evidence based practice.
* Advanced experience of safeguarding children and young people.
* Experience of community settings.
Special Knowledge & Skills
* Excellent verbal and communication skills.
* Ability to manage own caseload and to be a self-reliant and autonomous practitioner.
* Excellent negotiation skills, and problem solving skills.
* Excellent record keeping and report writing skills to include care planning and risk assessments.
Qualifications
* Relevant professional qualification, e.g. nursing, or other professional allied to medicine.
* Post qualification training in identified portfolio, e.g. LD. LAC, eating disorder.
* Dip SW or relevant mental health profession.
* A teaching and assessing qualification.
* Membership of professional body.
* Post graduate qualification in mental health (e.g. CBT, Family Therapy, Counselling).
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.
South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Trust
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