Go back South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Trust
CAMHS Band 7 Senior Mental Health Practitioner - Eating Disorders Team
The closing date is 07 July 2025
1x 37.5 hours per week vacancy available
Wakefield CAMHS are seeking anexperienced and passionate Senior Mental Health Practitioner to take on a clinicalleadership role within the service. The Practitioner would work within theEating Disorder Team which has recently expanded due to investments. The EatingDisorder Team is a multi-disciplinary team and you will work closely withPsychiatrists and Dieticians to ensure the delivery of a comprehensive tailoredpackage to meet the needs of the individual.
This position is ideal forsomeone who has a strong experience of working with children and young people withan eating disorder diagnosis or disorder eating.
The successful candidate will offerassessments and screenings, hold a caseload of children and young people andsupport with pathway developments within the team and wider service. You wouldbe expected to offer support to young people admitted to a general hospital forphysical health concerns and deliver groups to families and carers.
To apply for the role, you needto have experience of working with children, young people and families and apreference of eating disorder experience.
Please be aware that you mustmeet all the essential qualification requirements of the role (as described inthe person specification) in order to be considered for interview.
All employees of the Trust are strongly encouraged to befully vaccinated against COVID-19 to protect patients.
Main duties of the job
Undertaking assessments and initial screeningappointments
-Offering clinical supervision to staff withinthe Eating Disorder Team and within Wakefield CAMHS
-Holding a caseload of young people and familiesand delivering therapeutic intervention
-Supporting the Clinical Lead and Team Manager todevelop the pathways within The Eating Disorder Team
-Supporting children, young people and familiesthat are recently discharged from inpatient settings
Monitor physical health needs (blood pressure,pulse, weight etc).
At the time of advertising, this role does meet theminimum requirements set by UK Visas and Immigration to sponsor candidates towork in the UK. We look forward to receiving your application.
We are aware that an increasing number of applicants are using AI technology to generate responses on NHS Job application forms. We strongly discourage this and 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.
About us
Weare a specialist NHS Foundation Trust that provides community, mental healthand learning disability services for the people of Barnsley, Calderdale,Kirklees and Wakefield. We also provide low and medium secure services and arethe lead for the west Yorkshire secure provider collaborative.
Our mission isto help people reach their potential and live well in their communities, we do thisby providing high-quality care in the right place at the right time. We employstaff in both clinical and non-clinical services who work hard to make adifference to the lives of service users, families and carers.
We encourageand welcome applications from all protected characteristic groups, we valuediversity and want our workforce to be reflective of our communities.
Beinga foundation Trust means were accountable to ourmembers, who can have a say in how were run. Around 14,300 local people(including staff) are members of our Trust.
Joinus and you will be one of over 4,500 staff committed to supporting and improvingthe mental, physical and social needs of the thousands of people we meet andhelp each year.
Weare committedto safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people andvulnerable adults and expects all colleagues and volunteers to share thiscommitment.
We do reserve to right to close vacancy before the advertised closing date if necessary, so please apply as soon as possible.
Job responsibilities
Thisjob description is an outline of the main duties of the post. The post-holder will be required to undertakeother duties commensurate with the grade as directed.
The content of this post will be reviewed in consultation with the post-holderwhen necessary and in line with the service developments.
To provide highlyspecialist skills and expertise, facilitating interventions of the highestquality in the field of mental health, including emergency assessments andintensive interventions with children, young people and their families.
To work autonomously andcollaboratively within the MDT, providing consultation and teaching for otheragencies/professionals.
To provider supervisionand teaching to all other disciplines within CAMHS and to deputise as agreedfor the team leader.
To promote safeguardingand the welfare of children and young people
KEY RESULT AREAS:
CLINICAL
1
To work autonomously withinprofessional guidelines and exercise responsibility in accordance with theTrust Policies and procedures
2
The post-holder will have highly developed skills in assessing theneeds of children and their carers based on the analysis of highly complexfacts and situations. Interventionswill be planned based on the assessment information and interpretation ofthis. The clinical assessment willinclude gathering appropriate historical information from the child andfamily, allied to clinical observation of family relationships and mentalstate of the child and other family members, and obtaining relevant informationfrom other agencies. Offering highlyspecialist expertise in child and adolescent mental health, ensuring cleardocumentation in all appropriate case notes and sharing assessments andinformation with the family and all relevant professionals.
3
Toundertake highly specialist initial assessments of young people followingacts of serious self-harm and attempted suicide in line with evidence basedpractice.
4
To undertake highlyspecialised risk assessments following referral for presentations requiringurgent mental health or psychiatric assessment and plan relevantinterventions.
5
To implement intensiveinterventions with young people and their families, as relevant to the post-holdersmain clinical role, i.e. group and individual work, systemic familyinterventions. This will include analysis, interpretation and evaluation toreformulate plans of care.
6
The post holder willprovide therapeutic care to emotionally demanding clients in highly emotivesituations.
7
Thepost-holder will develop and maintain therapeutic relationships with childrenand carers. This will include cases ofhigh complexity which require more specialisedlevels of assessment and therapeutic skills.
8
As part ofmulti-disciplinary team, the Senior Mental Health Practitioner will deliverand devise complex packages of care.Provide individual and family review follow-up sessions to children,young people or their carers.
9
To take a lead role insetting guidelines and standards that will ensure all young personsidentified with complex problems are discharged from Specialist CAMHS with anappropriate package of care from universal services.
10
The post holder willhave skills to communicate highly complex information regarding personalpsycho-social problems in an empathic and supportive way using the highestlevel of interpersonal skills in situations which can be highly emotional andsometimes antagonistic. Service users and families may have difficulty or bereluctant to understand what is communicated to them.
11
Communicate complex, sensitive or contentious information utilisinghighly developed interpersonal skills.Take into account issues of confidentiality and the consent of Adultsand Young People. Considering andassessing a childs maturity to consent.
12
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 complexand require that sophisticated packages of care are negotiated anddelivered. To actively promoteuser/carer involvement in all aspects of care planning/delivery whilstrespecting the rights, capabilities and wishes of the individuals concerned.
13
To apply a soundknowledge of safeguarding children and guidelines in clinical work.
14
To deputise for theteam leader in his/her absence.
15
Apply Trust policiesand procedures in instances of aggression, acute distress and disturbedmental health presentations.
HUMAN RESOURCES
1
The Senior MentalHealth Practitioner will take the responsibility in developing, managing andcoordinating the supervision systems for the team.
2
The post holder willsupport other team members in managing cases, providing joint working whereappropriate on specific therapeutic techniques.
3
To manage andcoordinate rotas for all disciplines within CAMHS specific to their own areaof specialism.
4
To support the ClinicalGovernance Lead within the service and participate in the development andmaintenance of governance processes, i.e. clinical incident reporting, riskmanagement.
5
Contribute to theinduction of new starters in the service.
6
Responsible for firstline resolution of complaints in line with Trust policy.
7
Responsible forbudgetary requirement of equipment necessary for clinical interventions.
RESEARCH
1
The post-holder will identifyand undertake R and D activity, where appropriate, and be responsible forregular audit projects/service evaluations and for the development ofresearch projects in line with evidence based practice.
2
To participate and takea lead role in audit, service evaluation and quality managementinitiative.
3
The post holder willdeliver and supervise others to participate in audit pertaining to theirspecialist area ensuring agreed results are implemented.
4
To utilise theory,evidence based literature and research to support evidence based practice inwork with client and that of the service planning, development anddelivers. To maintain links withacademic institutions.
5
To introduce, throughconsultation with colleagues, quality initiatives.
6
To be committed to aquality approach for patient care.
POLICY AND SERVICE DEVELOPMENT
1
To lead on service developmentsand to provide information and data for other proposals as required.
Promote and leadpatient and public involvement strategies within the clinical environment.
2
To deputise in the teamleaders absence at service business meetings within CAMHS and relevantdepartments within Childrens Services.
3
To identify trainingand development needs for the continued provision of an effective service.
4
To address the clinicalgovernance agenda (e.g. clinical effectiveness, education and training,communication, audit, risk management) as appropriate. This includes active involvement in one ormore of the multidisciplinary clinical improvement groups in CAMHS.
5
Contribute to andchange practice in response to corporate developments.
TEACHING, TRAINING AND SUPERVISION
1
To provide clinicalsupervision to CAMHS staff in highly specialist areas of complex mentalhealth presentations.
2
Organise and facilitaterelevant professional development and training opportunities on specialistsubjects to the CAMHS MDT.
3
To contribute fully tothe in service training programme provided within the CAMHS team andChildrens services. This will include the provision of teaching sessions toother members of the team.
4
To provide clinicalteaching supervision to CAMHS staff and students whilst maintaining closelinks with higher education institutions.To provide a developmental environment in which junior members ofstaff develop skills in effective caseload management.
5
Provide teaching andtraining to multi-agency services both statutory and voluntary on highlyspecialist subjects.
6
To provide advice,consultation and supervision to professionals caring for young people bothwithin statutory and voluntary agencies displaying symptoms of severeemotional and behavioural problems and mental health issues of a highlycomplex nature.
7
To act as aninformation source to other team members regarding children and youngpeoples mental health needs and the range of service provision available.
8
To actively sharespecialist knowledge, skills and expertise for the benefit of service usersand their carers.
9
To offer knowledge andskills of cross cultural therapeutic work in order to enable others to workeffectively and sensitively with clients from a range of racial, cultural andreligious backgrounds.
10
Contribute tomulti disciplinary team case discussions.Provide active peer group support and advice utilising ownprofessional knowledge and practice whilst respecting the knowledge andtheoretical practices of other professions.
11
To take responsibilityfor own continuing professional development, identifying own developmentareas in negotiation with line management.
Person Specification
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
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).
Special Knowledge and 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.
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.
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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