Job overview
Are you a passionate Social Worker with strong experience supporting children and young people with mental health needs? This is an exciting opportunity to bring your expertise to Hounslow CAMHS as a Band 7 Clinical Social Worker within our dynamic Neurodevelopmental Team.
In CAMHS, Social Workers play a vital role in shaping meaningful, person centred support for children, adolescents, and families. You will bring a social perspective that helps bridge the gaps between mental health, physical health, social care, and community resources- ensuring that every young person receives compassionate, accessible, and holistic care.
You will join a collaborative multi disciplinary team where your skills, insight, and professional voice are truly valued. This role offers the chance to make a significant difference through direct clinical work, providing assessments and interventions, while also contributing to a culture of shared learning by offering supervision, consultation, and training to colleagues and partners across agencies.
If you are motivated, reflective, and eager to influence positive change for children and families, we would love to welcome you to our team.
Main duties of the job
In this role, you will play a central part in supporting children and young people to access timely, effective mental health care and to navigate services confidently and smoothly. You will carry out specialist assessments and formulations for those with neurodevelopmental conditions- such as Autism, ADHD, and tic disorders- as well as co occurring mental health needs, using your clinical expertise to guide thoughtful, evidence based interventions.
You will work as a key member of a multi-disciplinary team, holding a varied caseload and delivering high quality therapeutic work that is culturally sensitive, family centred, and grounded in the goals of the young people you support. You will be confident in making autonomous clinical decisions, managing risk, and using supervision and reflective practice to maintain excellent standards of care.
You will offer specialist advice to colleagues and partners across health, education, and social care- helping shape a shared understanding of children’s needs. Strong communication skills, both written and verbal, are essential, as is the ability to build effective collaborative relationships.
As part of our commitment to your development, you’ll have opportunities for advanced skills training- including standardised assessment tools such as ADI-r and ADOS - as well as the chance to contribute to the development of service initiatives, CAMHS Social Work projects and participate in supporting student social work placements in CAMHS.
Working for our organisation
West London NHS Trust is one of the most diverse healthcare providers in the UK, delivering a range of mental health and physical healthcare and community services. The Trust runs Broadmoor Hospital, one of three high secure hospitals in the country, with an international reputation.
Our high secure services care for patients from South of England and we provide low and medium secure services across eight London boroughs. The Trust also provides mental and physical healthcare in three London boroughs (Ealing, Hounslow and Hammersmith & Fulham). We employ 4,500 staff, of whom 56% are BME. Our turnover for 2023-24 is £426m.
The Trust is rated as ‘Good’ overall by the Care Quality Commission. Forensic services are rated as ‘Outstanding’.
The Trust is an established partner and contributor in the development of the evolving North West London Integrated Care System and the Integrated Care Board. The Trust leads the NW London Children and Adolescent Mental Health provider collaborative.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
The Candidate Pack provides an overview of the key tasks and responsibilities of the role, and the person specification outlines the qualifications, skills, experience and knowledge required. Please view as attached.
The person specification below is not the full person specification, but outlines the criteria against which your application form will be assessed.
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
1. Degree or Diploma in Social Work with additional therapeutic qualifications
2. Active Professional registration with Social Work England (SWE)
3. Post registration training/ equivalent experience in child and adolescent mental health
Desirable criteria
4. Practice Educator Professional Standards (PEPS) stage 2 qualification or ASYE assessor
5. CYP IAPT Trainings, e.g. CBT, Systemic Family Therapy, Interpersonal Therapy [IPT], Under 5’s, Parent Training.
6. Other post-graduate qualifications in: CBT, Systemic Foundation Years, EMDR, Mindfulness. Mentalizing Trainings
Experience
Essential criteria
7. Significant post registration experience in mental health Including extensive experience of assessment and therapeutic direct work with children and adolescents with emotional, behavioural or mental health difficulties.
8. Experience of providing consultation and liaison support to colleagues, referral agencies and services responsible for the care, support and wellbeing of service users and their families/carers.
9. Substantial experience of working in multidisciplinary clinical teams and contributing a professional social work perspective
10. Experience in assessing and managing high risk behaviours and in developing and implementing risk management plans
11. Experience of management of child protection emergencies
12. Experience of advising multidisciplinary colleagues about child and adult safeguarding
13. Experience of working in a number of ways i.e. assertive outreach, clinic based settings, home, school or other appropriate environments
14. Experience of using therapeutic skills, such as CBT, Solution Focused Therapy, Family Work, Parenting
15. Experience of giving presentations to colleagues in relation to Social Work
Desirable criteria
16. Experience of other treatment approaches
Knowledge
Essential criteria
17. Knowledge of legislation relevant to the Children’s Act 2004, Mental Health Act 1983 & Safeguarding Guidelines
18. Knowledge of child protection policies and procedures.
19. Knowledge of the evidence base in relation to child mental health
20. Knowledge of abuse, trauma and other adverse experiences on children and families.
21. Knowledge of the legal issues relating to consent and capacity in children and young people.
22. An awareness and understanding of the issues facing, children, adolescents and their families
23. Knowledge of the various assessment tools used in CAMHS
24. Knowledge of other modalities (i.e. psychoanalytical, medical, behavioural, etc.) sufficient to engage appropriately with multidisciplinary team colleagues and their work with clients.
25. A sound working knowledge and application of the SWE Code of Practice and BASW Code of Ethics