CAMHS Practitioner - London

Job overview

We are pleased to announce an exciting opportunity for a Band 7 CAMHS Practitioner to join the Enhanced Treatment Team (ETT) at Westminster CAMHS. This position involves collaborating with a highly skilled and dynamic multi-disciplinary team to support young people and families dealing with a range of mental health disorders and complex trauma.

We are seeking dedicated professionals who are committed to providing high-quality care. Applications are welcome from psychologists, psychological therapists, CAMHS nurses, and child and adolescent psychotherapists.

All applicants must have completed professional training (fully qualified) and possess relevant CAMHS experience, along with professional registration with one of the following statutory bodies: Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC), the British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies (BABCP), the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), the Association of Child Psychotherapists (ACP), or the UK Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP).

Main duties of the job

The post holder will be part of the Enhanced Treatment Team and provide generic and specialist CAMHS assessments, develop and implement treatment plans, coordinate care, manage risks and offer evidence-based psychological interventions. The successful candidate will work with a range of mental health difficulties and formulate care plans to support children, young people, and families by applying psychologically informed clinical judgment to implement appropriate interventions for clients with complex needs.

The post holder will work autonomously within professional guidelines and the overall framework of the service’s policies and procedures. They will be part of a team that highly values trauma-informed approaches and thinking, supporting the service both within the team and through interagency consultation and collaboration with the wider network.

Working for our organisation

Set in the dynamic north Westminster borough, our CNWL CAMHS team provides mental and emotional health specialist services for children and young people up to 18 years old with their families and carers.

Our commitment to this collaborative approach strengthens our ability to respond effectively to the complexities faced by the community.

We are delighted that you are interested in working with us here at CNWL. Our Trust is an exciting place to work with a wealth of development and CPD opportunities available for all our staff. We work in collaboration with our colleagues, young people and their families, valuing their lived experiences.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

• Conduct highly specialised psychological assessments, formulations, and interventions for clients in the Enhanced Treatment Team (ETT) pathway. This includes evaluating individuals for single and complex trauma presentations, emotional and behavioural disorders, offending behaviour, and neurodevelopmental conditions. Collaboration with social services and other networks is required, emphasising a systemic and trauma-informed approach.
• To evaluate and make decisions about treatment options considering both theoretical and therapeutic models and highly complex factors concerning historical, environmental and developmental processes that have shaped the individual, family or group.
• Deliver culturally appropriate psychological interventions for carers or families of referred clients, as needed, to ensure comprehensive support.
• To develop and implement psychological interventions for individuals, carers and families. These interventions should be grounded in trauma-informed approaches and incorporate systemic principles. Examples of relevant interventions could be: Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Compassion-Focused Therapy (CFT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) or Psychodynamic approaches.
• To undertake generic and specialist psychological and neuropsychological assessments of children and families referred to the service based on the appropriate use, interpretation and integration of complex data from a variety of sources including psychological and neuropsychological tests.
• To undertake risk assessment and risk management for individual children and young people tailored to individual needs, and to provide advice to other professions on psychological aspects of risk assessment and risk management.
• Act as a care coordinator, taking responsibility for initial assessments, conducting risk assessments, and formulating and reviewing care plans. As the lead professional, participate in multi-network meetings to contribute to clinical and trauma-informed case formulations.
• To participate in initial CAMHS assessment clinics and specialist assessments as required.
• To use routine outcome measures (ROMS) in a clinically meaningful way that promotes collaboration in the young person’s journey of their care.
• To exercise autonomous professional responsibility for the assessment and treatment of clients whose problems are managed by psychologically based standard care plans.
• To refer clients on, as appropriate, to other statutory and non-statutory services.
• The post holder will attend relevant multi-agency planning meetings such as Child in Need, Child Protection conferences, professionals meetings and CPAs.
• To contribute directly and indirectly to the development and review of an evidence based psychologically-based framework and offer, guided guidelines and principles, to the benefit of all clients of the service, across all settings and agencies serving the client group.

• To contribute to the effective working of the team or service and to a psychologically informed framework for the service.
• To contribute to the team or service’s delivery of accessible and acceptable services to diverse local communities.
• To be proactive in challenging discrimination and support the development of culturally competent services.
• To advise other members of the service on specialist psychological care of clients.
• To liaise with referrers, GPs and other professionals concerned with clients in order to develop and review care plans.
• To utilise theory, evidence-based literature and research to support evidence-based practice in individual work and work with other team members.

• To receive regular clinical supervision in accordance with Trust guidelines and professional registration.
• To provide advice, consultation and training to staff working with the client groups across a range of agencies and settings.

• To ensure that all information generated by one’s own work is recorded as required by Trust policies and local procedures.
• To maintain the highest standards of clinical record keeping and report writing, according to professional and Trust guidelines, including electronic data entry.
• To use computer and computer software to prepare reports, presentations and documents relevant to working duties

• To initiate, undertake, support and supervise regular complex service evaluation and audits as per service needs.
• To initiate and implement the development of outcome measurement and assessment and assist other staff in the implementation of the same.

• To receive regular clinical and professional supervision from a more senior psychologist according to HCPC and Trust guidelines.
• To ensure one’s own Continuing Professional Development in line with BPS and Trust Personal Development Plan requirements and the HCPC ‘Standards for Continuing Professional Development’.
• To maintain an up-to-date knowledge of current developments in professional and clinical practice and of relevant legislation and policies.
• To comply with the HCPC ‘Standards of Conduct, Performance and Ethics’ and ‘Standards of Proficiency’, and ensure professional development in line with these.
• To adhere to the BPS’s Professional Practice Guidelines and Trust policies and procedures.

• Mandatory Training

• Multi-agency Meetings

The post holder will prioritise attendance at relevant multi-agency planning meetings such as Child in Need, Child Protection conferences, professionals meetings and CPAs.

Policy and Procedure

o Confidentiality, Data Protection and Information Sharing

o Code of Conduct

o Capability

o Equality and Diversity

o Health and Safety

o Infection Prevention and Control

o Finance

o Safeguarding Children

o Sickness Absence

• Professional Standards and Performance Review

The post holder will fully participate in the Trust’s Appraisal / Supervision Programme and work with their manager to ensure that they have a clear job plan and objectives

Flexible Working

The post holder will undertake any other duties as appropriate to the grade/role and work flexibly across Child and Adolescent Mental Health sites to provide cover for short-term absences when required

Person specification

Education and Qualifications

• 1. Fully qualified professional training in one of the following professions: Clinical Psychology; Counselling Psychology; Forensic Psychologist; CBT Therapist; Integrative Psychotherapist; Child and Adolescent Psychotherapist; Mental Health Nurse
• 2. Registration with one of the following statutory bodies: Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC); the British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies (BABCP); the Nursing Midwifery Council (NMC); Association of Child Psychotherapists (ACP); the UK Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP)

• 1. Additional training in one or more additional specialised areas of psychological practice especially relevant to complex CAMHS. In particular: CYP-IAPT Therapy Training; Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT); Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (DBT); Third wave CBT therapies including Compassion Focussed Therapy (CFT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (CFT); Trauma-Focused CBT (TF-CBT) / EMDR; Trauma informed approaches; Systemic Therapy formulation experience; Mentalisation-based therapy (MBT); Interpersonal therapy (IPT); Dyadic developmental psychotherapy (DDP)

Previous Experience

• 1. Experience of working within a multidisciplinary Specialist CAMHS team.
• 2. Experience with initial assessments and care planning.
• 3. Experience with risk assessment and risk management.
• 4. Experience of mental health care coordination.
• 5. Experience of multi-agency work.
• 6. Experience of delivering evidence-based interventions for mental health.

• 1. Experience of assessing for Neurodevelopmental disorders incl. ASD and ADHD.
• 2. Experience of working with parental mental health.
• 3. Experience of working with YP with complex diagnosis and/or emerging personality disorders.
• 4. Experience of working with complex family dynamics.
• 5. Experience of working with Looked After Children or edge of care.
• 6. Experience of working with diverse communities.

Knowledge and Skills

• 1. Knowledge and skills in assessment intervention and management.
• 2. Knowledge of the theoretical evidence base for understanding, formulating and providing interventions for mental health concerns
• 3. Knowledge of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) model of formulation.
• 4. Well-developed skills in effectively communicating complex, highly technical, and clinically sensitive information, including diagnoses and formulations, both orally and in writing, to clients, their families, carers, and professionals.
• 5. Ability to utilise digital clinical systems.
• 6. Skills in providing consultation to both professional and non-professional groups.
• 7. Experience in assessing mental health risks and safeguarding concerns.
• 8. Knowledge of CAMHS legislation.

• 1. Knowledge of attachment theory.
• 2. Knowledge of family systems theory.

Personal

• 1. Ability to manage and work with organisational stress, as well as the capacity to 'hold' the stress of others.
• 2. Skilled in building constructive relationships with warmth and empathy, supported by strong communication skills.
• 3. Committed to treating service users with respect and dignity at all times.
• 4. Capable of prioritising own workload and meeting performance requirements for the role.

Other

• 1. Ability to identify and employ clinical governance mechanisms, as appropriate, to support and maintain clinical practice when regularly exposed to highly emotive material and challenging behaviour. In particular: Understands and is able to implement and promote the Equal Opportunities Policy at a level appropriate to the post; Understands and can apply confidentiality and information sharing policies and procedures.
• 2. Sickness (or attendance) record that meets the standards acceptable to the Trust. Declared medically fit by the Occupational Health department to perform the duties of the post.

CNWL (Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust) has almost 8,000 staff providing integrated healthcare to a third of London's population, Milton Keynes and areas beyond. We involve service users, carers, the public, staff and partner organisations in the way that we are run.

We’re proud of our diversity and we continue to undertake new initiatives to advance equality for LGBT+, BME and people with disabilities to promote good relations and understanding between our staff.

We are recognised locally, nationally and internationally for providing high quality, innovative healthcare. We aim to employ only the best people, and our experts are frequently called upon to contribute to national health strategy and policy, and many models of our care have been adapted for use in other countries.

We offer a generous relocation package (subject to eligibility assessment) and flexible working options, including bank assignments for most roles. For more information on these and other benefits of working for us, see our Benefits, Reward and Wellbeing page

Become part of our team. We care for you as much as you care for others.

CNWL NHS Foundation Trust are committed to safeguarding all children and vulnerable adults and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. We follow safe recruitment practices to protect children and vulnerable adults.

Due to the high response levels we receive for some vacancies, we may expire any of them prior to the advertised closing date and advise you to submit your application as soon as possible.

Our Agenda for Change employment contracts are subject to a contractual 13 week probationary period.

If you are offered a job, information will be transferred into the national NHS Electronic Staff Records system.