Senior CAMHS Practitioner

Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is situated on the west coast of Lancashire, with services covering the local authority areas of Blackpool, Fylde and Wyre. The Trust is part of the Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care System (ICS) supporting a population of around 1.6 million people. We have three main hospitals providing acute services to around 330,000 local residents. The organisation also provides specialist tertiary care for cardiac and haematology services, delivers community health services to over 445,000 residents including those in North Lancashire and hosts the National Artificial Eye Service across England. We provide urgent and emergency care services to an estimated 18 million people who visit the seaside resort each year. We employ over 7000 people from 68 different countries. We welcome and encourage applications from anyone with protected characteristics, as well as supporting reservists and Veterans who are looking for a rewarding and challenging career within the NHS. Blackpool Teaching Hospitals encourages flexible working in all our roles to support staff in maintaining a healthy home-life balance. Working patterns such as part-time working, self-rostering, compressed hours, annualised hours, term time, reverse term time and flexitime working can be explored.

Are you a passionate and skilled professional looking to make a meaningful difference in the lives of children and young people? We are seeking an experienced and motivated Senior CAMHS Practitioner to join our forward-thinking and progressive Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS). This is an exciting opportunity to work in a service committed to delivering high-quality, evidence-based interventions while fostering innovation, reflective practice and professional development.

Main duties of the job:

• Work within a multidisciplinary team offering full comprehensive assessments and interventions in a range of settings, and evaluate the mental health care to children, young people, and their families in line with local and national guidelines.
• Provide regular and ongoing consultation, joint work, training, and advice to other agency staff in relation to child and adolescent mental health to ensure the best possible outcomes for children and young people.
• Provide full clinical assessments of children, young people and their families referred to CAMHS in a variety of settings and situations including supporting the CAMHS duty team as required (may be required to work weekends and evenings).
• Manage a clinical caseload, comprising assessments and ongoing direct therapeutic interventions to children, young people and their parents/carers, including regular liaison and collaborative working with other agencies (e.g., social services and education).
• Discuss clinical issues and concerns with the CAMHS Team Leader, Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist and colleagues regarding ongoing therapeutic work.
• Work closely with other agency staff and provide regular professional consultation, training and advice to identify and address the mental health needs of children and young people as early as possible.

Person specification:

Education & Qualification:

• Registered professional qualification (e.g., RMN, Social Worker, Occupational Therapist, fully accredited Counsellor).
• Post-registration qualification in child & adolescent mental health, or qualification in therapeutic approaches with children, young people, parents, or carers.
• Qualification in teaching, assessing, and mentoring of students.

Experience & Knowledge:

• Relevant post-qualifying experience working with children, young people, and families.
• Significant post-registered qualification experience with children, young people, and families in relation to their mental health.
• Evidence of experience working in a community setting as part of a multidisciplinary team.
• Evidence of carrying out comprehensive assessments and care planning.
• Evidence of collaborative working with other services.
• Evidence of experience and/or training in supervising staff.

Skills & Ability:

• Evidence of ability to communicate effectively, both written and verbal.
• Evidence of ability to work as an effective member of a team.
• Evidence of ability to work under pressure.
• Evidence of ability to exercise a high level of judgement and decision-making.
• Evidence of ability to prioritise work appropriately.
• Evidence of awareness to extend knowledge and personal development.
• Evidence of car owner/driver or access to suitable alternative transport to enable the role.
• Evidence of ability to use basic IT and information systems.
• Evidence of ability to use and provide clinical supervision effectively.
• Evidence of ability to keep clear and accurate records.

You must have appropriate UK professional registration. This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.