CAMHS and Hospital Youth Work Lead in Bath

Hours: 30 (0.8 FTE)

Salary: OTR Band D, £32,355 (FTE)

Accountable to: Head of Voice Services, Off the Record B&NES

Based at: Royal United Hospital (RUH), Bath, BA1 3NG

Contract type: Fixed-term contract (ending in March 2028; possibility to extend subject to future funding)

Who we are

Off The Record Bath & North East Somerset (OTR) is a mental health and wellbeing charity that gives local children and young people (CYP) a safe space to be heard and be themselves. We provide a range of services for CYP, including counselling, listening support, youth participation, advocacy, support for care leavers and a LGBTQ+ focused youth group. Equity, diversity, and inclusion are at the heart of what we value as an organisation. OTR is committed to equal employment opportunities regardless of race, age, religion, sex, sexual orientation, disability or any other status protected by law.

Purpose of the role

Our CAMHS and Hospital Youth Work Lead is an exciting new role, leading two highly impactful OTR services: the RUH Hospital Youth Workers and the BANES Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) Social Prescribing Link Workers. You will lead the delivery and development of both services, including working closely with our partners at the RUH, in CAMHS and in the wider BANES community.

You will also:

• Manage referrals coming in to both the Hospital Youth Workers service and the CAMHS Link Workers service.
• Lead on monitoring the impact of both services and report regularly on this to our funders/partners.
• Engage in direct 1:1 casework.
• Ensure strong safeguarding practice across the two teams.

The role combines team leadership, safeguarding oversight, partnership working and frontline youth work. You will help strengthen collaboration between hospital and CAMHS teams, community organisations and local services to ensure CYP are able access appropriate non-clinical support.

At the RUH you will oversee the service’s work with CYP aged 11–25 who present at the Emergency Department with low to moderate mental health needs, or who are admitted to hospital wards with long-term health conditions. This includes managing a limited 1:1 caseload alongside your project management duties. Utilising a person-centred and trauma-informed approach, you will build trusting relationships and support CYP to identify and access the support they need. Support may take place face to face or virtually and will focus on improving access to community-based support networks, with a view to improving wellbeing, increasing resilience and reducing repeat hospital attendance.

At CAMHS you will oversee the service’s work with CYP aged 10-17 who have been accepted into CAMHS with moderate mental health and wellbeing challenges. The Link Workers work with CYP at the start of their CAMHS support, alongside other CAMHS interventions, and those who are nearly ready to be discharged from CAMHS. Within this role, you will hold a small caseload of CYP, working with them for an average of 10-12 weeks. You will deliver social prescribing as the main intervention.

If you would like an informal conversation about the role before applying, please email to arrange a time for a brief phone call.

Key Attributes

We are looking for someone who:

• Has experience managing teams and projects within similar settings (i.e. Hospital/Youth/Mental Health & Wellbeing services).
• Has the ability to build strong partnerships with other professionals, services and organisations.
• Is comfortable working in a busy, multi-agency environment with competing demands.
• Has experience of supporting CYP 1:1 with complex needs.
• Has sound judgement when responding to safeguarding concerns and assessing risk.

Your skills, enthusiasm and personal approach are as important to us as your experience. If you do not meet every point in the job description but believe you have the transferable skills to succeed in the role, we would still welcome your application.

Duties and Responsibilities

Specific Duties

• Line manage the CAMHS Link Worker and Hospital Youth Workers, including providing day to day support and regular line-management meetings.
• Work collaboratively with other service leads across OTR’s Voice and Wellbeing services.
• Build relationships with those delivering similar work in other hospitals and CAMHS, sharing learning and resources.
• Gather, monitor and report data to funders and key stakeholders regarding impact and delivery of service.
• Participate in OTR’s safeguarding on call rota and oversee safeguarding decision making within the Hospital Youth Workers and CAMHS Link Workers teams, ensuring appropriate risk assessment, documentation and escalation where required.
• Build trusting relationships with CYP presenting at the Royal United Hospital and at CAMHS, and support them to identify their needs and goals for positive change.
• Provide 1:1 youth work support to CYP aged 11–25 presenting at the RUH with low to moderate mental health concerns or long-term health conditions, using a person centred and trauma informed approach, including supporting them to access community services, groups and activities that help them reach their goals (social prescribing).
• Collaborate with the CAMHS multi-disciplinary team, including taking notes during CAMHS Initial Assessments with CYP each month. Hold a caseload of CYP within the CAMHS Hospital services.
• Participate in OTR, RUH and CAMHS team meetings and case conferences.
• Maintain accurate records of interactions, assessments, and co-produced support/care plans in accordance with OTR and CAMHS/RUH guidelines.
• Lead on assessing referrals into the Hospital Youth Workers and CAMHS Link Workers services.
• Develop and maintain strong links with local agencies, schools and community organisations to ensure effective social prescribing support for CYP.

General Duties

• Participate in the day-to-day work of OTR – such as helping answer the phone when at the OTR office, and attending team and other meetings as required.
• Be an ambassador for OTR, actively promoting our vision and work.
• Ensure the effective implementation of OTR’s policies and overall organisational objectives, including Health & Safety policies and procedures, taking responsibility for their own personal health, safety and welfare in the workplace.
• Follow safeguarding policies and procedures in all aspects of the work with children and young people.
• Actively promote good equal opportunities practices across all aspects of work and take positive steps to counter discrimination however and wherever it occurs.
• Engage positively in supervision and development opportunities, including training, team-building, line management supervision, clinical supervision, and group reflective practice.
• Contribute to cooperative working across all the services within OTR.
• Promote and enable active involvement of young people in planning, improving and making decisions about OTR services.
• Ensure effective and accessible communication with staff, service users and the public.
• Contribute to maintaining and developing effective professional relationships both internally and with outside agencies.
• Undertake any other reasonable duties consistent with the role, as may be required by the charity.

Working pattern and location

This role is primarily based at the Royal United Hospital in Bath, with some travel around B&NES to support the CYP on your CAMHS caseload. You would also spend some time each week at the CAMHS office in Keynsham. As an OTR employee, you would also have access to our office and meeting rooms in central Bath. Occasional out of hours working may be required, for example to settle a young person into an early evening youth group or as a part of our safeguarding on-call rota. Applicants must have the ability to travel within and outside the local authority, including to areas where there is no public transport.

How to apply

If you’re ready to proceed, we would love to hear from you. Please visit our website to download the application form, and send the completed version, together with our Equal Opportunities monitoring form. The closing date for applications is 12 midday on Wednesday 24th June 2026. Interviews are due to take place in the week commencing 29th June 2026.

Terms and conditions

Contract: Fixed term until March 2028, with possibility of extension subject to future funding. Subject to a 6-month probationary period.

Paid leave entitlement: 25 days of annual leave plus 2 discretionary days and all English public holidays for FTE employees. This entitlement is pro-rated for part-time employees.

Paid volunteering leave: Two days (pro-rated for part-time employees) of paid volunteering leave to enable you to support causes that matter to you.

Pension scheme

Death-in-service benefit

Training and development opportunities for all our staff

Appointments will be subject to satisfactory references and an Enhanced level Criminal Records Bureau check.

This job description is a general outline of the duties and responsibilities and may be amended as OTR develops. The post holder may be required to undertake additional duties as may be reasonably required from time to time.

Person Specification – CAMHS and Hospital Youth Work Lead

Education/ training/ qualifications

Essential

• Willingness to complete Social Prescribing training.

Desirable

• Qualification in a relevant field such as Youth Work, Education, or Social Care.
• Safeguarding Level 3 training/qualification.
• Mental Health First Aid trained.
• Trauma Informed Practitioner training/qualification.
• Social Prescribing training/qualification.
• Current First Aid Certificate.

Experience

Essential

• Significant experience of working directly with CYP, particularly those experiencing emotional or mental health difficulties.
• Significant experience leading or supervising staff or volunteers, including line management and team development. (2 + years)
• Experience of safeguarding practice, including identification of risk, following procedure, and escalating where necessary.
• Experience monitoring activity and producing reports to demonstrate service outcomes/impact.
• Experience developing and maintaining effective partnerships with external organisations such as schools, health and community services.
• Experience of tailoring and adapting interventions with and for CYP.

Desirable

• Experience working with CYP and/or families in a medical context such as CAMHS or a hospital (does not need to be in a clinical role).
• Experience working in the voluntary/charity sector.
• Successful development of community partnerships.
• Conducting assessments and/or developing individualised support/care plans.
• Experience of tailoring and adapting interventions with and for CYP with complex needs and neurodiversity.
• Experience working in a multi-disciplinary team and across statutory services.

Knowledge

Essential

• Understanding of common mental health and wellbeing challenges facing young people. Alongside understanding of key themes and contextual challenges within BaNES.
• Understanding of child and adolescent mental health issues, and of the roles of CAMHS Link Worker and Hospital Youth Worker.
• Familiarity with safeguarding protocols and procedures to ensure the welfare of CYP.
• Knowledge of local community resources, mental health support services, and referral pathways.
• Knowledge of relevant legislation and local/national policies.

Desirable

• Specific knowledge of BANES community services, groups and activities for CYP.

Professional skills

Essential

• Strong communication skills both orally and in writing, and the ability to engage effectively with both CYP and other professionals.
• Proficient line-manager.
• Highly organised.
• Able to work autonomously and make sound decisions within established guidelines.
• Able to maintain clear and appropriate boundaries.
• Strong relationship-building skills.
• Flexibility and the ability to juggle competing demands in a busy environment and to respond effectively to changing priorities.
• Ability to work collaboratively with partner organisations.
• A commitment to ongoing professional development.
• Good IT skills and knowledge (Microsoft).

Desirable

• Creativity.
• Training and development skills.
• Experience contributing to service development or quality improvement.

Interpersonal skills

Essential

• Excellent listening skills.
• Confident, with a calm and resilient nature.
• Able to use an empathetic approach to establish rapport quickly and build strong and trusting relationships with CYP and broader professional contacts.
• Ability to manage expectations and communicate effectively with a range of stakeholders.

Desirable

• Able to give and receive constructive criticism.

Additional requirements

Essential

• Committed to equity, diversity, and inclusion, promoting a culture of respect and understanding, and to working creatively to facilitate the engagement of under-represented groups of young people (such as boys and young men, and young people of colour).