CAMHS Crisis Care Clinical Lead

MFT; Manchester; On-site; GBP 49,000 - 57,000; Full time

Job summary

Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (MFT) is recruiting for a Band 7 clinician to drive CAMHS Crisis Care across Manchester, Salford and Trafford. The role blends direct clinical work with leadership, supervision and service development.

You will assess and manage complex cases, lead risk planning and supervise a multidisciplinary team, while contributing to governance and safeguarding across settings.

Qualifications

• Experience in CAMHS crisis services and working with children and young people in crisis.
• Ability to lead clinical teams and provide supervision.
• Strong risk assessment and management in complex presentations.
• Commitment to trauma-informed, least restrictive care.
• Experience across community, emergency care and paediatric settings.

Responsibilities

• Undertake and oversee complex mental health assessments, risk formulation and safety planning for children and young people in crisis.
• Provide consultation, guidance and clinical leadership to colleagues; coordinate clinical decision-making.
• Manage day-to-day leadership, including supervision, appraisal and professional development.
• Coordinate care across community CAMHS, acute services, inpatient teams and education.
• Contribute to clinical governance, audits and quality improvement while involving patients and families.

Skills

Clinical leadership

Risk assessment

Mental health crisis care

Team collaboration

Communication skills

Education

Core professional qualification in nursing, occupational therapy or social care

Masters level education or equivalent

Professional registration and development

Experience supervising others

Experience in CAMHS crisis services

Job description

We have vacancies in the following sectors

Select below to see the jobs in that sector

Main area Mental Health Urgent Care Grade NHS AfC: Band 7 Contract Permanent: As this pathway continues to develop, working hours will initially be predominantly 9am–5pm. Hours

• Full time
• Flexible working
• Compressed hours

37.5 hours per week (Although we provide extended hours coverage from 8am to 8pm every day of the week, this role will be largely Monday to Friday focused.) Job ref 349-SHCG-8277250-RL4

Site Carol Kendrick Centre, Stratus House Town Manchester Salary £49,387 - £56,515 per annum, pro rata Salary period Yearly Closing 04/11/2026 23:59

Job overview

Are you an experienced mental health nurse, social worker or occupational therapist ready to take the next step into clinical leadership and help shape award-winning crisis care for children and young people?

MFT’s CAMHS Crisis Care Service supports children and young people across Manchester, Salford and Trafford through our Rapid Response, Home Intensive Treatment and Paediatric Liaison in-reach pathways. Our work takes place in homes, schools, emergency departments and paediatric wards, offering varied and meaningful clinical practice.

This Band 7 role combines direct clinical work with the opportunity to support colleagues, influence clinical standards and contribute to the continued development of the service. You do not need to have previously held a Clinical Lead post, but you will need significant mental health experience, confidence in managing complex risk and experience of supporting or supervising others.

We welcome applications from registered mental health nurses, social workers and occupational therapists who are calm under pressure, collaborative and committed to trauma-informed, least restrictive care.

The service operates from 8am–8pm, seven days a week, including bank holidays. You will work flexibly across these hours and days according to service need.

Main duties of the job

You will undertake and oversee complex mental health assessments, risk formulation, safety planning and evidence-based interventions for children and young people experiencing a crisis. You will maintain an active caseload and work across community, emergency care and paediatric settings to prevent unnecessary admissions and support safe discharge.

As a senior clinician, you will provide consultation and guidance to colleagues, coordinate clinical decision-making and ensure referrals receive a safe and timely response. You will support practitioners managing complex presentations, safeguarding concerns and disrupted care pathways, acting as lead professional where required.

You will provide day-to-day clinical and team leadership, including clinical supervision, line management of allocated staff, appraisal, teaching and professional development. You will promote reflective practice, staff wellbeing and a positive learning culture, and deputise for the Service Manager when required.

You will work closely with community CAMHS, acute and paediatric services, inpatient teams, education, social care, emergency services and VCSE partners to coordinate care and improve transitions.

You will contribute to clinical governance through audit, outcome measures, performance information, service evaluation and quality improvement, while promoting high professional standards and meaningful involvement of children, young people and families.

Working for our organisation

Join Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (MFT) and become part of a 30,000 plus strong team, delivering exceptional care to over 1 million people every year. As the largest provider of specialist services, and our Oxford Road Campus in Manchester, the largest health academic campus in Europe, we are forward-thinking, committed to clinical excellence and driven to deliver innovation, and continuous improvement.
Whether you’re beginning your career or taking the next step, MFT offers a stimulating and supportive environment where your contribution truly matters. Our Hive Electronic Patient Record system enables safer, smarter, and more efficient ways of working - empowering you to deliver the best possible outcomes for our patients.
You’ll be part of a collaborative, multi-disciplinary community, working alongside professionals from a wide range of clinical backgrounds. Together, we push boundaries, share knowledge, and deliver care that transforms lives.
At MFT, you’ll find a workplace where everyone is respected, supported, and encouraged to thrive. We offer clear clinical pathways for professional development, helping you grow your skills and achieve your ambitions.
Your journey at MFT is more than a job - it’s an opportunity to make a lasting impact. We’ll support you as you shape the future of healthcare, one patient at a time.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

To find out more about the key responsibilities and the specific skills and experience you’ll need for this role, take a look at the Job Description & Person Specification attachments under the ‘Documents to download’ heading.

Explore ‘Inside MFT – Your Candidate Place’

To help you feel confident, prepared and fully informed before you apply, we invite you to explore Inside MFT – Your Candidate Place. This welcoming one‑stop hub gives you a real sense of who we are, what we stand for, how we reward and support you, and the many ways we care for you as you care for others. You’ll also find practical hints and tips for submitting a great application, along with the essential information you need to know before you apply.

To access ‘Inside MFT – Your Candidate Place’, simply click on the relevant PDF document under the ‘Documents to download’ heading’ and once opened, you can either scan QR code or click on the link provided.

We welcome applications from a wide range of backgrounds and experiences.
To help us manage applications fairly and give each one the time it deserves, our adverts may close early if we receive a high level of interest. Early applications are therefore encouraged.

Diversity Matters
MFT is committed to promoting equality of opportunity, celebrating and valuing diversity and eliminating any form of unlawful discrimination across our workforce, ensuring our people are truly representative of the communities we serve. All individuals regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation are encouraged to apply for this post. As an inclusive employer, we are here to support you. If you have any special requirements to help you with your application, please contact the manager named below.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in your application

Here at Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, we’re proud to be ALL HERE FOR YOU, for our patients, our communities, and each other.
As part of our commitment to fairness, transparency, and personal integrity, we ask all applicants to ensure that their job applications reflect their own experiences, skills and motivations. While AI tools can support spelling, grammar, or formatting, we expect that the content of your application, especially personal statements and responses to role specific questions is written by you. This helps us get to know the real you and ensures that our recruitment process remains equitable and meaningful for everyone.

Thank you for helping us uphold the values that make our Trust a place where people belong, grow, and thrive. We look forward to receiving your application.

Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check

As part of our commitment to safeguarding patients and staff, many roles at Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (MFT) require a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check. This is a standard process across the NHS and helps us ensure a safe environment for everyone.

What is a DBS Check?

A DBS check is a background check that reveals any criminal convictions, cautions, reprimands, or warnings. The level of check required depends on the role:

Standard DBS : Checks for spent and unspent convictions, cautions, reprimands, and final warnings.

Enhanced DBS : Includes the above, plus any additional information held by local police that’s considered relevant to the role.

Enhanced with Barred Lists: Includes all of the above, plus checks against the children’s and/or adults’ barred lists.

Who Needs a DBS Check

Most roles involving direct patient contact, working with children or vulnerable adults, or access to sensitive information will require a DBS check. The job advert and recruitment team will let you know if this applies to your role.

The Costs for a DBS

At Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (MFT), roles that require a DBS check are subject to a cost recovery policy. This means that the cost of submitting and processing a DBS application if you are successful and join us, will be deducted from your salary within the first three months of employment. If, however, you withdraw from a conditional offer after the DBS process has begun, you will still be liable for the cost incurred.

Candidates are also expected to register with the DBS Update Service which must be completed within 30 days of the certificate being issued. This helps streamline future employment checks and supports safer recruitment practices. For more information, please visit the DBS Update Service.

Person specification

Education/Qualifications

• Relevant Core Professional qualification in nursing, occupational therapy or social care plus evidence of continued professional development in a CAMHS related area
• Educated to masters level or equivalent demonstrable experience.
• Evidence of professional registration and continued professional development
• Training in one or more additional specialised areas of practice including children and young people
• Experience of working as a senior clinician in clinical settings which meet the core competencies of the post
• Substantial experience of risk assessment and risk management
• Experience of managing complex cases within a mental health or social care service
• An extensive range of clinical experience within the speciality or within a care pathway
• Experience of working across professional / organisational boundaries
• Experience of exercising full clinical responsibility for patients’ care and treatment
• Experience of teaching, training and/or professional and clinical supervision.
• Experience of supervision of less experienced practitioners within the MDT
• Skills in the use of complex methods of psychological assessment, intervention and management frequently requiring sustained and intense concentration
• Well-developed skills in the ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing, highly technical and clinically sensitive information to patients, their families, carers and other professional colleagues both within and outside the NHS.
• Skills in providing consultation to other professional and nonprofessional groups
• Experience of working with a wide variety of patient groups, across the whole life span and presenting with the full range of severity.
• Experience of assessing and treating patients across the full range of care settings.
• Experience of using outcome measures to evaluate the impact of their clinical practice
• Experience of children and young people’s inpatient mental health care
• Skills in service evaluations and service relevant research

Knowledge

• Knowledge of the use and inputting of outcome measures
• High level of working knowledge of the policy guidance and legislation specifically relating children and young people
• Knowledge of legislation in relation to the patient group and mental health, including the Mental Health Act and issues of capacity and consent
• Detailed knowledge of child safeguarding procedures and responsibilities
• Knowledge of crisis and risk management procedures
• Thorough knowledge of risk assessment and risk reduction strategies
• Sound knowledge of family interventions to boost resilience and improve
• Knowledge in the practice of specialist therapies in Children and Young People within a stepped model of care
• An understanding of evidenced based psychological therapies from a range of modalities, including systemic working
• Understanding of the acuity and demands of CYP crisis services

Skills and Abilities

• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills enabling good working relationships with others across professional boundaries
• Able to provide and receive highly complex sensitive information and negotiate with senior stakeholders on difficult issues. Ability to present complex and sensitive information to large and influential groups
• Maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the face of conflicting priorities and agendas.
• Interpersonally calm and able to defuse difficult situations.
• Ability to inspire others and lead collaboratively
• Adaptability, flexibility and ability to cope with uncertainty and change
• Works well under pressure and is proactive
• Willingness to work flexibly including non-social hours
• Willingness to participate in duty and on call rotas
• Good organisational and time management skills, ability to plan and prioritise own work load.
• Ability to work as part of a team and independently
• A commitment to the evaluation of services, and a commitment to performance management Interventions
• Substantial experience delivering focused evidence based interventions such as CBT, Problem Solving, Family Interventions and Parenting
• Belief in the child centred, needs led, recovery focused values base of the service
• Experience of working within a multicultural framework.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

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.