CAMHS Mental Health Practitioner Eating Disorder Pathway

NHS; Plymouth; On-site; GBP 35,000 - 45,000; Full time

Job summary

A prominent healthcare provider in Plymouth is seeking a dedicated professional to join their CAMHS Eating Disorder Pathway. This role involves providing clinical support, coordinating care for children and young people with eating disorders, and ensuring the delivery of high-quality mental health services. The ideal candidate will be experienced in mental health assessment and possess strong organizational skills. This position offers flexible working options to accommodate a 7-day service delivery model.

Benefits

Protected CPD time

Training pathways and leadership programmes

Funding for qualifications

Qualifications

• Knowledge of mental health problems affecting children and young people.
• Experience in a multi-disciplinary context.
• Ability to work collaboratively across agencies.

Responsibilities

• Provide clinical care to children and young people with eating disorders.
• Coordinate care plans and assessments.
• Participate in the Eating Disorder Duty Rota.

Skills

Crisis management

Mental health assessment

Case management

Strong organisational skills

Culturally competent assessment

Education

Core qualification to degree level in any mental health modality

Post graduate training qualification in mental health methods

Job description

This role is integral to the CAMHS EatingDisorder Pathway, providing specialist assessment, care coordination, and evidence-based interventions for children and young people with eating disorders. The post holder will lead on early identification and treatment, ensuring timely, high-quality care that improves both mental and physical health outcomes.

The CAMHS Eating Disorder Pathway delivers a specialist service for children and young people aged 5-18 who are experiencing eating disorders. Evidence shows that early identification and treatment significantly reduce the severity and duration of illness.

The post holder will take a lead role in the early stages of help, including coordinating assessments, developing care plans, and overseeing physical health monitoring. You will provide specialist clinical input, ensuring interventions are delivered to the highest standard. The post holder will present cases to the MDT, guide decision‑making, and provide feedback to families and professionals involved in the young person’s care.

You will work as part of a multi‑disciplinary team (MDT) within the Eating Disorder Pathway, and in close collaboration with other CAMHS teams and external agencies. The team operates within the ITHRIVE model of care, promoting recovery through timely, evidence‑based interventions and holistic support.

All Livewell staff are expected to be able and willing to work across a 7‑day service.

Main duties of the job

You will undertake direct clinical work with children and young people and their families. Their caseload will consist of young people with eating disorders as a primary diagnosis, who require intensive support to minimise deterioration and improve outcomes for both their mental and physical health.

This role involves working in a variety of settings including homes, schools, clinics, and community environments, and contributes to the wider CAMHS services commitment to improving health and social outcomes for children, young people, and families across Plymouth.

You will contribute to the Eating Disorder Duty Rota which operates daily, Monday to Friday. They will also provide clinical leadership within the pathway, supporting junior colleagues through supervision and guidance.

You will be available for and make use of clinical supervision, safeguarding supervision and case load management. They will manage a defined caseload (up to 15 clinical sessions per week), including essential care coordination responsibilities.

The post holder will be required to work flexibly in hours of clinical availability.

The above is not an exhaustive list of duties, and you will be expected to perform different tasks as necessitated by your changing role within the organisation and the overall business objectives of the organisation.

This role may not be eligible for sponsorship under the Skilled Worker route.

Please note that we may close the job advertisement earlier than the specified deadline.

About us

Livewell Southwest is an independent, award‑winning social enterprise delivering integrated health and social care services across Plymouth, South Hams, and West Devon, with specialist services in parts of Devon and Cornwall. Our teams work in community hospitals, GP practices, sports centres, and health hubs.

As an organisation with a strong social conscience we are guided by our values, kindness, respect, inclusivity, ambition, responsibility, and collaboration. We focus on transforming services to ensure sustainability, while empowering staff and those we serve.

We involve the people we care for, along with their families and carers, in shaping the care they receive, striving to deliver the right care at the right time and place. Centering our work on individual needs helps people lead healthy, independent lives.

We prioritise employees' development, offering protected CPD time, training pathways, leadership programmes, and funding for qualifications like the Care Certificate and Nurse Training Scholarships. Our induction and preceptorship programmes ensure a smooth transition into our organisation.

Livewell Southwest values diversity and encourages applications from all sections of the community, including those with armed forces experience, lived experience of mental health, neuro‑diverse conditions and learning disabilities. If you need assistance or reasonable adjustments during the application process, contact the Recruiting Manager listed in the job advert.

Job responsibilities

The post holder will contribute to improving the mental health of children and young people by delivering safe, effective, timely, and accessible services that reflect national and local priorities and respond to the needs and views of children, young people, and their families.

The post holder will play a key role in the early stages of care, including undertaking eating disorder assessments, coordinating care plans, and assessing physical risk to prioritise treatment.

The practitioner will manage their own caseload while working as part of a wider multidisciplinary team. This includes providing support to parents, carers, and the family system, which may involve mealtime support within the home environment.

The post holder will liaise effectively with professionals involved in care, including Psychiatry, Paediatrics, General Practice, and Dietetics, ensuring clear and timely communication.

Routine Outcome Monitoring will be used regularly as part of clinical practice. The practitioner will work safely around the physical risks associated with eating disorders, following MEED guidelines.

The role involves delivering specialist, culturally competent mental health assessment, formulation, and evidence‑based treatment. You will draw on knowledge and experience of child development, child and adolescent mental health, and adult mental health.

The practitioner will demonstrate strong skills in risk assessment and management, communicating concerns promptly and accurately, which may require multi‑agency responses.

High standards of clinical recording must be maintained at all times. The practitioner will adhere to anti‑discriminatory practice, promote equity of opportunity, and use their professional position to empower others and challenge power imbalances.

You will provide consultation to colleagues within CAMHS and other agencies, contribute to the Eating Disorder Duty Rota (Monday to Friday), and support education and training for professionals, including CPD within the MDT.

The post holder will participate in clinical supervision, safeguarding supervision, and caseload management, and will provide supervision to others where appropriate.

The post holder will organise their own workload under the guidance of the Clinical Pathway Manager, maintain health records to Livewell Southwest standards, and contribute to the development of team protocols and clinical practice.

Participation in team meetings (allocation, supervision, reflective practice, case discussions), audit, and quality improvement activities is expected. The practitioner will keep up to date with national developments in CAMHS and eating disorder care to ensure best practice within the service.

To participate in audit and quality improvements

(Please refer to full job description and person spec for further details).

Person Specification

Knowledge

• Knowledge of relevant legislation and documents pertaining to children, e.g., Children Act 2004, Child Protection, National Service Framework, Every Child Matters etc. Learning Disability specific legislation and documents, Aiming High for Disabled Children, Valuing People, Mansell report and Mental Capacity Act.
• Knowledge of a range of mental health problems and disorders affecting children and young people who are in care.
• Knowledge of theories of child development and their application to practice.
• An understanding of resilience and vulnerability.
• Working with people in Crisis.
• Experience of working within a multicultural framework.
• Knowledge of different models of therapy, e.g. CBT, DBT, solution focused therapy etc.

Qualifications

• Core qualification to degree level in any mental health modality (e.g., Nursing, Social Work).
• Appropriate Registration relevant to Professional Qualification.
• Post graduate training qualification in methods of working with children with mental health problems, e.g. counselling, systemic practice or post‑grad diploma in child and adolescent mental health.
• Teaching/Assessing courses such as mentorship module or equivalent.

Experience

• Experience (both work and life related).
• Experience of working in a multi‑agency and/or multi‑disciplinary context.
• Experience of working with the care systems both directly with Children and young people and professionals within the care system.
• Experience of post‑registration working with children and young people who have experienced mental health difficulties.
• Experience in assessment, including risk, care planning, intervention and evaluation.
• Maintaining own safety in Community settings by working within relevant policy and having completed or be willing to complete breakaway training or equivalent.
• Experience of effective working with families of different cultural backgrounds.
• Experience of working within multi‑agency safeguarding systems e.g. child protection conferences, child‑in‑need meetings.
• Be able to give unwelcome news sensitively.
• Show respect and treat people with dignity.
• Evidence of transferable clinical, risk management and leadership skills.
• Experience of working with a wide variety of patient groups.
• Experience of delivering teaching and training.
• Maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems, verbal abuse, and the threat of physical abuse.
• Experience working with eating disorder patients and families across the lifespan.
• Experience of working with a wide variety of patient groups, across the life course and presenting with the full range of clinical severity across the full range of care settings including outpatient, community, inpatient, and residential care settings.
• Further specialist training/experience in an evidence‑based treatment for eating disorders.
• Experience of supervision of MDT staff.

Skills

• Crisis management and ability to plan care for acutely psychiatrically ill patients with support from team processes.
• Motivation and engagement.
• Ability to frequently travel independently and in a timely manner between Livewell Southwest sites and community locations including areas not served by public transport.
• Mental health and risk assessment, care planning, evaluation and intervention.
• Case management and prioritisation.
• Strong organisational and time management.
• Competent IT skills and database knowledge.
• Ability to manage complex clinical situations within a defined caseload.
• Self‑motivated and able to work on own initiative.
• Commitment to anti‑oppressive practice.
• Ability to work collaboratively across agencies and professional backgrounds.
• Commitment to ongoing learning and professional development.
• Reflective practice.
• Able to use across system organisational IT systems.
• Culturally competent assessment and intervention skills.
• Specific therapeutic skills relevant to working with children and families.

Personal Qualities

• Ability to work as part of a team and autonomously.
• Willingness to work flexibly.
• Ability to embrace change and have capacity to thrive in demanding situations.
• Ability to communicate/listen formally and informally, verbally and in writing.
• Highly reflective, confident, and articulate.
• Flexible and resourceful in coping under pressure and with conflicting demands.
• Sensitivity to working within a multicultural framework.
• An awareness of own strengths and limitations.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Full‑time, Part‑time, Job share, Flexible working.