CAMHS Principal Clinical Lead

NELFT NHS Foundation Trust; Chelmsford; Remote; GBP 75,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

NELFT NHS Foundation Trust in MID Essex is recruiting a Clinical Lead for SET CAMHS Locality Teams to drive high-quality care for children and families. The role centers on implementing an evidence-based clinical model using the iTHRIVE framework, with active clinical delivery and strong MDT leadership across sites.

You will oversee clinical quality, support workforce development, and contribute to service development while maintaining a manageable caseload for complex cases.

Qualifications

• Extensive experience delivering evidence-based psychological therapies in CAMHS.
• Strong understanding of trauma-informed care and attachment presentations.
• Commitment to workforce development and clinical excellence.

Responsibilities

• Lead and drive clinical improvements within the service to maintain high standards of care.
• Collaborate with operational managers and partner agencies for integrated care.
• Supervise and develop the workforce through supervision, consultation and training.
• Contribute expertise within MDT and leadership meetings.
• Hold a small caseload of young people with complex needs.

Skills

CBT

Family Therapy

DBT

Trauma-informed care

Workforce development

Clinical supervision

Leadership

MDT collaboration

Job description

Job overview

We are thrilled to announce the recruitment for a Clinical Lead for our SET CAMHS Locality Teams in MID Essex. This is a fantastic opportunity for a dynamic and passionate psychological professional to make a significant impact in the lives of young people and their families.

As a Clinical Lead, you will play a pivotal role in ensuring the delivery of high-quality care within our locality teams. You will be responsible for developing and overseeing a needs-led, evidence-based clinical model. At SET CAMHS, we adopt the iTHRIVE framework, which guides care provision across our teams and services. In this role, you will oversee the quality of clinical care within your hub while maintaining direct involvement in delivering exceptional interventions to young people and their families.

Main duties of the job

As a Clinical Lead, you will:

• Lead and drive clinical improvements within the service, ensuring the delivery of the highest standards of care.
• Collaborate with operational managers and partner agencies to provide integrated care.
• Support and develop the workforce through supervision, consultation, and training.
• Contribute your expertise within multidisciplinary team (MDT) and leadership meetings.
• Hold a small caseload of young people with more complex needs.

Skills and Experience Required

• Extensive knowledge and experience in delivering evidence-based psychological therapies within CAMHS, such as CBT, Family Therapy, DBT, and other psychotherapeutic approaches.
• A solid understanding of trauma-informed care and attachment-related presentations.
• A commitment to workforce development and clinical excellence.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

SET CAMHS has adopted the iTHRIVE Framework, which provides a set of principles for improving mental health and wellbeing support for children, young people and families, with SET CAMHS working in partnership with HCRG Care Group to deliver service to children and young people. The THRIVE Framework is needs-led which means that mental health needs are defined by the children, young people and their families, alongside professionals, through shared decision making. i-THRIVE | Implementing the THRIVE Framework (implementingthrive.org)

Starting with NELFT

NELFT place a great deal of importance on new starters being properly welcomed and inducted into the Trust. All new starters will join the Trust on the first Monday of each month and will undertake a comprehensive induction of up to two weeks which will include mandatory training, systems training and the allocation of equipment. As part of the process new starters will have the opportunity to also meet the executive team, senior managers and attend a number of drop-in sessions focusing on engagement, health and wellbeing and key processes. The induction will be held at our head office in Goodmayes, Essex.

Probationary Period

This post will be subject to a probationary period. Internal applicants are exempt from the probationary period (unless you are an internal applicant currently part way through a probationary period or currently a bank member of staff).

Working for Us

Joining #TeamNELFT means you’ll become part of a welcoming and supportive working environment. We’re CQC rated Good, and we want you to join us on the journey towards an Outstanding rating. NELFT has sites across North East London and Essex. We provide community and mental healthcare services to adults and children within these areas.

The Trust has award-winning equality and diversity initiatives, along with staff health and wellbeing activities. We invest significantly in your development because when you feel valued and supported, we can deliver the highest quality care to our patients. We are a Level 3 Disability Confident Leader, have been recognised in the Working Families Top 10 Employers benchmark for five consecutive years, and hold a Carers UK Level 1 Accreditation. Through our staff networks and training opportunities, we strive to foster a just and compassionate culture at NELFT.

Join a dynamic and evolving SET CAMHS service where innovation, collaboration, co-production and compassionate care are at the heart of everything we do. We are seeking an experienced Psychologist/Psychological Therapist with the appropriate professional training and registration, as outlined in the Job Description, to play a key clinical leadership role within our multidisciplinary team.

Working within the principles of the Thrive model, you will provide specialist assessment and therapeutic interventions for children and young people presenting with a range of complex mental health needs. Alongside the Operational Manager, you will contribute to the leadership and development of a supportive, reflective, and psychologically informed MDT culture that values creativity, flexibility, and evidence-based practice, while offering clinical oversight and containment to colleagues, and supporting high standards of care. As part of our Clinical Leadership Team, you will work collaboratively with fellow clinical leads and the Trust’s Psychological Professional Leads to shape and respond to the evolving needs of the service. We are committed to reflective practice, psychological safety, and staff wellbeing. Robust clinical supervision is embedded within the service, alongside opportunities to mentor and develop colleagues, contribute to service development, and access a wide range of CPD, training, and leadership opportunities.

This role offers exciting opportunities to strengthen partnership working and influence the future delivery of CAMHS interventions within a forward thinking and supportive service. If you are passionate about clinical leadership, psychologically informed practice, and making a meaningful difference to the lives of young people and families, we would love to hear from you.

Please contact Bethan Thomas for more information

E mail - [e-mail]

Telephone - 07817127439