CYPMH Practitioner

Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust; Lancaster; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 48,000; Full time

Job summary

Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust is seeking a Senior CYPMH Practitioner (Band 6) for the CYPMH and Child Psychology team in Lancaster and Morecambe. The role involves leadership within a busy multidisciplinary service delivering CBT, EMDR, DBT, SCM and related therapies to children and young people up to 18 years old.

The post requires experience in Child Mental Health, a first-level qualification such as RMN or equivalent, and commitment to ongoing professional development within

Qualifications

• First level qualification, RMN or equivalent such as CQSW or occupational therapy.
• Information technology skills sufficient to the undertaking of the post.
• Experience of working within Child Mental Health.

Responsibilities

• Lead delivery of high quality service provision for children and young people and families.
• Conduct needs-led, evidence-based assessments and brief therapeutic interventions.
• Screen referrals and ensure timely access to appropriate services.
• Collaborate with CYPMH partners and key stakeholders for integrated care.
• Provide clinical leadership and supervision to junior staff and students.
• Offer timely advice/guidance to families and professionals via duty rota.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Teamwork

Assessment

Education

RMN or equivalent (CQSW or OT)

Tools

IT skills

Job description

Site CYPMH & Child Psychology Lancs & Morecambe Town Lancaster Salary £39,959 - £48,117 pa Salary period Yearly Closing 16/09/2026 23:59

Our Vision is to provide the best mental health, learning disability, autism, community, and physical health services for the populations we serve.

As an integrated Trust, Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust (LSCFT) delivers a comprehensive range of services, including:

• Primary and secondary mental health care for children and adults, including specialist inpatient child and adolescent mental health provision, perinatal mental health, and forensic services with low and medium secure care.
• Specialist mental health inpatient care for individuals with learning disabilities, alongside specialist community support for children and adults with learning disabilities and autism, including intensive support.
• Extensive community physical health and well-being services for children and adults, covering prevention, treatment, rehabilitation, and long-term condition management.

The Trust was first established in 2002 and employs approximately 7,500 staff who provide care from more than 400 sites. The organisation offers opportunities for medics, mental health, general nurses, children’s nurses, allied health professionals, psychology, administration and clerical staff, apprentices and volunteers, as well as those specialising in learning disabilities and community physical health services.

Do you want to be part of a rapidly developing service committed to improving the lives of Children, Young People and their families?

We are looking for an enthusiastic and committed Senior CYPMH Practitioner to join the CYPMH and Child Psychology team in Lancaster and Morecambe.

CYPMH Lancaster and Morecambe are looking to recruit a Band 6 Senior CYPMH Practitioner. The practitioner will complement the wider multi-disciplinary CYPMH; a busy, friendly service providing a range of treatment approaches to children and young people 0-18yrs including CBT, EMDR, DBT, SCM, Psychiatry, Psychology and Family Therapy. We also work in close collaboration with partner agencies.

We work with children, young people and families up to the age of 18 years presenting with a wide range of moderate to severe, emotional and mental difficulties. Experience of working with children and young people with mental health difficulties would be essential.

We are committed to ongoing continuous professional development of our staff and as a member of our team, you will have the opportunity to be involved in various training initiatives, including CYP IAPT.

Main duties of the job

To work as part of a multi-disciplinary team:-

• To take a leadership role in the delivery of high quality service provision that promotes and improves the mental health and well-being of children and young people, their families and carers.
• Within a systemic and holistic framework undertake needs led, evidence based, highly skilled assessments and brief therapeutic interventions to children and young people, their families and carers, who present to the service, including as a result of deliberate self-harm.
• To screen referrals, signpost and offer an assessment to make sure children and young people are accessing the right services in a timely manner.
• As part of an integrated CYPMH service actively liaise and support robust partnership working arrangements between the CYPMH Team and community partners and other key stakeholders involved with the child across agencies in order that an integrated package of care is developed.
• To provide clinical leadership and supervision to less experienced team members and students, and to facilitate a culture of learning and reflective practice.
• Provide timely advice/guidance to families and professionals through participation on duty rota.

Working for our organisation

LSCFT values diversity and inclusion, recognising that talent from varied backgrounds creates a flexible, creative, and effective workforce. We actively challenge discrimination and welcome applications from all, regardless of age, disability (including those with experience of accessing or caring for someone who has accessed mental health or learning disability services), ethnicity, gender, religion, belief, or sexual orientation.

Our aim is to reflect the communities we serve, so we particularly encourage applications from under-represented groups. If you'd like to discuss your application, please ask.

We also welcome individuals with lived experience relevant to the role or service area, as your insight brings authenticity to our services.

LSCFT support flexible working, we believe that a positive work/life balance benefits NHS employees through improved health and wellbeing. We would consider working patterns such as term time, part time, compressed hours and flexi-time.

The wellbeing of our people is at the heart of everything we do. We offer a wide range of resources, tools and support to help you thrive both in and out of work.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Please see the attached job description and person specification for more information about this role.

Person specification

Education/ Qualifications

• First level qualification, RMN or equivalent such as CQSW or occupational therapy
• Information technology skills sufficient to the undertaking of the post

Knowledge

• An ability to think systemically and holistically
• Demonstrable Knowledge and skills in evidence based needs led assessments, of highly complex and co-morbid presentations of children, young people, their families and carers
• Demonstrable Knowledge and skills in evidence based therapeutic interventions relevant to the needs of this client group
• Demonstrable ability to communicate to clients, their families and professionals sensitive and often difficult to receive information, using various methods including verbal, non-verbal, written and presentation skills

Experience

• Experience of working within Child Mental Health
• Demonstrable knowledge and understanding of Child Mental Health
• Evidence of an ability to effectively manage own workload and able to work autonomously
• Working within a team and /or multi-agency arenas

Please note that further communication from LSCFT will normally be to the email address given on the application form. You should also ensure that email addresses and telephone numbers are provided for your referees, to enable LSCFT to contact them.

Please ensure that you read the person specification as your application will be measured against this document.

If you use AI to assist with your application, you must declare this. Undeclared use may result in withdrawal. Please ensure your application reflects your own skills and experiences. While AI tools can assist, they may produce generic or inaccurate content. We encourage you to provide personal examples that demonstrate how you meet the essential criteria.

For all posts which require a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check please be aware of the Disclosure and Barring Service Code of Practice, a copy of which is available by logging on to the DBS website. If the post is subject to DBS disclosure, a charge will be made to the successful candidate(s).

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.