Mental Health Practitioner - Eating Disorders Service (NHS AfC: Band 6) - Mental Health - Alder[...]

Alder Hey Children's NHS Foundation Trust; Liverpool City Region; On-site; GBP 38,000 - 47,000; Full time

Job summary

A healthcare organization in Liverpool is seeking a Band 6 Mental Health Practitioner to work with young people with eating disorders. This permanent, full-time role involves case management and provides the opportunity to work within a supportive, multidisciplinary team. The ideal candidate will have a registered qualification in mental health and a passion for child and family care.

Benefits

Great flexible working opportunities

Generous annual leave and pension scheme

Support for accommodation costs

Relocation packages available

Qualifications

• Possess relevant professional registration.
• Experience in child and adolescent mental health services.
• Experience working within an eating disorder service.

Responsibilities

• Provide substantial contribution to the clinical work of the team.
• Hold full case management responsibility.
• Undertake assessments and provide intervention to children and families.

Skills

Experience working with young people

Case management skills

Therapeutic skills

Strong organizational skills

High level of communication skills

Education

Qualified in core profession (e.g., RMN/RLD)

Training in child & family mental health

Two years' post-qualification experience

Job description

Overview

Main area: Mental Health. Grade NHS AfC: Band 6. Contract: Permanent. Hours: Full time – 37.5 hours per week (working across Liverpool and Sefton sites). Job ref: 411-COM-25-7430463.

Employer: Alder Hey Children9s NHS Foundation Trust. Employer type: NHS. Site: Alder Hey Children9s NHS Foundation Trust. Town: Liverpool. Salary: £38,682 - £46,580 per annum. Salary period: Yearly. Closing: 10/09/2025 23:59.

Employer profile

Alder Hey Children9s NHS Foundation Trust is a provider of specialist health care with a presence in community outreach sites. In collaboration with other providers, our clinicians help deliver care closer to patients9 homes by holding local clinics at locations from Cumbria to Shropshire, in Wales and the Isle of Man. The Trust also provides inpatient care for children with complex mental health needs at Sunflower House (newly relocated and opened on the hospital site).

We currently have more than 4,000 staff across community and hospital sites. We are a teaching and training hospital educating around 540 medical and over 500 nursing and allied health professional students each year.

We particularly welcome applications from Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) communities as they are under-represented in this area. All appointments will be made on merit.

Benefits

• Great flexible working opportunities
• Lease car scheme and Home Electronics Scheme
• Generous annual leave and pension scheme
• Extensive staff health and well-being programmes

Job overview

Band 6

Mental Health Services at Alder Hey offer excellent benefit schemes:

Refer a friend – Alder Hey: Successful candidates introduced to the trust by existing staff will receive £1000 after six months in post. Please include the name/Alder Hey email for your friend in the additional information section of your application. This will be paid in two parts: £250 in the first month and £750 on completion of six months.

Accommodation: Alder Hey will support the cost of accommodation for up to 3 months from the date of employment (up to £500 per month). The cost is to be paid by the staff member and reclaimed as expenses.

Relocation package: Relocation packages to support new hires will be considered on an individual basis. Please contact [emailprotected] for further information.

Main duties of the job

This is an exciting opportunity for individuals with an interest and experience in working with young people with an eating disorder and/or ARFID. The successful applicant will provide a substantial contribution to the clinical work of the team and will hold full case management responsibility for their workload. Regular clinical supervision will be provided.

The main base for this post will be at Alder Hey, but appointments from community bases across Liverpool and Sefton will be required. Experience working with children and young people with an eating disorder will be beneficial. In addition to undertaking assessments and providing intervention and support to children, young people and their families, the post holder will also undertake physical monitoring under the guidance of our Consultant Paediatricians.

The post holder must demonstrate a positive attitude that aligns with the Trust Values of excellence, innovation, openness, respect and together.

If you are enthusiastic and confident with a friendly and outgoing manner, focused on providing the best possible service to patients, we would like to hear from you.

Working for our organisation

About the team: The Eating Disorder Team (EDYs) provides support and treatment for children and young people in Liverpool and Sefton with an eating disorder and/or ARFID, as well as their parents/carers and professionals involved in their care.

This is a multidisciplinary team including Consultant Psychiatrist and Consultant Paediatricians, Clinical Psychology, Family Therapy, CBT and SFP trained staff, Nursing, Support Worker, Assistant Practitioner and Assistant Psychology. The team is based on site at Alder Hey, but offers appointments throughout the community footprint.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

To find out more about the key responsibilities and the specific skills and experience you9ll need, please take a look at the job description and person specification attachments.

Person specification

Education and Training

• Qualified in core profession such as Children’s or Mental Health Nurse (RMN/RLD), Mental Health Practitioner, Clinical Psychologist, Occupational Therapy, Social Work or creative therapies (e.g., Art Therapy) with proof of relevant professional registration
• OR Recognised degree level broad based health & social care qualification which requires completion of The British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies (BABCP) Knowledge Skills and Attributes
• Training in child & family mental health related field
• Two years’ post-qualification experience in core profession
• Experience working in child and adolescent mental health services
• Experience of working within an eating disorder service

Experience of

• Experience in case management and applying therapeutic and analytical skills
• Working knowledge of health, education, social services and the voluntary sector
• Experience working in a multi-disciplinary setting
• Knowledge of current legislation
• Understanding of psychodynamic, systemic, cognitive and behavioural therapies
• Working knowledge of child development
• Strong organisational skills to manage and prioritise workload
• Commitment to professional development
• High level of communication skills for clinical and professional contacts
• Knowledge of audit and evaluation methodology

We reserve the right to close vacancies without notice when we have received a sufficient number of applications. Please apply without delay if you wish to be considered for this role.

Please check the email account used to apply regularly, as we will contact you regarding your application. All candidates will be notified via email whether or not they have been shortlisted.

Alder Hey Children9s NHS Foundation Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. We promote equality and diversity and operate a Zero Tolerance policy to aggression, violence, bullying and harassment.

Should you require assistance during the application stages, please contact the recruiting manager or the recruitment team at [emailprotected] or call 0151 282 4599.

Please declare within the supporting information if artificial intelligence (AI) has been used in your application.

Please note that the selection processes are in place to ensure we recruit candidates with the right skills and values; the use of AI in applications is monitored.

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 a Disclosure to be submitted to the Disclosure and Barring Service.