Perinatal Mental Health Practitioner (Assessment Team)

Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Foundation Trust; Macclesfield; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 48,000; Full time

Job summary

Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Foundation Trust is recruiting a Perinatal Mental Health Practitioner for the Assessment Team. The role focuses on initial assessments and duty triage, with travel across the CWP patch to support pregnant and post-natal women with significant mental health needs.

The service operates across Cheshire and Wirral, offering robust supervision and training opportunities, and emphasises a think family approach to care.

Qualifications

• Educated to diploma/degree level and registered with an appropriate professional body.
• Training to level 3 in Safeguarding Children and Young People.
• Post graduate qualification relevant to the specialty.

Responsibilities

• Respond to the needs of new and expectant mothers in a timely manner and support crises and routine care.
• Undertake assessments with emphasis on risk assessment and care planning.
• Work collaboratively with maternity services, health visiting, and children's services.
• Provide specialist care from pregnancy through the post-natal period.

Skills

Perinatal mental health

Attachment theory

Risk assessment

Report writing

Multi-disciplinary working

Education

Diploma/Degree & Registration

Safeguarding Level 3

Postgraduate qualification

Job description

Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Foundation Trust

Perinatal Mental Health Practitioner (Assessment Team)

The closing date is 19 November 2026

The Cheshire and Mersey Perinatal Mental Health Service has grown at a significant rate following a successful bid for Long Term Plan funding, allowing us to support an increasing number of women, partners, and families within the perinatal period. In order to continue this expansion and ensure high-quality mental health assessments with a "think family approach", we now have an assessment team model. The assessment team comprises of Non-Medical Prescribers and Mental Health Practitioners who act as a "front door" to our service with the main focus of the roles being on initial assessments and duty triage, however, there may be some requirement from time to time to support some other elements within the service. We are seeking a Mental Health Practitioner to join our assessment team who is passionate about providing excellent care to women and families within the perinatal period and seeking to reduce health inequalities.

We are a supportive, friendly, highly committed service who provide multi-disciplinary, specialised care to women in the perinatal period with moderate to severe mental health problems throughout Cheshire and Wirral. We offer excellent training opportunities to our staff and provide robust supervision to support delivery of high quality care.

Main duties of the job

Our team covers the entire CWP geographical patch and have a "hub" base in Ellesmere Port where duty takes place, therefore, ability and willingness to travel is essential.

Respond to the needs of new and expectant mothers in a timely manner, with the capacity to deal with crises and emergencies, as well as supporting routine and preventative care; providing specialist care and support through pregnancy, and post-natally, to women experiencing significant mental health difficulties associated with the perinatal period.

Undertake assessments in a variety of settings with a strong emphasis on risk assessment, robust mental health care planning and safeguarding.

Work collaboratively with colleagues in maternity services, health visiting, children's centres and children's services.

About us

Cheshire and Wirral Partnership (CWP) provides health and care services for a population of over one million people, including mental health, learning disability, community physical health and all-age disability care, as well as the provision of three GP surgeries in Cheshire.

We employ around 4,500 staff across 73 sites and have services across Wirral and Cheshire, as well as Trafford, Warrington, Bolton, Halton, Liverpool and Stockport.

Our aim is to help improve the lives of everyone in our communities, adopting a compassionate, person-centred approach to everything we do. We are rated as Outstanding for Caring by the Care Quality Commission, with a Good rating overall.

As a Disability Confident Employer, Rainbow Badge Scheme member, Veteran Aware organisation and proud holder of the Armed Forces Covenant Employer Recognition Scheme Gold Award, CWP is committed to making our recruitment practices as inclusive as possible and developing a culture that values differences, and welcome applications from people who have direct experience of accessing our services.

All new starters will commence in post on one fixed start date each month, in line with our Prepare to Care (P2C) induction programme date. P2C offers up to 3 weeks training to support you to meet the induction / initial training requirements of the role.Whether you are just starting out in your career or looking to use your existing skills and experience in a new role, you'll find something to suit you at CWP.

Job responsibilities

At CWP, our recruitment selection processes are based on both competence (see person specification for details) and values.

CWP recruits people that can demonstrate the Trusts Values in their everyday life and we use a values-based approach in our interviews, which explores not only what you do but how and why you do it.

The trust offers a Guaranteed Interview Scheme to any armed forces community applicants who meet the essential criteria for the post and encourages applications from armed forces reservists or cadet force adult volunteers.

Please note applicants will be required to pay for their DBS check. Costs are deducted from salary following appointment. You are encouraged to enrol for the DBS Update Service. A small annual fee of £15 per year applies.

New entrants to the NHS will commence on the minimum of the scale stated above.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• Educated to diploma/degree level and registered with an appropriate professional body (ie Registered Mental Health Nurse, Social Worker, Registered General Nurse etc)
• Training to level 3 in Safeguarding Children and Young People: roles and competencies for Health Care Staff or willingness to undertake training.
• Post graduate qualification relevant to specialism

Knowledge and Expertise

• Specialist knowledge in perinatal mental health or willingness to undertake training.
• Specialist knowledge in attachment and infant mental health or willingness to undertake training.
• An understanding of the NSF and Mental Health Act/ Mental Health Capacity Act requirements.
• CPA Process
• Able to produce well written reports.
• Ability to communicate with a wide range of professionals from various settings.
• Able to own problems and get involved in the solutions
• Ability to manage risk
• Able to plan creatively to maximise effectiveness of care plans.
• Able to work independently and as part of a team.
• Ability to manage own time and that of the team's.
• Ability to work flexibly.Ability to be mobile across a geographical area.
• Ability to manage change in a positive manner.
• Awareness of community structures and social care options and processes
• Understanding of recovery principles in Mental Health

Experience

• Skills and experience in delivering mental health training and education to non-mental health professionals.Experience of working in a multi-disciplinary and multi-agency environment
• Substantial experience of managing a busy caseload of clients with a range of mental health problems
• Working within a community mental health setting in either the statutory or voluntary sector.
• Demonstrate alignment with Trust Values (6 C's: Commitment, Communication, Care, Courage, Compassion, Competency)

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.

Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Foundation Trust

£39,959 to £48,117 a yearper annum pro rata