Practitioner

NELFT NHS FOUNDATION TRUST; Chelmsford; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A community mental health service provider in Chelmsford is looking for a senior practitioner for their CAMHS team. The role involves leading operational practices, delivering therapeutic interventions, and providing training and supervision to junior team members. Candidates should have a suitable post-graduate qualification in mental health and experience with high-risk groups. The organization values ongoing development and teamwork, providing a supportive environment with opportunities for flexible working arrangements.

Benefits

Flexible working opportunities

Health and wellbeing support

Ongoing development and training

Qualifications

• Experience working with high-risk client groups.
• Fully registered with a professional regulatory body (e.g., HCPC).

Responsibilities

• Lead oversight and management of operational practice.
• Deliver evidence-based therapeutic interventions to young people.
• Provide assessment and consultation for children and families.

Skills

Mental health practice

Therapeutic interventions

Supervision and education

Education

Post‑graduate qualification in Mental Health Nursing, Social Work, or Psychological Practice

Job description

Overview

The SET CAMHS Crisis and Therapeutic Home Treatment team offer assessment and interventions to young people presenting with mental deterioration or crisis presentations. As a service we now work within the Thrive model and implement collaborative care plans with our community services and community SET CAMHS team to promote positive outcomes for vulnerable young people and their families – there are opportunities for joint working and coordinating alongside community based teams. Our approach to working is being developed with a focus on meeting the needs of the young person to ensure effective clinical practice and brief therapeutic interventions, and to reduce risk for a stabilising impact within a containing approach.

Within the service there are opportunities for development and training in various therapeutic approaches, and all new starters will be provided with a full induction and opportunities to shadow the team and to learn about the various departments/teams within the SET CAMHS model. We also welcome candidates from internal teams who may be interested in career progression and are wishing to enhance their practice and skillset in relation to this client group. Regular clinical supervision and reflective space is offered to members of the team, and the team operates on a shared risk model to ensure that decisions are made collectively with effective formulations of need.

In this post you will be regarded as a senior member of the team and will lead in the oversight and management of operational practice within your local area while also inputting into service development across Essex, Southend, and Thurrock. You will work closely alongside other crisis senior practitioners for peer support and will feedback to management regularly via meetings and case discussions regarding clinical practice. This position will involve having oversight of staffing and rota’s within the team, recruitment, inductions and staff development. The role will also support performance management and auditing outcomes of treatments to improve general service delivery. Within this position you will be involved in some direct clinical work and allocations to members of the team.

Key Responsibilities

• Have enthusiasm and drive to be part of a senior management team responsible for nurturing and developing the service at this exciting time and contribute to the structure and development of the service moving forward.
• Work in conjunction with the senior clinicians and managers to support the delivery of timely and effective evidence-based therapeutic interventions to young people and families who require more intensive therapeutic support and intervention.
• Provide specialist assessments where appropriate, which will be used to inform interventions with children, young people and their families as well as the networks supporting them.
• Be directly involved in delivering and where appropriate formulating a range of therapeutic interventions, which may include parent work, group work, and short-term brief focused interventions ensuring that a high quality, timely, accessible and evidence-based service is available to children, young people and their families.
• Provide consultation and training to support both junior team members and external professionals, including but not limited to Social Care and mainstream CAMHS services regarding children and families within mental health crisis.
• Provide supervision support and education to junior members of the team, including psychology assistants and contribute to multidisciplinary decision making as appropriate.
• Offer a short intervention to help the young person manage the crisis and support with transition to the local community team, signposting, and/or discharge.

Working for Our Organisation

Our Values 2025 - 2030

• We are kind.
• We are respectful.
• We work together with our communities.

These three values help us to strive to provide the best care by the best people.

Starting with NELFT: NELFT places 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 Rainham, Essex.

Probationary Period: This post will be subject to a probationary period.

As part of our ongoing efforts to strengthen local employment and deliver high-quality, person-centred care, we will prioritise applications from individuals living in our local boroughs and surrounding areas. The office base for this post will be within the Mid and West Essex (Chelmsford Stapleford House) but the service covers Essex wide, making use of agile working. The service provides the latest in evidence based NICE compliant psychological interventions to children and young people with mental health difficulties and complex needs, and their families experiencing emotional wellbeing and mental health difficulties.

Qualifications

• This post would be suitable for a post‑graduate qualified Mental Health Nurse (NMC), Social worker, or psychological practitioner (e.g. clinical psychologist, family therapist, child and adolescent psychotherapist) who is fully registered with the appropriate professional or regulatory body such as HCPC with experience working with high‑risk client groups.

Certificates of Sponsorship

Although we are a registered sponsor organisation, we are unable to offer sponsorship for all job roles. Please check your eligibility under the UKVI points-based system. When calculating the basic salary for sponsorship, HCAS (High-Cost Area Supplement) is not included to ensure fairness and consistency within our Trust.

Use of AI

Please see attached document regarding acceptable use of AI during the recruitment process.

Benefits

• A long-standing and award-winning approach to equality and diversity with supportive networks for ethnic minority staff, staff with disabilities or long‑term/chronic conditions and LGBT staff.
• A commitment to supporting colleagues to achieve a work‑life balance, through flexible working opportunities and our efforts to support our working parents and carers. This has resulted in us being recognised as a ‘Top 10 Family Friendly Employer’ from the Working Families Charity.
• Proactive health and wellbeing support, including access to our employee assistance programme, staff psychological support, individual wellbeing conversations and a network of health and wellbeing ambassadors.
• Detailed information about our wellbeing and benefits offer can be found in this link.
• As a flexible working friendly organisation, we want to be sure that you can work in a way that is best for us and for our patients, and for you. Speak to us about how we might be able to accommodate a flexible working arrangement whether that’s a job share, part time hours or another flexible pattern.

Supporting Our Armed Forces

We recognise the valuable contribution that the Armed Forces community make to our organisation. We have signed the Armed Forces Covenant and achieved Gold Award under the Armed Forces Employer Recognition Scheme. We have supportive policies, guaranteed interview schemes for veterans, reservists and military spouses and give additional leave to our Reservists so that they can attend their annual camp.

Joining #TeamNELFT

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, Essex, Kent and Medway. We provide community and mental healthcare services to adults and children within these areas.

The Trust has award winning equality and diversity initiatives and staff health and wellbeing activities. We invest heavily in your development, because when you are valued and supported, we provide the best care to our patients. We are a Level 3 Disability Confident Leader, have been featured in the Working Families Top 10 Employers benchmark for five consecutive years, and we have achieved a Carers UK Level 1 Accreditation. Along with our staff networks and training opportunities, we work hard to embed a just and compassionate culture here at NELFT.

Find out more about NELFT careers and what makes our Trust a great place to work, in this video