Senior Mental Health Practitioner

South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Trust; Wakefield; On-site; GBP 35,000 - 45,000; Full time

Job summary

A community healthcare provider in Wakefield is seeking a Senior Mental Health Practitioner to join their ReACH team. This dynamic role involves providing urgent, recovery-focused support to children and young people facing acute mental health crises. Candidates must hold a relevant qualification and have substantial experience in mental health settings. The position emphasizes teamwork, autonomy, and the application of specialist knowledge to deliver high-quality interventions. The Trust values diversity and encourages applications from all backgrounds.

Benefits

NHS benefits

Continuous professional development programs

Qualifications

• Substantial post-qualification experience, ideally with children and young people in mental health.
• Experience of working in multidisciplinary teams.
• Knowledge of relevant legislation for mental health and safeguarding.

Responsibilities

• Assess children and young people in various settings, including home visits.
• Implement intensive home-based treatments and safety plans.
• Provide specialist training and supervision to other staff.

Skills

Excellent verbal and communication skills

Negotiation and problem-solving skills

Record-keeping and report-writing skills

Ability to work autonomously

Teamwork commitment

Education

Relevant professional qualification (nursing or allied profession)

Post-graduate qualification in mental health (e.g., CBT, Family Therapy)

Teaching and assessing qualification

Job description

Senior Mental Health Practitioner

The closing date is 31 December 2025

We have an exciting new opportunity in Wakefield CAMHS as Band 7 Senior Mental Health Practitioners. You need to be a registered staff member to apply for this role (e.g., Mental Health Nurse, Social Worker or Occupational Therapist).

Are you ready to take on a fast‑paced, rewarding role where you can make a real difference each day?

About the ReACH Team

The Responsive Adolescent & Children Home‑Based Treatment Team (ReACH) seeks a dynamic Senior Mental Health Practitioner to join our multidisciplinary team, providing urgent, recovery‑focused support to individuals and their families experiencing an acute mental health crisis.

This role is fast‑paced and rewarding; no two days are the same. You would be expected to work collaboratively with children, young people, families and external agencies to offer intensive home‑based assessment, support and treatment. The ReACH Team is the frontline of urgent mental health care, supporting people at their most vulnerable time and helping them stay safe and feel supported in a community setting.

Main duties of the job

• Assess children and young people in various settings (e.g., Accident and Emergency, home visits, schools).
• Work with families and carers to implement safety and care plans.
• Undertake risk assessments and review risk documentation.
• Act as lead clinician on young people in your caseload to implement home‑based treatment.
• Support team staff and offer clinical supervision.
• Deliver training and guidance to the team.
• Refer to internal and external agencies for young people and families.
• Take on the role of shift co‑ordinator.
• Deliver therapeutic interventions over a short period.
• Submit safeguarding referrals where required.
• Lead support for those recently discharged from inpatient units.
• Attend professional meetings.

All employees are strongly encouraged to have an up‑to‑date flu vaccination to protect staff and patients.

At the time of advertising, this role does meet the minimum requirements set by UK Visas and Immigration to sponsor candidates to work in the UK. We look forward to receiving your application.

About us

We are a specialist NHS Foundation Trust that provides community, mental health and learning disability services for the people of Barnsley, Calderdale, Kirklees and Wakefield. We also provide low and medium secure services and are the lead for the West Yorkshire secure provider collaborative.

Our mission is to help people reach their potential and live well in their communities, by providing high‑quality care in the right place at the right time. We employ staff in both clinical and non‑clinical services who work hard to make a difference to the lives of service users, families and carers.

We encourage and welcome applications from all protected characteristic groups, value diversity and want our workforce to be reflective of our communities.

Being a foundation Trust means we are accountable to our members; around 14,300 local people (including staff) are members of our Trust.

Join us and you will be one of over 4,500 staff committed to supporting and improving the mental, physical and social needs of the thousands of people we meet and help each year.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults, and expect all colleagues and volunteers to share this commitment.

We reserve the right to close the vacancy before the advertised closing date if necessary, so please apply as soon as possible.

Job responsibilities

JOB SUMMARY

This job description outlines the main duties of the post. The post holder will be required to undertake other duties commensurate with the grade as directed.

To provide highly specialist skills and expertise, facilitating interventions of the highest quality in the field of mental health, including emergency assessments and intensive interventions with children, young people and their families.

To work autonomously and collaboratively within the MDT, providing consultation and teaching for other agencies/professionals.

To provide supervision and teaching to all other disciplines within CAMHS and deputise as agreed for the team leader.

To promote safeguarding and the welfare of children and young people.

KEY RESULT AREAS

CLINICAL

1. Work autonomously within professional guidelines and exercise responsibility in accordance with the Trust policies and procedures.
2. Have highly developed skills in assessing the needs of children and their carers based on complex facts and situations.
3. Undertake highly specialist initial assessments following serious self‑harm and attempted suicide.
4. Undertake highly specialised risk assessments for urgent mental health or psychiatric presentations.
5. Implement intensive interventions with young people and their families.
6. Provide therapeutic care to emotionally demanding clients.
7. Develop and maintain therapeutic relationships with children and carers.
8. Deliver and devise complex packages of care as part of the multidisciplinary team.
9. Take a lead role in setting guidelines and standards for discharge from Specialist CAMHS.
10. Communicate highly complex information with empathy and support.
11. Work with children, young people and families, liaising with external agencies.
12. Apply a sound knowledge of safeguarding children and guidelines.
13. Deputise for the team leader in his/her absence.
14. Apply Trust policies in aggression and acute distress situations.

HUMAN RESOURCES

1. Take responsibility for developing, managing and coordinating the supervision systems for the team.
2. Support other team members in managing cases.
3. Manage and coordinate rotas for all disciplines within CAMHS.
4. Support the Clinical Governance Lead and participate in governance processes.
5. Contribute to the induction of new starters.
6. Responsible for first line resolution of complaints.
7. Responsible for budgetary requirements of equipment necessary for clinical interventions.

For full job description, please see attached supporting documents.

We are aware that an increasing number of applicants are using AI technology to generate responses on NHS Job application forms. Over reliance on AI‑generated content in application forms is strongly discouraged and we will conduct a thorough screening process before selecting candidates to progress to the next stage. If you are using AI to enhance your application, please disclose this in your NHS Jobs application form.

Person Specification

Experience

• Experience delivering training to others.
• Substantial post‑qualification experience, some of which must involve working with children, young people and their carers in a mental health or complex care setting.
• Experience working in different cultural contexts.
• Knowledge and experience of working with equality and diversity.
• Multidisciplinary team working.
• Inter‑agency liaison and consultation.
• Experience providing highly specialist advice and supervision to other professionals.
• Knowledge of relevant legislation and guidance for working with children, young people, mental health and safeguarding.
• Evidence of advanced clinical/therapeutic knowledge and skills in mental health.
• Extensive experience in assessment and risk management and ability to implement evidence‑based practice.
• Advanced experience of safeguarding children and young people.
• Experience in community settings.

Physical Attributes

• Ability to undertake the duties and demands of the post. A satisfactory sickness record over the previous 2 years (subject to fairness and equality of opportunity, particularly where sickness is related to a disability and/or pregnancy).

Qualifications

• Relevant professional qualification, e.g., nursing or other profession allied to medicine.
• Post‑qualification training in identified portfolio, e.g., LD, LAC, eating disorder.
• Dip SW or relevant mental health profession.
• A teaching and assessing qualification.
• Membership of professional body.
• Post‑graduate qualification in mental health (e.g., CBT, Family Therapy, Counselling).

Special Knowledge & Skills

• Excellent verbal and communication skills.
• Ability to manage own caseload and be a self‑reliant, autonomous practitioner.
• Excellent negotiation and problem‑solving skills.
• Excellent record‑keeping and report‑writing skills, including care planning and risk assessments.

Personal Attributes

• Able to work autonomously and as part of a team.
• Commitment to multi‑agency approach and working.
• Ability to work and make decisions under pressure.
• Calm, confident, innovative, creative and assertive.
• Willingness to be flexible and adaptable to changing service priorities.
• Commitment to challenging discrimination and improving accessibility of services.
• Good self‑care and encouraging it in team members.
• Code of integrity, honesty, openness, transparency and respect.
• Current driving licence and access to a car during working day essential (reasonable adjustments for those unable to drive).

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and will require a submission for Disclosure to the Disclosure and Barring Service to check for any previous convictions.

South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Trust