SPA Mental Health Triage Clinician

NELFT North East London Foundation Trust; Maidstone; On-site; GBP 35,000 - 45,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading mental health organization in Maidstone is seeking a SPA Mental Health Triage Clinician. This role involves screening and triaging referrals, conducting risk assessments, and collaborating with various services to support young people's mental health needs. Ideal candidates will have at least 4 years of experience, a relevant healthcare qualification, and a passion for child mental health. A comprehensive induction program is provided for new staff.

Qualifications

• Minimum 4 years of experience in CYPMHS or related services.
• Experience with co-morbid difficulties in children.
• Ability to conduct risk assessments.

Responsibilities

• Screen and triage referrals for mental health services.
• Conduct tele-triage and risk assessments.
• Collaborate with local mental health services.

Skills

Experience with children and young people

Understanding of mental illness

Risk assessment and management

Therapeutic interventions

Education

Graduate training in nursing, social work, or occupational therapy

HCPC or NMC registration (if applicable)

Job description

SPA Mental Health Triage Clinician

The closing date is 09 December 2025

We are a telephone triage service who identifies a young person's emotional wellbeing and mental health needs to direct them to the most appropriate support service. We advise families and other professionals with evidence-based advice and information.

We arelooking forexperienced clinicians who are passionate about young people's mental health. You will have experience and knowledge in working with children and young people, an understanding of mental illness, child development and treatment pathways.

You will have a core profession; Registered Mental Health Nurse, Social Worker or other Allied Health Professional skilled in Mental Health.

Main duties of the job

Screening new email referrals, ensuring they are complete with enough information to determine if the referral will be processed onto the caseload or if the referral is more suited to targeted Emotional Well-being or intervention services. As a clinician you will tele-triage accepted referrals. The triage will highlight the primary needs and then signposting of the referral to either NELFT Specialist Mental Health Services, appropriate local stakeholders offering targeted support or to other agencies, when appropriate. We operate the NHS 111 Mental Health Line for Children & Young People in Kent & Medway, as a clinician, you will take crisis calls when escalated by our call handlers. You will offer a tele-triage and risk assess the current needs and make onward referrals.

About us

Our Values 2025 - 2030

Working with our colleagues, patients and carers we have co-produced three new values that we aim to embed within our culture here at NELFT.

They are:

• 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.

Probationary Period

This post will be subject to a probationary period.

Starting with Us

NELFT places great importance on new starters being properly welcomed into the Trust. All new starters will join the Trust on the first Monday of each month and undertake a comprehensive induction of up to two weeks, including mandatory training, systems training and the allocation of equipment. As part of the process, new starters will also have the opportunity to meet the executive team, senior managers, and attend several drop-in sessions focusing on engagement, health and wellbeing, and key processes. The induction will be held at our head office in Rainham, Essex.

Job responsibilities

The Single Point of Access operates between 08:00 and 18:00 Monday-Friday

The Single Point of Access is based in Maidstone, easily accessible by car and offers a range of facilities including a restaurant and ample safe parking.

We value team involvement in service improvement and your professional development.

The post-holder will be a graduate qualified health care professional (e.g. nurse, social worker, occupational therapist), or will have substantial CAMHS clinical experience and be fully registered with the appropriate professional or regulatory body (e.g. HCPC, NMC). They will have extensive clinical experience working with children and young people with emotional wellbeing and mental health difficulties. In addition, they will need to evidence that they are able to provide children, young people and their families with information and psychoeducation thereby ensuring they have meaningful choices regarding interventions. They will need to demonstrate that they have a wide range of knowledge in approaches to communicating and managing care.

The SPA receives, screens and directs referrals from across Kent and Medway Then provides advice, information, consultation and support to all referrers and a range of other local services.

The SPA works closely with the CYPMHS locality teams and aims to respond earlier to children and young peoples needs in order to help prevent, reduce or delay the need for more specialist interventions.

The service is driven by the principles underpinning the national CYP-IAPT programme (Children and Young Peoples Improving Access to Psychological Therapies); evidence-based interventions, routine measurement of outcomes, access to high quality training and supervision for professionals and true co-production with children and young people.

Care pathway leads and practitioners ensure that a high quality, timely, accessible and evidence-based service is available to all children and young people who need it. This means establishing and maintaining excellent working relationships with the SPA, wider social, health and voluntary services.

The Single Point of Access receives referrals for children and young people, with emotional wellbeing and mental health difficulties, but has since expanded to include referrals for ADHD, ASC and Learning Disability. The referrals we receive are for a broad range of challenges, and the post holder will be able to develop knowledge and skills in the areas of mental health, neurodevelopment and crisis response.

Person Specification

• oSuccessful completion of a graduate training (e.g. nursing, social work, occupational therapy) or equivalent substantial CAMHS clinical experience oTo be eligible for registration as a full member of the appropriate professional body (e.g. HCPC, NMC) where appropriate oClinical practice in the assessment and treatment of young people
• ominimum 4 years experience oPrevious practice working in CYPMHS or related child health wellbeing service oPrevious experience in risk assessment and risk management

Experience

• oExperience of working with difficult, disturbed or challenging children/young people requiring skilled and complex interventions oExperience of working with children and adolescents with co-morbid difficulties and special needs. (i.e. combination of organic and emotional deficits, such as autistic spectrum disorders and trauma). oExperience of working therapeutically with parents/carers/families of children and young people with complex mental health problems oExperience of using observation (eg. In school contexts) to contribute to assessments of children. oExperience of carrying out generic assessment with other colleagues in the multi-disciplinary team oExperience of assessment carried out autonomously in order to determine the most appropriate treatment plan from a range of options for the child/young person. oExperience of providing individual interventions with a wide variety of children and young people, from 3 to 19 years old- presenting problems at the most severe end of the spectrum.
• ominimum 4 years experience oPrevious practice working in CYPMHS or related child health wellbeing service oPrevious experience in risk assessment and risk management

Knowledge

• oAn awareness of NHS Plan, NSF and clinical governance priorities oKnowledge of child and adolescent mental health and mental health disorders oKnowledge in identifying safeguarding concerns and how to address concerns
• oExtended specialist training oPracticed in managing difficult conversations oExperience of change management

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.

NELFT North East London Foundation Trust