Specialist CAMHS Practitioner/Clinical Psychologist (Duty and Assess)

Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust; Manchester; On-site; GBP 47,000 - 55,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading NHS Trust in the UK seeks a Specialist CAMHS Practitioner/Clinical Psychologist to work within a supportive multi-disciplinary team. You'll manage a diverse caseload of children and young people facing complex emotional and behavioral difficulties, focusing on evidence-based, high-quality care. This position requires significant experience in mental health and offers competitive salary and professional development opportunities within a forward-thinking environment.

Benefits

Professional development opportunities

Supportive working environment

Competitive salary

Qualifications

• Up to date knowledge of child mental health and relevant legislation.
• Ability to assess, formulate and manage care appropriately.
• Extensive therapeutic skills in a multi-disciplinary team setting.

Responsibilities

• Manage own caseload and provide high-quality care.
• Deliver evidence-based interventions for children and families.
• Liaise effectively with other services involved in the child's care.

Skills

Experience in working with children and young people

Knowledge of CAMHS

Mental state assessment

Risk assessment and management

Communication skills

Ability to work autonomously

Education

RMN/RSCN/RNMH/Clinical Psychology/Social Work/OCCUPATIONAL Therapy qualification

Mentorship course ENB998 or equivalent

Tools

Evidence-based practice

Assessment tools

Job description

Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust

Specialist CAMHS Practitioner/Clinical Psychologist (Duty and Assess)

The closing date is 13 January 2026

Passionate about helping children & young people to improve their mental health?

Are you a registered Health Care Professional eg Occupational Therapist, Paediatric or Mental Health Nurse, Social Worker or Clinical Psychologist?

Would you like to be part of a forward thinking, supportive and developing service? Manchester Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) work with Children, Young People & Families aged up to 18 yrs with a wide range of complex emotional and behavioural difficulties.

We are looking for an experienced mental health practitioner or psychologist who can work autonomously within a multi-disciplinary team.

You must have significant experience of working with children, young people and families with complex mental health needs, have a working knowledge of CAMHS and or adult mental health and have an understanding of assessing complex mental health needs and levels of risk.

You will manage your own caseload, providing a range of high quality care appropriate to the child or young person's needs, including mental state assessment, risk assessment and management, family & social assessment, consultation and interventions.

You must be confident and experienced in communication due to the high level of liaison needed with other services. This is a clinical post and the expectation is the majority of time will be spent in face to face clinical practice.

This vacancy is for a post with Trafford Core CAMHS based at Sale Waterside/Oriel Court

Main duties of the job

The post holder will work in the Trafford District for the core team service and will see general referrals to the department across the age range, with a broad range of presenting difficulties as appropriate. The post will involve provision of formulation driven and evidence-based interventions with children, young people and their families.

The post holder will have a range of skills and knowledge base to deliver clinical aspects of the role in a multi-disciplinary team setting and will be competent to do this work as an autonomous practitioner within professional practice guidelines. This post entails teaching and supervisory duties to other professionals and junior staff and/or students and regular consultation to the wider children's service. The post holder is also expected to promote and develop partnerships and interface with other professionals and agencies that work within the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (THRIVE Framework).

This post is a clinical post and the expectation of time management is the majority of time spent in actual practice.

About us

Join Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (MFT) and become part of a 30,000 plus strong team, delivering exceptional care to over 1 million people every year. As the largest provider of specialist services, and our Oxford Road Campus in Manchester, the largest health academic campus in Europe, we are forward-thinking, committed to clinical excellence and driven to deliver innovation, and continuous improvement. Whether you're beginning your career or taking the next step, MFT offers a stimulating and supportive environment where your contribution truly matters. Our Hive Electronic Patient Record system enables safer, smarter, and more efficient ways of working - empowering you to deliver the best possible outcomes for our patients. You'll be part of a collaborative, multi-disciplinary community, working alongside professionals from a wide range of clinical backgrounds. Together, we push boundaries, share knowledge, and deliver care that transforms lives. At MFT, you'll find a workplace where everyone is respected, supported, and encouraged to thrive. We offer clear clinical pathways for professional development, helping you grow your skills and achieve your ambitions. Your journey at MFT is more than a job - it's an opportunity to make a lasting impact. We'll support you as you shape the future of healthcare, one patient at a time.

Job responsibilities

To find out more about the key responsibilities and the specific skills and experience youll need, take a look at the Job Description & Person Specification attachments under the Supporting Documents heading. So that youre even more equipped to make an informed decision to apply to us, youll need to take time to read the Candidate Essentials Guide that sits with the Job Description and Person Specification. This document provides you with details about the Trust, our benefits and outlines how we care for you as you care for others. Most importantly, it also contains critical information youll need to be aware of before you submit an application form. Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in your application Here at Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, were proud to be ALL HERE FOR YOU for our patients, our communities, and each other. As part of our commitment to fairness, transparency, and personal integrity, we ask all applicants to ensure that their job applications reflect their own experiences, skills, and motivations. While AI tools can support spelling, grammar, or formatting, we expect that the content of your application especially personal statements and responses to role-specific questions is written by you. This helps us get to know the real you and ensures that our recruitment process remains equitable and meaningful for everyone. Thank you for helping us uphold the values that make our Trust a place where people belong, grow, and thrive. We look forward to receiving your application. Diversity Matters MFT is committed to promoting equality of opportunity, celebrating and valuing diversity and eliminating any form of unlawful discrimination across our workforce, ensuring our people are truly representative of the communities we serve. All individuals regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation are encouraged to apply for this post. As an inclusive employer, we are here to support you. If you have any special requirements to help you with your application, please contact the manager named below.

Person Specification

Registration

• You must be registered with a professional body.

Qualifications

• You must have a recognised qualification in:RMN/RSCN/RNMH / Clinical Psychology / social work / occupational therapy
• Qualifications in Psychotherapeutic approaches e.g. CBT / IAPT qualification and/or accreditation
• Mentorship course ENB998 or equivalent
• Qualification in Research/Audit

Knowledge, Skills and Ability.

• Up to date knowledge of child mental health and relevant legislation.
• The ability to assess, formulate and manage care appropriately, ensuring discharge is timely
• The ability to use assessment tools and outcome measures effectively and in collaboration with the child, young person and family.
• Delivery of evidence based practice and the ability to demonstrate how this influences clinical practice.
• Demonstrable extensive therapeutic skills.
• To be able to function as a part of a multi-disciplinary team and to liaise effectively with other agencies i.e., education, GP's, maintaining positive working relationships.
• The ability to work independently and autonomously.
• The ability to reflect on and critically appraise the performance of self and others.
• To have the ability to manage own caseload and act as lead practitioner.
• Ability to manage and organise own time and diary and work creatively in a clinical context
• The ability to follow policy and make proposals for change.
• The ability to maintain clinical records both written and electronic.
• Experience of delivering training.
• Advanced IT skills
• Knowledge and understanding of the research process

Personal Attributes

• A commitment to undertake further relevant training and self-directed study.
• Punctual and flexible across hours of work when required.
• A commitment to the inclusion of young people's, parent/carer views in service delivery, development and design

Work Related Circumstance

• Use of a car or access to a means of travel across the Trust footprint in line with service needs
• Willing to carry out all duties and responsibilities of the post in accordance with the Trust's Equal Opportunities and Equality and Diversity policies

Experience

• substantial post qualification experience of working in Young People's mental health services
• Proven extensive experience of working effectively with people with mental health difficulties in the community and/or inpatient services.
• Extensive experience of assessing and managing risk: including safeguarding.
• Extensive experience of developing and providing evidence based assessments, formulations and intervention programmes to children, young people and families.
• Extensive experience of liaison and working with a range of other relevant agencies
• Extensive experience of complex caseload management working, frequently dealing with distressing and emotional circumstances, within a multi-disciplinary mental health setting.
• Experience of mentoring and supervision of others.
• Demonstrable understanding of Clinical Governance.
• Experience of working in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (i.e., Inpatient or CAMHS)
• Post qualification experience of a specific therapy working in Child and Adolescent Mental Health.

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.

Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust

£47,810 to £54,710 a year pro rata