Specialist CAMHS Practitioner

CNWL NHS Foundation Trust; Greater London; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 50,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading mental health trust in London is seeking a skilled CAMHS Practitioner for maternity leave cover. The role involves providing specialist assessments and interventions for children and young people with neurodevelopmental needs, collaborating with a multi-disciplinary team. Ideal candidates will possess experience in CAMHS, including safeguarding and risk assessment, and have the ability to engage in reflective practice. This position offers excellent professional development opportunities and contributes to a supportive environment.

Benefits

Professional development opportunities

Supportive team environment

Wellbeing initiatives

Qualifications

• Experience in CAMHS with safeguarding and risk.
• Ability to advocate for children and families’ needs.
• Comfortable with reflective practice.

Responsibilities

• Provide comprehensive specialist assessments.
• Implement positive behaviour plans in partnership with agencies.
• Evaluate interventions and communicate outcomes sensitively.

Skills

Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS)

Neurodevelopmental assessment

Positive Behavioural Support (PBS)

Clinical autonomy

Risk assessment

Education

Relevant mental health qualification

Tools

ADOS assessments

3-D assessments

Job description

Vacancy at Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust

Westminster CAMHS are looking for a fixed term Maternity Leave cover CAMHS Practitioner to join our friendly, supportive, and experienced multi-disciplinary specialist mental health service. We are looking for an enthusiastic and skilled clinician to provide LD and neurodevelopmental knowledge and specialist support to the Neurodevelopmental and wider team. The Westminster CAMHS neurodevelopmental team offer diagnostic assessments for autism and ADHD, initial intake assessments, and interventions (psychological, behavioural, family therapy, art therapy, and pharmacological). Each clinician in the team has a wide variety of presentations in their caseload, including young people with ASD, ADHD, LD, or a combination of these diagnoses.

They should maintain clinical curiosity and engage in reflective practice as well as be able to advocate for children, young people and families’ needs. Previous experience within CAMHS‑LD (particularly with safeguarding, risk and Positive Behavioural Support [PBS] would be helpful.)

Westminster CAMHS NDT team is set up to provide specialist assessment and consultation to children and young people with moderate to severe Neurodevelopmental needs, including LD/intellectual disabilities and their families and carers. The successful candidate will be expected to hold an ND caseload, provide Initial Assessments, be part of MDT discussions and provide LD consultations. An added benefit would be existing training in ADOS and/or 3‑Di assessments.

The post holder will provide generic CAMHS and specialist CAMHS assessments (such as, initial neurodevelopmental assessments, autism assessments, and ADHD assessments) and interventions to children and young people. Autism and ADHD assessments include MDT discussions of diagnostic outcome. Specialist CAMHS assessments will involve undertaking direct assessment and intervention with the client and indirect assessment, monitoring and intervention with staff and/or carers. The post holder will work autonomously alongside clients, families, support workers and professionals to enable others to better understand and respond to behaviours that are challenging. The post holder will require a high degree of professional autonomy and self‑management and will be required to account for their professional practice through supervision, appraisal and audit.

Working for our organisation

Central & North West London NHS Foundation Trust is a prominent mental health trust offering high quality children’s mental health services across 5 boroughs of London. The Trust supports staff wellbeing, reflective practice and monthly team reflective groups in CAMHS teams.

Westminster CAMHS has a strong multi-disciplinary approach and thrives on innovative practice to meet the local population needs. The post provides an excellent opportunity to develop skills and knowledge in clinical practice and leadership via regular clinical supervision, being part of Quality Improvement (QI) projects, CPD opportunities as well as multi-disciplinary working within an experienced wider service of Family Therapists, Psychotherapists, Nurses, Child Wellbeing Practitioners, Psychiatrists and Clinical / Counselling Psychologists.

As an NHS Trust we strongly encourage and support vaccination as this remains the best way to protect yourself, your family, your colleagues and of course patients and service users when working on our healthcare settings.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide comprehensive specialist assessments, including risk assessment of children, young people and their families/carers referred with moderate, complex and severe mental health problems/behaviours.
• Use a range of assessment techniques including observations, standard measures and questionnaires, direct work and interviews with parents and professionals to collate information required to complete a functional analysis assessment.
• Formulate and implement a positive behaviour plan/intervention in partnership with other agencies working with the child/young person.
• Communicate assessment outcomes/formulations and positive behaviour support plans sensitively.
• Evaluate the implementation and impact of the intervention.
• Write confidential behavioural support plans, reports for case conferences, and educational materials with wide-ranging implications for children, young people and their families.
• Be available to carry out urgent assessments, conducted in clinic settings.
• Undertake other psychological and/or diagnostic assessments (e.g. Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule‑2, or cognitive assessments) and interventions if required and appropriate.
• Provide consultation and training to other professionals to ensure implementation of behavioural support plans.
• Liaise with and participate in joint work with other members of the Learning Disabilities Pathway in Westminster CAMHS.
• Act as care coordinator for an identified caseload, overseeing assessment, planning, implementation and evaluation of therapeutic packages of care within the multidisciplinary team.
• Act as care coordinator in accordance with CPA guidelines within the CAMHS community setting.
• Ensure that the needs of the client group are paramount and adhere to NICE Guidelines relating to Child Protection.
• Maintain acceptable safety levels for verbal and physical aggression from disturbed clients and advise colleagues as necessary. Adhere to the lone worker policy and update training in breakaway techniques when necessary.
• Maintain accurate clinical records in accordance with service standards and record and maintain patient data in local database systems (System 1) and the trust‑wide electronic database.

This advert closes on Monday 2 Feb 2026.