Specialist Mental Health Practitioner - CFHD

NHS; Barnstaple; Hybrid; GBP 35,000 - 46,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

Clinical supervision

Professional development

Job summary

Children and Family Health Devon (CFHD) in North Devon is recruiting a part-time Band 7 Specialist Mental Health Practitioner to lead high‑quality assessment and intervention for children and young people with complex emotional and mental health needs.

You will work within a multi-disciplinary team, delivering evidence‑based therapies, risk assessment, and safeguarding, while supervising junior staff and supporting professional development.

Qualifications

• Experience of working collaboratively with service users and their families, including using goal-based care and routine outcome measures in practice.
• Experience of working collaboratively in a multi-disciplinary team and across agencies
• Experience of undertaking specialist mental health assessment and therapeutic interventions for children, with the ability to work with complex needs and undertake risk assessments

Responsibilities

• Conduct comprehensive mental health assessments, working collaboratively with children, young people, and their families to develop care plans tailored to their needs.
• Deliver evidence-based therapeutic interventions, such as CBT, DBT-informed approaches, and systemic family work, ensuring alignment with best practice guidelines.
• Manage a caseload of children and young people with moderate to severe mental health difficulties, providing high-quality, person-centred care.
• Work within a multi-disciplinary team, liaising with professionals across health, education, and social care to ensure a holistic approach to care.
• Assess and manage risk effectively, implementing safeguarding procedures where necessary.
• Provide supervision and support to junior staff, trainees, and multi-disciplinary colleagues, fostering professional growth within the team.
• Contribute to service development, participating in audits, quality improvement initiatives, and shaping the future of mental health services for children and young people in North Devon.
• Maintain accurate clinical records and uphold professional and organisational standards in all aspects of care.

Skills

Travel availability

Education

Masters level training

Professional registration

CPD

Job description

We are excited to be recruiting for a part-time (30 hours) Band 7 Specialist Mental Health Practitioner to join Children and Family Health Devon (CFHD) in North Devon.

This is an excellent opportunity for experienced mental health professionals to take on a senior clinical role, supporting children and young people with complex emotional and mental health needs.

You will be responsible for specialist assessment, formulation, and intervention, ensuring that children, young people, and their families receive high-quality, evidence-based care. You will work as part of a multi-disciplinary team, supporting young people with difficulties such as anxiety, depression, self-harm, and trauma-related presentations.

Your role will also include risk assessment and management, collaborative care planning, and therapeutic intervention delivery, working in line with NICE guidance. Additionally, you will provide clinical supervision, consultation, and training to colleagues, supporting professional development across the team.

We offer:

• Regular clinical supervision and professional development to support career progression.
• A collaborative, innovative, and supportive work environment.

If you are a dedicated and compassionate mental health professional, committed to making a difference for children and young people, we would love to hear from you.

Main duties of the job

• Conduct comprehensive mental health assessments, working collaboratively with children, young people, and their families to develop care plans tailored to their needs.
• Deliver evidence-based therapeutic interventions, such as CBT, DBT-informed approaches, and systemic family work, ensuring alignment with best practice guidelines.
• Manage a caseload of children and young people with moderate to severe mental health difficulties, providing high-quality, person-centred care.
• Work within a multi-disciplinary team, liaising with professionals across health, education, and social care to ensure a holistic approach to care.
• Assess and manage risk effectively, implementing safeguarding procedures where necessary.
• Provide supervision and support to junior staff, trainees, and multi-disciplinary colleagues, fostering professional growth within the team.
• Contribute to service development, participating in audits, quality improvement initiatives, and shaping the future of mental health services for children and young people in North Devon.
• Maintain accurate clinical records and uphold professional and organisational standards in all aspects of care.

This role is ideal for motivated and experienced mental health professionals looking to work in a dynamic, multi-disciplinary environment, where they can contribute to high-quality, specialist mental health care for children and young people.

About us

Children andFamily Health Devon (CFHD) comprises an Alliance of NHS organisations workingtogether to improve health outcomes for children and young people in Devon.

CFHDprovides integrated care and treatment for children and young people acrossphysical and mental health which are provided by Torbay and South DevonFoundation Trust and Devon Partnership Trust. We are working closely with otherorganisations and providers to ensure we deliver locality and county-wide basedintegrated access to all of our services.

CFHD works closely with our localuniversities of Plymouth, Exeter & the Peninsula Medical School where wesupport students in clinical training placements and in addition support ourown staff to undertake post graduate training.

Our integrated care and treatmenthas been developed and refined in partnership with children, young people andtheir families/carers.

Wewould like the people who work for Children and Family Health Devon to beunderstanding, patient and respectful. They should be trustworthy and make usfeel safe and comfortable. It is important that they use their skills andexperience to listen carefully in a non-patronising and non-judgemental way.When staff are positive and friendly, they help to create an environment thatis informal and without pressure.

Our vision is to be a successful, vibrant,partnership that benefits the communities we serve.

Job responsibilities

Full Vacancy details can be found on the attached Job Description/Person Specification. Please refer to your suitability to the post in your supporting information from the role requirements or person specification.

Person Specification

Experience

• Experience of working collaboratively with service users and their families/carers, including using goal-based care and routine outcome measures in practice.
• Experience of working collaboratively in a multi-disciplinary team and across agencies
• Experience of undertaking specialist mental health assessment and therapeutic interventions for in the area of childrens mental health, with the ability to work with complex needs and undertake risk assessments

Skills

• Ability to travel across Devon to meet the demands of the role

Qualifications

• Professional knowledge acquired through degree supplemented by specialist training or equivalent experience to Masters level with a relevant core professional training e.g. Psychological profession, Nursing, Clinical Psychology, Social Work, Occupational Therapy
• Training in an evidence-based therapeutic approach
• Professional registration/accreditation with a recognised body, e.g. NMC, HCPC, Social Work England, UKCP, BABCP
• Training in supervision and/or leadership skills or willing to work towards
• Evidence of Continuous Professional Development

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.