Specialist Therapeutic Practitioner (Band 8a) - Community & Mental Health - Alder Hey Children'[...]

Alder Hey Children's NHS Foundation Trust; Liverpool City Region; On-site; GBP 53,000 - 61,000; Full time

Job summary

Alder Hey Children's NHS Foundation Trust seeks a Specialist Therapeutic Practitioner for the Children and Young People's Gender Service. This role involves providing specialist assessments and interventions, with expectations of strong communication and leadership skills, while working within a multidisciplinary team. The position will be based at Centre Park, Warrington, with both full-time and part-time opportunities.

Benefits

Flexible working opportunities

Generous annual leave

Pension scheme

Extensive staff health and well-being programmes

Qualifications

• Experienced in providing consultation, teaching, and training.
• Skilled in the delivery of therapeutic interventions in various settings.

Responsibilities

• Provide specialist assessments and therapeutic interventions for children and families.
• Liaise with partnership agencies to ensure coordinated care plans.
• Lead and mentor junior staff in clinical practices.

Skills

Communication

Leadership

Teamwork

Assessment

Risk management

Education

Qualified in core profession as per BABCP criteria

Current registration with appropriate regulatory body

Relevant post graduate qualification in Mental Health

Job description

Employer Alder Hey Children's NHS Foundation Trust Employer type NHS Site Centre Park, Warrington Town North West Salary £53,755 - £60,504 Per Annum Salary period Yearly Closing 09/07/2025 23:59 Interview date 30/07/2025

Specialist Therapeutic Practitioner

Band 8a

Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust is a provider of specialist health care and has a presence in community outreach sites and, in collaboration with other providers, our clinicians help deliver care closer to patients’ homes by holding local clinics at locations from Cumbria to Shropshire, in Wales and the Isle of Man. The Trust also provides inpatient care for children with complex mental health needs at our Sunflower House building newly relocated, and opened on the hospital site.

We currently have more than 4,000 staff working across our community and hospital sites. We’re also a teaching and training hospital providing education and training to around 540 medical and over 500 nursing and allied health professional students each year.

As black and minority ethnic (BME) employees are currently under-represented in this area, we particularly welcome applications from members of our BME communities. All appointments will be made on merit.

You can expect a warm welcome at Alder Hey Children's NHS Foundation Trust, our staff are friendly and welcoming. We listen to each other and work together to embed our Trusts values and behaviours. At Alder Hey we appreciate our staff and reward them with an outstanding benefits package including:

• Great flexible working opportunities
• Lease car scheme and Home Electronics Scheme
• Generous annual leave and pension scheme
• Extensive staff health and well-being programmes

Job overview

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an exceptional clinician with strong clinical experience to be a Specialist Therapeutic Practitioner in the Children and Young People's Gender Service, which is provided in partnership by Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust and Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust.

As a Specialist Therapeutic Practitioner in the service you will provide specialist assessment and a range of therapeutic interventions to children, young people and their families. The role will include liaison and engagement with a range of partnership agencies to ensure an integrated and coordinate care plan is provided. Experience of providing supervision to clinical practitioners will also be essential to this role.

Successful candidates will have a passion for delivering safe, high quality and effective services to children and young people and will be a strong communicator, committed and well organised, with the ability to work effectively as a senior clinician in a multidisciplinary team.

Main duties of the job

The main duties for this role are provided in the attached job description.

The base for this service is Centre Park, Warrington which includes the following benefits:

- Free parking and free EV charging

- Short walk from Warrington Bank Quay station

- Bicycle storage and on site changing facilities

We welcome applicants looking for both full time and part time contracts, with flexible working opportunities available.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The main responsibilities for this role are provided in the attached job description/person specification.

Person specification

Education and Training

• Qualified in core profession as per BABCP criteria BABCP | British Association for Behavioural & Cognitive Psychotherapies > Accreditation > Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapist Accreditation > Core Professions > Core Professions list and criteria
• Current registration with appropriate regulatory body (e.g., HCPC, NMC, BABCP, UKCP).
• Intermediate or diploma level in a recognised therapeutic modality.
• Evidence of continuing professional development
• Evidence of substantial post qualification competence, incorporating significant experience working within services at a senior level
• Relevant post graduate qualification in Mental Health related field

Experience

• Experience of working within a multi-disciplinary team
• Experience of providing consultation/teaching/ training
• Experience of working with children and young people, families and carers
• Experience of clinical supervision
• Experience of leading on developing, delivering and evaluating evidence based clinical care packages.
• The application of specialist mental health assessment and therapeutic interventions in different cultural contexts
• Working collaboratively within a multidisciplinary team AND with other agencies and professionals in a variety of settings including managing difficult conversations and differences of opinion
• Assessing clinical risk and developing and communicating appropriate risk management plans including safeguarding.
• Analysing presenting problems and able to work autonomously utilising a range of therapeutic perspectives and modalities, depending on the needs of the client.
• Providing case management and/or clinical supervision for colleagues and students as required.
• Experience of mentoring and supervision of others, including supporting the mental health and wellbeing of junior staff and trainees.
• Experience of developing and providing evidenced based assessments, formulations, and care plans and effective use of Routine Outcome Measures (ROMs).
• Understanding of the principles of Clinical Governance and a willingness to follow Trust Policy and Procedures
• Experience of managing and/or leading on service developments
• Experience in the line management and professional management of staff
• Effectively managing policy implementation and demonstrable service development work, audit and research
• Experience of providing a variety of therapeutic interventions for children and young people and their families
• Community mental health experience across a variety of settings
• Experience of delivery of group work and workshops

Knowledge

• Up to date knowledge of child mental health and relevant legislation, NICE guidance and government policies
• An understanding of child development and psychological/psychosocial theories.
• Advanced knowledge and skills in delivery of evidence-based practice and the ability to demonstrate how this influences clinical practice

Skills

• A proven ability to work as a member of the multi- disciplinary team
• A proven ability to network with other professional groups/agencies
• A proven ability to assertively engage young people, families and carers.
• A proven ability to accept guidance and supervision from senior colleagues.
• A proven ability to demonstrate leadership ability, to be self-motivated and to work on one’s own initiative.
• A proven ability to demonstrate a non- discriminatory attitude regarding race, gender and disability issues.
• Demonstrate commitment to user participation
• Demonstrate a positive attitude.
• Demonstrates skills to contribute to modernisation across a range of diverse services
• Excellent oral and written communication skills
• Ability to motivate and enthuse colleagues
• Excellent organisational skills with the ability to respond effectively to multiple priorities
• Ability to develop, provide and evaluate training and workshops.
• Highly developed communication skills with the ability to provide and receive highly complex, sensitive or contentious information and overcome barriers to acceptance with children, parents and professionals.
• Skilled in assessment and formulation, with the ability to manage care appropriately, ensuring discharge is timely
• Skilled in planning, delivering and evaluating evidence-based therapeutic interventions (individuals and groups) with children and young people across the age range, and their families/carers.
• Skilled in the assessment of clinical risk and developing and communicating appropriate risk management plans
• Skilled in case management, able to function as a part of a multi-disciplinary team and to liaise effectively with other internal and external agencies, maintaining positive working relationships.
• Ability to work independently with the support of clinical and management supervision.
• Ability to select, use and interpret assessment tools and outcome measures / ROMs effectively and in collaboration with the child, young person, and family.
• Ability to integrate psychological theories and outcome data with clinical practice and service provision.
• The ability to work with people from a range of different backgrounds, cultures and or different ages.
• To be able to provide feedback and constructive guidance to junior members of the team and trainees to facilitate their personal and professional development.
• The ability to reflect on and critically appraise own performance.
• The ability to follow policy and make proposals for change.
• The ability to maintain clinical records both written and electronic.
• The ability to cope with stressful situations including maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the case of highly emotive and distressing problems.
• Good analytical and strategic visioning skills.
• Ability to build credibility quickly and sustain it within the organisation
• Advanced IT skills

Personal Attributes

• Demonstrates the ability to make sound judgments and generate new ideas in complex situations.
• Able to work autonomously
• Committed to continuing professional development
• Accountable for own professional actions
• Works within professional ethics and Trust policies and values
• A commitment to the inclusion of young people’s and parent/carer views in service delivery, development and design.
• Willingness to contribute to team functioning, performance and the ongoing development of the service.

We reserve the right to close vacancies without notice when we have received a sufficient number of applications from which to make a shortlist. Please ensure you apply without delay if you wish to be considered for this role.

Please ensure you check the email account from which you apply regularly as we will contact you using this regarding your application. All candidates will be notified via email whether or not they have been shortlisted.

Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. We are committed to creating a well-managed, flexible working environment that supports staff and promotes their welfare and development. We actively promote equality and diversity and operate a Zero Tolerance policy to aggression, violence, bullying and harassment.

Should you require any assistance during the application stages please contact recruiting manager of vacancy or the recruitment team at [emailprotected] or call 0151 282 4599

Please declare within the supporting information if artificial intelligence (AI) has been used in your application.

Please note, the selection processes at Alder Hey Children's Hospital NHS Foundation Trust are in place to ensure we recruit candidates with the right skills and values, please be advised that the use of AI in applications are monitored. We remain vigilant against candidates who misuse these tools to generate an application that doesn’t accurately reflect their skills.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.