Mental Health PractitionerNHS

Job summary

PALMS is looking for additional clinicians to be part of our vibrant multidisciplinary team.

We are seeking to appoint an additional Mental Health Practitioner who is a motivated and forward thinking clinician and leader committed to supporting children and young people (CYP) and their families across Hertfordshire and the full PALMS' team. You will have experience of assessments and a range of evidence based interventions to support the needs of CYP accessing this mental health service.

PALMS works across Hertfordshire providing a specialist multi-disciplinary approach. PALMS is one of the Children and Young People's Mental Health Services (CYPMHS) which offers individually tailored support for CYP, aged 0-18 who have an intellectual disability and/or are autistic, helping families to manage behaviours of concern, toileting, feeding and sleeping concerns which have not benefitted from community interventions and/or to support mental health needs which cannot be met with reasonable adjustment by other CYPMH services. Interventions include intervention workshops, intervention groups, individual therapy, parent as therapist sessions, and a family clinic. PALMS aims to keep CYP with their families thereby improving outcomes for all family members. PALMS predominantly applies narrative, systemic, positive behaviour, and bio-psycho social models adhering to the STOMP / STAMP and Transforming Care Agendas.

*Proposed interview date: 16th October 2026*

Main duties of the job

The ideal candidate will be:o Dedicated to supporting CYP with an intellectual disability and/or are autistic and their families.o Passionate about and have a desire to contribute to change in a vibrant NHS teamo Collaborative in their approach to work with families, networks, and other serviceso Able to work both in a team environment and autonomouslyo Able to maintain a high degree of professionalism when working in settings where there is a highly emotive atmosphere.o Flexible in their approach and have resilience under pressureo Have professional registration for their speciality

Job description

PALMS principally deliver a flexible service according to service need and personal circumstances, in a planned way. For example, for a full-time worker this equates to flexibly working 37.5 across the working week. PALMS are open to flexible working and therefore part time / job share would be considered, working a minimum of 0.6 WTE.We are committed to supporting flexible working options for staff and welcome discussions on flexible working patterns to support our staff to maintain a healthy work life balance.

We can offer you: Regular clinical and professional supervision Regular appraisal, personal development planning and opportunities for continuing professional development. This includes specific support with regards to fulfilling the PALMS role. Opportunities to work closely and meet regularly with a multi-disciplinary team and learn from other evidence based frameworks and approaches. Opportunities to provide clinical supervision and line management to other members of the PALMS team as appropriate.

A full valid driving licence and access to a car insured to use for business purposes is essential (unless you have a disability as defined by the Equality Act 2010). Applicants to be aware that PALMS work within the ULEZ zone and any charges due to non-compliant vehicles cannot be reimbursed by the Trust.

Interviews will be run either in person at one of our bases or using Microsoft Teams, full details and instructions will be provided to successful candidates.

HCT will prioritise recruitment of workers living in England under the new immigration rules for care workers effective from 9 April 2025. Employers must first prove that they have attempted to recruit a worker from within England who needs new sponsorship. This ensures that those who came to the UK to pursue a career in adult social care can do so.

About us

A big thank you for considering joining us at Hertfordshire Community NHS Trust

You'll find it a great place to work with many benefits offered to you as a member of our staff

We put our patients, their families and carers at the centre of our vision - Outstanding Services and Healthier Communities

Our staff are proud to be Pioneering, Caring and Inclusive in their work to help achieve the Trust vision

We welcome diversity in our workforce and are interested in applicants from all backgrounds and ages

We don't want you to miss out so we'd like you to know that if we have a high level of interest in this role, the vacancy may close prior to the advertised closing date, so please make your application as soon as possible - Apply now

You've made a great decision to apply to join to HCT - we're looking forward to taking the next steps of the journey with you.

The use of AI is monitored and if you have used it then you are required to declare this, as well as what type of AI tools you have used and for what purpose. We reserve the right to further test your individual knowledge and skills in relation to the requirements for the post through robust and thorough interview and assessment.