CAMHS PractitionerNHS

Job summary

Southwark CAMHS Referrals Team isseekingan enthusiastic, motivated, and experienced CAMHS practitioner to join our specialist multidisciplinary team. This is an exciting opportunity to play a pivotal role in ensuring that children, young people, and their families havetimelyaccess toappropriate mentalhealth support and intervention.

The successful candidate willbe responsible forscreening and processing referrals received by the service, undertaking initial psychosocial and risk assessments, and contributing to clinical decision-makingregardingthe mostappropriate carepathways. This includesidentifyingchildren and young people who meet the threshold for specialist CAMHS assessment and treatment, as well as signposting and redirecting those whose needs can be better met by alternative services.

Working collaboratively with children, young people, families, and professionals across health, education, social care, and voluntary sector organisations, the post holder will provide high-quality assessments, risk management, safety planning, and clinical recommendations. They will contribute to safeguarding responsibilities and support positive outcomes for children and young people presenting with a broad range of emotional wellbeing and mental health difficulties.

Main duties of the job

• Process referralsreceived by Southwark CAMHS, undertaking initial screening and triage on behalf of the assessment and treatment teams to ensuretimelyandappropriate allocationof cases.
• Undertake meaningful clinical contactswith children, young people, and their families. This may include brief psychosocial and risk assessments, gathering relevant information to support clinical decision-making, providing brief psychoeducation and advice, listing referrals for specialist assessment and treatment, and signposting or redirecting referrals to alternative services whereappropriate.
• Liaise effectively with referrers, including GPs, schools, social workers, paediatric services, Accident & Emergency departments, and other professionals, to obtain relevant information and support comprehensive assessment of need.
• Work collaboratively within the Referrals Team multidisciplinary team (MDT)toidentifythe mostappropriate carepathways for children and young people referred to the service, ensuring decisions are evidence-based, child-centred, and aligned with service criteria.
• Participate actively in clinical decision-making forums, multidisciplinary meetings, business meetings, safeguarding discussions, and other relevant service meetings, contributing clinicalexpertiseand professional judgement.

Job description

The post holder will work as a key member of the Southwark CAMHS Referrals Team, providing specialist mental health screening, assessment, risk management, and care pathway recommendations for children and young people referred to the service. The role requires effective multidisciplinary working, sound clinical judgement, and a commitment to delivering high-quality, child-centred care.

• Clinicalresponsibilities
• Conduct initial psychosocial assessments with children, young people, and their families toidentifypresenting difficulties, strengths, needs, and goals.
• Undertake comprehensive risk assessments, including assessment of self-harm, suicide risk, risk to others, exploitation, neglect, and safeguarding concerns.
• Develop and agree contingency and safety plans with children, young people, and their families whereappropriate, ensuring risks are managed effectively.
• Make recommendationsregardingthe mostappropriate carepathway based on assessment findings and service eligibility criteria.
• Provide brief interventions, psychoeducation, support, and advice to children, young people, families, and professionals asrequired.
• Redirect, signpost, or refer children and young people to alternative services where specialist CAMHS intervention is notindicated.
• Ensure that assessments and interventions are deliveredin accordance withevidence-based practice and Trust policies.
• Care planning andservicedelivery
• Work collaboratively with children, young people, carers, line managers, supervisors, and multidisciplinary team members in assessing needs, planning care, and implementing interventions.
• Take responsibility for the delivery and coordination of care withinan allocatedarea of responsibility.
• Maintain a safe, supportive, and therapeutic environment for children, young people, and families accessing the service.
• Monitor clinical progress and contribute to decisionsregardingtreatment, referral onwards, or discharge.
• Promote the active involvement of children, young people, and families in care planning and decision-making.
• Multidisciplinary and partnership working
• Work closely with colleagues within the Referrals Team and wider CAMHS multidisciplinary teams to ensureappropriate clinicaldecision-making and allocation of referrals.
• Liaise effectively with external agencies, including schools, GPs, paediatric services, social care teams, youth services, voluntary sector organisations, and acute hospitals.
• Attend and contribute to multidisciplinary team meetings, clinical decision meetings, safeguarding meetings, network meetings, and other relevant forums.
• Provide specialist mental health consultation and advice to professionals involved in the care of children and young people.
• Professional responsibilities
• Maintainaccurate, contemporaneous, and legally compliant clinical records and documentation.
• Participate in regular clinical, professional, and management supervision.
• Support the learning and development of junior staff, students, trainees, and newly qualified practitioners asappropriate.
• Contribute to service development, quality improvement initiatives, audits, and implementation of best practice.
• Workin accordance withprofessional codes of conduct, Trust policies, and national guidance.
• Knowledge and experience
• The successful candidate willdemonstratea good working knowledge of:
• Mental health disorders in children and adolescents, including mood disorders, anxiety disorders, neurodevelopmental conditions, trauma-related difficulties, eating disorders, and behavioural difficulties.
• Child development and the impact of adverse childhood experiences on emotional wellbeing and mental health.
• The difficulties commonly experienced by Looked After Children, including attachment difficulties, developmental trauma, loss, separation, and placement instability.
• Safeguarding children and young people, including recognition and management of risk.
• Local care pathways and services available to children, young people, and families.
• Legislative and policy knowledge
• Applicants must have a sound understanding of relevant legislation and policy, including:
• The Children Act 1989 and 2004
• The Mental Health Act 1983 (as amended)
• The Human Rights Act 1998
• The Mental Capacity Act 2005
• Children and young people's safeguarding frameworks and statutory guidance
• Relevant NHS, Trust, and professional standards governing CAMHS practice
• Qualifications and professional registration
• Applicants mustpossessa recognised professional qualification and substantial CAMHS experience, together with current registration with one of the following professional bodies:
• Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC)
• Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC)
• Association of Child Psychotherapists (ACP)
• UK Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP)
• The successful candidate will be an enthusiastic, resilient, and highly motivated practitioner with the ability to work autonomously while contributing effectively to a multidisciplinary team, ensuring children and young people receive the right support at the right time.

About us

We are committed to ensuring our staff get the most out of their benefits package and understand the importance of a healthy work life balance. There is an extensive range of excellent benefits for you and your family. We want you to feel like you are part of a close knit team at SLaM. It's important to us that you valued and appreciated and that are why we have a comprehensive benefits package on offer

Some of our benefits are highlighted here:

Generous pay, pensions and leave,we offer a comprehensive pay, pensions and leave package which is dependent on the role and length of service.

Work life balance,flexible working and support a range of flexible options, such as: part-time working and job sharing.

Career development,There are plenty of opportunities to progress your career and we support your development through a number of programmes such as mentoring, coaching, positive people management, collective leadership and other talent programmes

Car lease,our staff benefits from competitive deals to lease cars

Accommodation, our staff benefits from keyworker housing available which is available on selected sites

NHS discounts,with discounts up to 10% from a variety of well-known retail brands though Health Service Discounts website.

Other benefits include:

• Counselling services
• Wellbeing events
• Long service awards
• Cycle to work scheme
• Season ticket loan
• Childcare vouchers
• Staff restaurants