Joining #TeamNELFT means you’ll become part of a welcoming and supportive working environment. We’re CQC rated Good, and we want you to join us on the journey towards an Outstanding rating. NELFT has sites across North East London, Essex, Kent and Medway. We provide community and mental healthcare services to adults and children within these areas.
The Trust has award winning equality and diversity initiatives and staff health and wellbeing activities. We invest heavily in your development, because when you are valued and supported, we provide the best care to our patients. We are a Level 3 Disability Confident Leader, have been featured in the Working Families Top 10 Employers benchmark for three consecutive years, and we have achieved a Carers UK Level 1 Accreditation. Along with our staff networks and training opportunities, we work hard to embed a just and compassionate culture here at NELFT.
Find out more about NELFT careers and what makes our Trust a great place to work, in this video
Job overview
The post-holder will be a post-graduate qualified psychological practitioner ( nurse, clinical psychologist, family therapist, child and adolescent psychotherapist) fully registered with the appropriate professional or regulatory body ( NMC, HCPC, UKCP, ACP) or a graduate qualified health care professional ( mental health/ Learning disability nurse, social worker, occupational therapist), fully registered with the appropriate professional or regulatory body ( NMC, Social Work England). Plus an additional post-graduate qualification in either psychological therapies ( CYP IAPT post graduate diploma in systemic family practice/cognitive behavioural therapy) or other post-graduate qualification relevant to CAMHS and mental health.
Our Values 2025 - 2030
Working with our colleagues, patients and carers we have co-produced three new values that we aim to embed within our culture here at NELFT.
They are:
1. We are kind.
2. We are respectful.
3. We work together with our communities.
These three values help us to strive to provide the best care by the best people.
Main duties of the job
The post-holder will provide clinical leadership and specialist treatment and assessment within their professional sphere of expertise in B&D Child and Adolescent Mental Health (CAMHS), Front Door Team. They will be responsible for assessment, treatment and systematic outcome measurement and the extensive clinical supervision of junior clinicians.
They will ensure that a high quality, timely, accessible and evidence-based service is available to all service users who need it throughout the CAMHS team. The post-holder will establish and maintain excellent working relationships with wider education, mental health, wellbeing and learning disability support services and ensure adherence to evidence-based treatments by all clinical staff across the CAMHS team.
The post-holder will be directly involved in delivering and supervising a range of therapeutic interventions, which may include parent work, group work, school observations of children, short term input and specialist behavioural and psychological treatments. They will be responsible for all specialist assessments and treatments within their professional sphere of expertise within CAMHS practice.
Working for our organisation
Starting with NELFT
NELFT place a great deal of importance on new starters being properly welcomed and inducted into the Trust. All new starters will join the Trust on the first Monday of each month and will undertake a comprehensive induction of up to two weeks which will include mandatory training, systems training and the allocation of equipment. As part of the process new starters will have the opportunity to also meet the executive team, senior managers and attend a number of drop in sessions focusing in engagement, health and wellbeing and key processes. The induction will be held at our head office in Rainham, Essex.
Probationary Period
This post will be subject to a probationary period. Internal applicants are exempt from the probationary period (unless you are an internal applicant currently part way through a probationary period or currently a bank member of staff).
High Cost Area Supplement - London
This post attracts payment for High Cost Area Supplement of 15% of the basic salary (minimum payment of £4,551 and a maximum payment of £5,735 per annum pro rata).
Certificates of Sponsorship
Although we are a registered sponsor organisation, we are unable to offer sponsorship for all job roles. Please check your eligibility under the UKVI points based system.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
· To provide an efficient, effective, comprehensive and specialist service for children and adolescents with mental health problems, their carers/parents and families
· To contribute to multi-disciplinary assessment and treatment of children and adolescents with emotional and mental health problems, their carers/parents and families
·To undertake a range of highly specialist clinical work, urgent assessment work, parenting support and specialist cases.
· To provide extensive expert supervision and consultation on cases to other multi- disciplinary staff within B&D CAMHS, including junior medical staff where appropriate to do so.
·To contribute to quality improvement project, audit and research.
· To actively engage in treatment and outcome monitoring, including the use of normed measures adapted for the client group
· To work in clinical practice, making use of supervision, within the overall framework B&D CAMHS and the Trust’s policies and procedures.
· The post-holder will provide clinical leadership within the sphere of their professional expertise.
· To facilitate the development of a positive and ‘supportive’ team culture by taking responsibility for dealing effectively with potential conflict.
· To use an expert clinical understanding in assessing, jointly with colleagues in the multi- disciplinary team, children, adolescents and their families in order to formulate their strengths and difficulties and to determine the most appropriate treatment plan.
· To be able to effectively communicate with colleagues, peers, senior managers and clinical leads within the Trust
· To be able to communicate complex patient related information facilitating positive outcomes and ensuring collaborative working. To present cases to network meetings with professional members of other agencies.
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
4. Post-graduate training in psychological practice ( clinical/counselling psychologist, family therapist, child and adolescent psychotherapist) or graduate qualified healthcare professional ( nurse, social worker, occupational therapist
Knowledge
Essential criteria
5. Good working knowledge of Outlook, Word, Excel, Power point, Access Electronic diary, e-mail and office management systems
6. Excellent knowledge of emotional, developmental, mental health problems and life span issues.
7. Knowledge of legislation in relation to children and adolescents and safeguarding procedures and policies
8. Knowledge of NHS, Social Care and Education structures, national policies and frameworks, evidence based practice
9. Knowledge of risk management and ability to monitor and assess risk and act accordingly to ensure safety.
Skills
Essential criteria
10. Ability to communicate clearly and effectively highly complex and sensitive matters to patients
11. ability to integrate complex clinical information into a coherent formulation
12. Specialist skill in the ability to communicate effectively, verbally and in writing complex, highly technical and/or clinically sensitive information
13. Ability to tolerate anxiety without recourse to premature action whilst appreciating the role of the supervisor.
14. Ability to use outcome monitoring across all clinical work.
15. Ability to undertake quality improvement projects and audits
Experience
Essential criteria
16. Extensive experience of working with children and adolescents with co-morbid difficulties and special needs
17. Extensive experience of working with difficult, challenging children/young people requiring skilled and complex interventions.
18. Extensive experience of working therapeutically with parents/carers/families of children
19. Experience of carrying out generic and specialist assessment with other colleagues in the multi -disciplinary team
20. Experience of initiating, organising and planning inter -agency meetings
21. Experience of providing professional teaching and training for other professionals working with the client group within the service and within related agencies.
Benefits
We believe in bringing your authentic and best self to work, in order to deliver the best care to our patients. We are committed to supporting our employees holistically. Here is a snapshot of what is on offer at NELFT:
22. A long-standing and award-winning approach to equality and diversity with supportive networks for ethnic minority staff, staff with disabilities or long term/chronic conditions and LGBT staff.
23. A commitment to supporting colleagues to achieve a work life balance, through flexible working opportunities and our effortsto support our working parents and carers. This has resulted in us being recognised as a ‘Top 10 Family Friendly Employer’ from the Working Families Charity.
24. Proactive health and wellbeing support, including access to our employee assistance programme, staff psychological support, individual wellbeing conversations and a network of health and wellbeing ambassadors.
25. Detailed information about our wellbeing and benefits offer can be found in this link.
As a flexible working friendly organisation, we want to be sure that you can work in a way that is best for us and for our patients, and for you. Speak to us about how we might be able to accommodate a flexible working arrangement whether that’s a job share, part time hours or another flexible pattern.