Mental Health Practitioner - Children in Care

Mental Health Practitioner Children in Care

The role of the Mental Health Practitioner for Children in Care is a post within the CAMHS team focused on promoting the best possible mental health and emotional wellbeing for children in care within the local authority. It resides within a small health team with a key focus on multi‑agency working to ensure a collaborative approach is taken across all relevant agencies.

We are passionate about delivering first‑class patient‑centred, safe and effective care, whether it is in a hospital setting, in a community clinic or in the patient’s own home. Patients are at the heart of everything we do. Providing top quality care depends on our ability to employ the best people.

We’re always looking to recruit outstanding people who will go the extra mile to support our patients, colleagues, teams and the Trust. With every new employee we’re hoping to find our future leaders and work to develop your career.

With a diverse culture and equally diverse range of opportunities across mental health, community services, addictions, eating disorders, learning disabilities and more, there’s always a place for you at CNWL.

The post holder may have contact with patients or service users. As an NHS Trust we strongly encourage and support vaccination as this remains the best way to protect yourself, your family, your colleagues and of course patients and service users when working in our healthcare settings.

• Provide robust assessment, treatment, direction and advice for children who are showing signs of emotional wellbeing or mental health difficulties.
• Be proficient in therapeutic interventions for children and young people with presenting difficulties such as anxiety, low mood, attachment difficulties, developmental trauma, and difficulties regulating emotions.
• Triage and perform early identification of mental health disorders collaboratively with the child or young person who is likely to experience significant emotional distress due to current circumstances, trauma and/or adverse childhood experiences.
• Support appropriate referrals and/or signposting to relevant agencies, ensuring that you have a sound knowledge of local resources and liaising with external services if children/young people are placed out of area and require support.
• Communicate information and rationale for decisions clearly to the young person, the carers, the social worker and all professionals involved in the child’s care.
• Develop strong professional relationships with other health staff involved in the child’s care processes.
• Inform parents in conjunction with the allocated social worker in all appropriate cases.
• Provide specialist interventions, advice and support to young people who are identified as having or being at risk of developing emotional, psychological or mental health issues within the current scope of MK CAMHS service provision.
• Offer advice and consultation support to social workers, foster carers and other professionals working with children/young people in Children’s Social Care or school staff, enhancing their understanding of behavioural presentation and communication of a child or adolescent who has experienced a disadvantaged start to life.
• Make appropriate recommendations based on a holistic understanding of the child and encourage others to develop their views.
• Develop and deliver training to foster carers, social care staff and other professionals to facilitate a better understanding of young people who may present as challenging and op positional and have not responded to traditional behaviour‑management techniques.
• Maintain a small personal caseload while working under the professional supervision of a Senior Clinician in CAMHS.
• Contribute to the supervision of other team members.