Senior Mental Health Practitioner Posted - Per Annu

Job overview

Are you dedicated to improving the lives of children and young people?

Do you thrive in environments where you can help to deliver impactful, short‑term interventions?

We’re looking for an enthusiastic Registered Mental Health Nurse, Social Worker or Occupational Therapist to join the Crisis and Home Treatment Service (CAHTS), embedded within the Bath, North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire (BSW) Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS). The practitioner will be based in Swindon and work closely with the Getting More Help Teams to support children, young people (CYP) and their families with complex mental health needs.

The role delivers intensive, short‑term community support for CYP at risk of inpatient admission or transitioning out of inpatient care, offering a varied and learning‑rich environment.

In CAHTS we provide high‑quality psychological services for CYP with additional mental health needs, including those exhibiting increased risk behaviours. We work with a responsive, multi‑disciplinary leadership team.

• Support CYP and families with psycho‑social education.
• Deliver practical, evidence‑based interventions.
• Provide liaison, advice and consultation with CAMHS, children’s services, education and other external agencies.
• Conduct initial assessments and deliver short‑term interventions to address emotional and mental health needs of young people in crisis, aiming to reduce longer‑term problems.

Flexible working patterns include core days (8 am‑8 pm Monday‑Friday, 10 am‑6 pm Saturday–Sunday) with coverage of the service’s 24‑hour on‑call rota.

Oxford Health offers a supportive environment that embraces career progression, learning and a range of benefits including:

• Excellent opportunities for career progression.
• Individual and Trust‑wide learning and development.
• 27 days annual leave, rising to 33 days with continuous service.
• NHS discount and Pension scheme.
• Lease car scheme.
• Employee Assistance Programme.
• Mental Health First Aiders.
• Staff accommodation (waiting lists may apply).
• Staff networking and support groups.

The role involves offering emotional support to adolescents and/or their parents who are in mental health crisis or being supported to leave psychiatric inpatient care.

Training opportunities include Positive Behaviour Support, AMBIT, DBT coping skills, and Family‑Based Therapy for Eating Disorders, with further personalised training based on learning needs.

• Required:
  
  RMN, Social Worker, OT, or other relevant professional qualification; registered to practice in the UK.
• Desirable:
  Knowledge of DBT and CBT; non‑medical prescriber qualification.

• Required:
  
  Significant post‑qualifying mental health experience; caseload management of complex conditions; experience of care coordination/lead professional; evidence‑based, reflective practice and clinical reasoning in assessment and treatment.
• Desirable:
  Experience working with children and/or young people with mental health difficulties; experience of being a care co‑ordinator or managing a case load.

• Effective communicator with patients, carers and staff.
• Organisational skills in managing workload for self and others.

Name:
Clare Fry

Title:

Consultant Mental Health Practitioner

Email:

Telephone: