Job summary
We are seeking a dynamic and experienced CAMHS clinician to manage our Adolescent Assessment and Outreach Team (AAOT) in Islington.
This is a key management role in Islington Community CAMHS, leading a highly valued and skilled team of clinicians in providing assessment and treatment for CYP in mental health crisis or who have chronic and severe mental health difficulties.
The post holder will also provide CAMHS oversight of the LD/A Keyworker service, which works across Islington and Camden, and is part of exciting new developments across North Central London in response to the Transforming Care Agenda, with the aim of enhancing the existing mental health crisis services for young people and their families with autism and/or LD and avoiding unnecessary admissions to mental health inpatient units and reducing the length of hospital stays.
The team also offers consultation and support to clinicians across CAMHS and to multi-agency professionals in the borough. The team manager's leadership is essential to this, supporting the team in being outward-facing and containing and fostering an inclusive and responsive culture, working together to manage mental health risk and complexity in some of our most complex CYP, families and carers.
Main duties of the job
To ensure efficient, effective, evidence based and needs-led service access and delivery.
To provide clear leadership, in partnership with the Islington CAMHS Management Team to ensure access to timely treatment and intervention by well led and motivated staff that contributes to promoting safety and achievement for all CYP.
To actively encourage and support staff to build strong links with other community providers to meet the needs of patients.
To encourage the building and maintenance of strong relationships with partners across WH Trust, the North Central and East London provider collaborative and NCL ICB.
To ensure that AAOT performance targets are consistently met by developing and implementing improvement plans as necessary.
To have line management responsibility for the LD/A Keyworker Service staff employed by Whittington Health and for AAOT clinicians, as required.
To provide supervision and clinical consultation as required.
To offer clinical assessment and intervention in line with registration, CPD and service needs.
About us
Whittington Health serves a richly diverse population and works hard to ensure that all our services are fair and equally accessible to everyone. Nowhere is this more obvious than in the way we look after our staff. We aim to employ a workforce which is as representative as possible of this population, so we are open to the value of differences in age, disability, gender, marital status, pregnancy and maternity, race, sexual orientation, and religion or belief. The Trustbelieves that as a public sector organisation we have an obligation to have recruitment, training, promotion and other formal employment policies and procedures that are sensitive to these differences. We think that by doing so, we are better able to treat our patients as well as being a better place to work.
Job description
Job responsibilities
MAIN DUTIES
- Team Management and Leadership
- To ensure the appropriate and accurate use of the client information data base (RiO)
- To ensure the effective operational management of the CAMHS service in providing services which are in accordance with the objectives of the CAMHS / Children and Young Peoples Integrated Care Service Unit (CYP ICSU)
- To ensure that services are developed and provided by the service that are of the highest standard in terms of fair access, equality of opportunity and that uphold anti discriminatory practice
- To ensure (in conjunction with the SMT, Professional Leads and Clinicians) that practice within the team meets relevant standards, is appropriate, timely, safe and follows agreed professional practice
- To provide immediate advice and direction to all members of CAMHS and others in relation to complex organisational practice situations and complex mental health presentations as necessary
- To manage the referrals into the service and allocation of work across the team, ensuring that work which is accepted into the service meets with the eligibility criteria and that other referrals are re-directed to other appropriate agencies in a timely way
- To work closely with the managers of other Islington CAMHS teams to ensure the smooth transfer of care for cyp and carers/families between teams, according to clinical need
- To work with the CAMHS Professional Leads to offer training to CAMHS and partners across Islington Social Emotional Mental Health services in the identification and management of mental health risk in cyp
- To ensure that the team supports a whole system approach and that liaison/consultation services develop to support face-to-face services appropriately
- To work in conjunction with SMT to develop quality assurance systems that support performance against CAMHS KPIs and provide staff with feedback on their performance
- To establish and maintain effective working relationships and new working arrangements with colleagues, children and young people, parents and other key stakeholders including across Islington Childrens Social Care and Education
- To support and contribute to the Joint Multi-Agency Panel (JMAP) and to the JMAP processes in CAMHS, as required
- To work with SMT and local senior staff in continuing a local care quality group that reflects the service line key objectives
- To ensure that staff engage in regular meetings, training and team building with the goal of promoting a working environment that is open, honest, supportive and outward-looking
- To monitor the use of care pathways and care packages
- People Management
- To offer line management, operational and clinical supervision to CAMHS clinicians as required
- To ensure the effective use of human resources ensuring safe levels of staffing which reflect the necessary and appropriate skill mix
- To ensure that all staff are in receipt of regular appraisal and professional development support, liaising with Professional Leads and training departments as appropriate
- To monitor sickness absence, annual leave, training and study leave, taking any appropriate management action as required
- To ensure all staff are trained and participate in regular audit
- To ensure all staff are pro-active in contributing to team and service training initiatives
- To ensure that all staff are trained to understand and make optimum use of electronic systems that facilitate service delivery
- Resource Management
- To manage the delegated budget within the service ensuring that the team works effectively within the allocated financial framework and to regularly meet with the Operational Lead to review budgets
- To identify any potential areas/events/situations that may have an adverse impact on financial expenditure for the service. This will include taking appropriate action to eliminate or minimise such adverse impact and informing the Operational Lead at the earliest opportunity
- To act as a signatory with respect to staff claims, petty cash and the purchase of basic equipment and materials
- Performance Management
- To provide and/or contribute to the production of reports, information and proposals that support effective delivery of care and an integrated approach to work with colleagues at local level or through external agencies
- To take responsibility, under the direction of the SMT, to achieve excellent performance for all relevant performance targets
- To provide regular feedback on the progress/activity of the team to the Operational Lead and the SMT
- To be responsible for monitoring the collection of KPI information i.e. urgent referrals, attendance at CPA meetings
- Clinical
- To provide immediate advice and direction to all members of CAMHS and others in relation to mental health risk
- To undertake risk assessment and risk management for individual children and young people and to provide advice to other professions and agencies on risk assessment and risk management
- Provide assessments of children and young people referred to the team based upon the appropriate use, interpretation and integration of complex data from a variety of sources
- Formulate and implement plans for the formal treatment and/or management of the child/young persons problems, based upon an appropriate conceptual framework, and employing methods based upon evidence of efficacy, across the full range of care settings
- Be responsible for implementing a range of therapeutic interventions for individuals, carers, families and groups. These will include long and short term interventions as appropriate to need
- Evaluate and make decisions about treatment options taking into account both theoretical and therapeutic models and highly complex factors concerning historical and developmental processes that have shaped the individual, family or group
- To exercise autonomous professional responsibility for the assessment, treatment and discharge of children and young people whose problems are managed by psychologically based standard care plans
- Provide specialist expertise, advice, guidance and consultation to other professionals contributing directly to children and young people formulation, diagnosis and treatment plan
- Contribute directly and indirectly to a framework of understanding and care to the benefit of all children and young people of the service, across all settings and agencies serving children and young people with learning disabilities, neurodiversity and mental health problems/challenging behaviour
- Act as care coordinator, where appropriate, taking responsibility for initiating planning and review of CAMHS care plans including children and young people, their carers, referring agents and others involved the network of care
- Communicate in a skilled and sensitive manner, information concerning the assessment, formulation and treatment plans of children and young people under their care and to monitor progress during the course of both uni and multi-disciplinary care
- Self-Management
- To ensure that as a member of CAMHS you are fully aware of current developments, legislation and practice in the care of children and young people with mental health problems
- To attend regular management/professional supervision. Through supervision and appraisal, acknowledge own limitations and discuss/identify/access training as appropriate. Be aware of and reflect on own practice as a manager/clinician
- To be aware of and adhere to all Trust polices, acting as a role model to other staff. Manage time effectively. Continue to meet professional standards of practice and relevant professional legislation
- To undertake other Team Management duties as required by the Operational Lead or SMT
Job description
Job responsibilities
MAIN DUTIES
- Team Management and Leadership
- To ensure the appropriate and accurate use of the client information data base (RiO)
- To ensure the effective operational management of the CAMHS service in providing services which are in accordance with the objectives of the CAMHS / Children and Young Peoples Integrated Care Service Unit (CYP ICSU)
- To ensure that services are developed and provided by the service that are of the highest standard in terms of fair access, equality of opportunity and that uphold anti discriminatory practice
- To ensure (in conjunction with the SMT, Professional Leads and Clinicians) that practice within the team meets relevant standards, is appropriate, timely, safe and follows agreed professional practice
- To provide immediate advice and direction to all members of CAMHS and others in relation to complex organisational practice situations and complex mental health presentations as necessary
- To manage the referrals into the service and allocation of work across the team, ensuring that work which is accepted into the service meets with the eligibility criteria and that other referrals are re-directed to other appropriate agencies in a timely way
- To work closely with the managers of other Islington CAMHS teams to ensure the smooth transfer of care for cyp and carers/families between teams, according to clinical need
- To work with the CAMHS Professional Leads to offer training to CAMHS and partners across Islington Social Emotional Mental Health services in the identification and management of mental health risk in cyp
- To ensure that the team supports a whole system approach and that liaison/consultation services develop to support face-to-face services appropriately
- To work in conjunction with SMT to develop quality assurance systems that support performance against CAMHS KPIs and provide staff with feedback on their performance
- To establish and maintain effective working relationships and new working arrangements with colleagues, children and young people, parents and other key stakeholders including across Islington Childrens Social Care and Education
- To support and contribute to the Joint Multi-Agency Panel (JMAP) and to the JMAP processes in CAMHS, as required
- To work with SMT and local senior staff in continuing a local care quality group that reflects the service line key objectives
- To ensure that staff engage in regular meetings, training and team building with the goal of promoting a working environment that is open, honest, supportive and outward-looking
- To monitor the use of care pathways and care packages
- People Management
- To offer line management, operational and clinical supervision to CAMHS clinicians as required
- To ensure the effective use of human resources ensuring safe levels of staffing which reflect the necessary and appropriate skill mix
- To ensure that all staff are in receipt of regular appraisal and professional development support, liaising with Professional Leads and training departments as appropriate
- To monitor sickness absence, annual leave, training and study leave, taking any appropriate management action as required
- To ensure all staff are trained and participate in regular audit
- To ensure all staff are pro-active in contributing to team and service training initiatives
- To ensure that all staff are trained to understand and make optimum use of electronic systems that facilitate service delivery
- Resource Management
- To manage the delegated budget within the service ensuring that the team works effectively within the allocated financial framework and to regularly meet with the Operational Lead to review budgets
- To identify any potential areas/events/situations that may have an adverse impact on financial expenditure for the service. This will include taking appropriate action to eliminate or minimise such adverse impact and informing the Operational Lead at the earliest opportunity
- To act as a signatory with respect to staff claims, petty cash and the purchase of basic equipment and materials
- Performance Management
- To provide and/or contribute to the production of reports, information and proposals that support effective delivery of care and an integrated approach to work with colleagues at local level or through external agencies
- To take responsibility, under the direction of the SMT, to achieve excellent performance for all relevant performance targets
- To provide regular feedback on the progress/activity of the team to the Operational Lead and the SMT
- To be responsible for monitoring the collection of KPI information i.e. urgent referrals, attendance at CPA meetings
- Clinical
- To provide immediate advice and direction to all members of CAMHS and others in relation to mental health risk
- To undertake risk assessment and risk management for individual children and young people and to provide advice to other professions and agencies on risk assessment and risk management
- Provide assessments of children and young people referred to the team based upon the appropriate use, interpretation and integration of complex data from a variety of sources
- Formulate and implement plans for the formal treatment and/or management of the child/young persons problems, based upon an appropriate conceptual framework, and employing methods based upon evidence of efficacy, across the full range of care settings
- Be responsible for implementing a range of therapeutic interventions for individuals, carers, families and groups. These will include long and short term interventions as appropriate to need
- Evaluate and make decisions about treatment options taking into account both theoretical and therapeutic models and highly complex factors concerning historical and developmental processes that have shaped the individual, family or group
- To exercise autonomous professional responsibility for the assessment, treatment and discharge of children and young people whose problems are managed by psychologically based standard care plans
- Provide specialist expertise, advice, guidance and consultation to other professionals contributing directly to children and young people formulation, diagnosis and treatment plan
- Contribute directly and indirectly to a framework of understanding and care to the benefit of all children and young people of the service, across all settings and agencies serving children and young people with learning disabilities, neurodiversity and mental health problems/challenging behaviour
- Act as care coordinator, where appropriate, taking responsibility for initiating planning and review of CAMHS care plans including children and young people, their carers, referring agents and others involved the network of care
- Communicate in a skilled and sensitive manner, information concerning the assessment, formulation and treatment plans of children and young people under their care and to monitor progress during the course of both uni and multi-disciplinary care
- Self-Management
- To ensure that as a member of CAMHS you are fully aware of current developments, legislation and practice in the care of children and young people with mental health problems
- To attend regular management/professional supervision. Through supervision and appraisal, acknowledge own limitations and discuss/identify/access training as appropriate. Be aware of and reflect on own practice as a manager/clinician
- To be aware of and adhere to all Trust polices, acting as a role model to other staff. Manage time effectively. Continue to meet professional standards of practice and relevant professional legislation
- To undertake other Team Management duties as required by the Operational Lead or SMT
Person Specification
Education / Qualifications
Essential
- Degree level training a relevant clinical discipline (e.g. MH nursing, Clinical Psychology, Family and Systemic Psychotherapy, Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy)
- HPC or other relevant professional registration
Desirable
- Additional training/qualifications in relevant CAMHS assessment and treatment approaches
- Management qualification
- Training qualification
Skills & Abilities
Essential
- Able to confidently and competently undertake generic and crisis CAMHS assessment
- Understands developmental and neurodevelopmental issues for children and able to adapt assessment and interventions accordingly
- Highly skilled in the assessment of MH risk/safeguarding and the communication of risk to service users and professionals
- Understands individual and service safeguarding responsibilities, policy and procedure
- Ability and skills in promoting equality, diversity, inclusion and equity in the service and work with clients; understands the importance of assessment and clinical intervention that explores and considers individual cultural and social identity and associated support needs.
- Demonstrates excellent written and verbal communication skills
- Able to foster strong therapeutic alliances
- Understanding of and commitment to the use of outcome measures with cyp and carers/families
- Understanding of and commitment to service user involvement, patient led care and choice
- Understands the need for and has experience of undertaking family and parenting work as part of CAMHS support
- Understands the importance of assessment that explores and considers individual cultural identity and associated support needs.
- Experience of providing consultation and liaison support to colleagues, referral agencies and services responsible for the care, support and wellbeing of service users and their families/carers
- Able to promote self-management and recovery by working with service users and their families to understand their condition and identify and reinforce strengths, resources and coping skills
- Able to lead a multi-disciplinary team, actively engaging in peer support, training and skills development
- Able to build strong partnerships with external agencies and develop effective joint planning and support arrangements
- Able to confidently and safely plan for and manage change and transition
- Actively uses supervision and opportunities for development of skills
- Demonstrates strong leadership skills and qualities and ability to support others through periods of change
- Able to use data to identify strengths and poor performance and effectively promote services and service improvement
- Ability to form strong alliances and working relationships with social care, education, criminal justice and voluntary and community sector support services
- Ability to bridge the gap between crisis and core CAMHS services and support streamlined step up/step down support for children, young people and their families
- Able to use Word and Excel to write reports and analyse and present basic data
- Competent in the use of clinical recording systems such as RiO
- Understands the process for keeping safe, secure and relevant clinical records
- Able to use email to support effective communication in line with Trust policy
Knowledge & Experience
Essential
- 3-5 years post qualifying experience of working within a multidisciplinary CAMHS team
- Experience of operationally managing a large multidisciplinary team
Desirable
- Experience of managing and supervising others in a clinical and performance management context including appraisal
Personal Qualities
Essential
- Able to build constructive relationships with warmth and empathy, using good communication skills
- Treats service users with respect and dignity at all times
- Enthusiastic, flexible and confident approach to working
- Able to prioritise own workload
- Willingness and ability to learn new skills and adapt to change
- Honesty, enthusiasm and a sense of loyalty
- Conducts self in a professional, courteous manner at all times and able to maintain professionalism in an often emotionally challenging environment
Person Specification
Education / Qualifications
Essential
- Degree level training a relevant clinical discipline (e.g. MH nursing, Clinical Psychology, Family and Systemic Psychotherapy, Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy)
- HPC or other relevant professional registration
Desirable
- Additional training/qualifications in relevant CAMHS assessment and treatment approaches
- Management qualification
- Training qualification
Skills & Abilities
Essential
- Able to confidently and competently undertake generic and crisis CAMHS assessment
- Understands developmental and neurodevelopmental issues for children and able to adapt assessment and interventions accordingly
- Highly skilled in the assessment of MH risk/safeguarding and the communication of risk to service users and professionals
- Understands individual and service safeguarding responsibilities, policy and procedure
- Ability and skills in promoting equality, diversity, inclusion and equity in the service and work with clients; understands the importance of assessment and clinical intervention that explores and considers individual cultural and social identity and associated support needs.
- Demonstrates excellent written and verbal communication skills
- Able to foster strong therapeutic alliances
- Understanding of and commitment to the use of outcome measures with cyp and carers/families
- Understanding of and commitment to service user involvement, patient led care and choice
- Understands the need for and has experience of undertaking family and parenting work as part of CAMHS support
- Understands the importance of assessment that explores and considers individual cultural identity and associated support needs.
- Experience of providing consultation and liaison support to colleagues, referral agencies and services responsible for the care, support and wellbeing of service users and their families/carers
- Able to promote self-management and recovery by working with service users and their families to understand their condition and identify and reinforce strengths, resources and coping skills
- Able to lead a multi-disciplinary team, actively engaging in peer support, training and skills development
- Able to build strong partnerships with external agencies and develop effective joint planning and support arrangements
- Able to confidently and safely plan for and manage change and transition
- Actively uses supervision and opportunities for development of skills
- Demonstrates strong leadership skills and qualities and ability to support others through periods of change
- Able to use data to identify strengths and poor performance and effectively promote services and service improvement
- Ability to form strong alliances and working relationships with social care, education, criminal justice and voluntary and community sector support services
- Ability to bridge the gap between crisis and core CAMHS services and support streamlined step up/step down support for children, young people and their families
- Able to use Word and Excel to write reports and analyse and present basic data
- Competent in the use of clinical recording systems such as RiO
- Understands the process for keeping safe, secure and relevant clinical records
- Able to use email to support effective communication in line with Trust policy
Knowledge & Experience
Essential
- 3-5 years post qualifying experience of working within a multidisciplinary CAMHS team
- Experience of operationally managing a large multidisciplinary team
Desirable
- Experience of managing and supervising others in a clinical and performance management context including appraisal
Personal Qualities
Essential
- Able to build constructive relationships with warmth and empathy, using good communication skills
- Treats service users with respect and dignity at all times
- Enthusiastic, flexible and confident approach to working
- Able to prioritise own workload
- Willingness and ability to learn new skills and adapt to change
- Honesty, enthusiasm and a sense of loyalty
- Conducts self in a professional, courteous manner at all times and able to maintain professionalism in an often emotionally challenging environment
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
Additional information
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
