Senior CAMHS Practitioner- CAMHS Intensive Support Team

Job summary

The CAMHS Intensive Support Team (IST) across Bedfordshire and Luton have opportunities for experienced Mental Health professionals to join our developing team as a CAMHS Senior IST Practitioner.

We are looking for experienced Mental Health professionals, including Learning Disability / Mental Health Nurses, Social Workers, Music, Art, Drama or Creative Therapists, who are committed to providing excellent care for young people and their families.

The post holders will have;

• A desire to be innovative and creative in meeting the needs of children, young people and families at a point of crisis
• The ability to work within a team and forge good working relationships with multi-disciplinary and multi-agency colleagues
• Experience of undertaking effective risk assessment, risk management and collaborative working with young people and families
• Experience of working in a mental health setting with leadership, management and supervisory responsibilities.
• Experience of working with young people with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and Learning Disabilities.
• Great communication skills with young people and with colleagues from different sectors.

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 on our healthcare settings.

Main duties of the job

The Intensive Support Team (IST) works alongside the CAMHS Crisis Team, an integrated multi agency service offering treatment to young people and families with complex and significant mental health presentations. We provide short to medium term high intensity intervention with the aim of preventing hospital admission and work with local partners and CAMHS teams Bedfordshire and Luton.

The work will range from Mental State assessments to multi-agency work including therapeutic work, consultation, peer supervision, joint work and participation in team meetings. You will be committed to delivering high quality care through evidence based practice and in return we will demonstrate our commitment to your development through strong supervision and CPD opportunities. We value the importance of cohesive multi-disciplinary working and welcome applicants from all disciplines interested in the role.

This is an exciting post which will appeal to colleagues committed to improving the mental health of children and young people. The successful candidate will be enthusiastic and highly motivated with excellent communication skills and experience of working within Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services.

About us

PLEASE NOTE THAT THE EMPLOYER FOR THIS POST IS EAST LONDON NHS TRUST (ELFT). ONCE THE POST CLOSES YOUR APPLICATION WILL AUTOMATICALLY BE TRANSFERRED TO ELFT TO BE ASSESSED.

From January 2020 until June 2021 Bedfordshire CAMHS completed a successful pilot, in collaboration with Central Bedfordshire Children's Services, called the Intensive Support Team. This was part of the transforming care programme, working assertively to keep young people with learning disabilities and/or Autism closer to home without the need for inpatient units and / or from becoming a Looked After Child.

Following the successful pilot, funding has now been secured to set up a substantive IST across the ICS in Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes (BLMK). We are excited to be expanding our service and are looking for 6 experienced full time Band 7, permanent clinicians to work with young people in the community in creative and innovative ways.

Feedback received from the IST Pilot:

'I just wanted to say thank you for all your help with child A. I would not have been able to understand the plan properly without your help' (Early help worker)

Thank you, you really are a star for us!' (parent of a child)

*** is an absolute diamond! She just seems to call at the right time' (parent of a child)

Thank u. your text means a lot to me. Sometimes its hard as no one else knows... like u guys. (Text from parent of a child)