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

Essex SET CAMHS has an exciting opportunity for a qualified professional to step into an established role within a diverse, friendly and experienced team covering the locality of Basildon and Brentwood.

Working as the Senior Practitioner in the SET CAMHS in Basildon and Brentwood you would have a high standard of knowledge and experience of working with young people in CAMH services who are experiencing a range of mental health presentations. We are looking for a dynamic individual who is passionate about helping young people and their families and values multi-disciplinary working in their practice.

NELFT’s SET CAMHS is for anybody aged between 0-18, living in the Southend, Essex and Thurrock areas and is free at the point of entry. The service is also for young people with special educational needs (SEN) up to the age of 25.

This recruitment drive comes following a recently completed consultation and redesign process, moving this well-established team to the I-Thrive model of delivery. We are excited to be delivering a new therapeutic model informed by collaborative formulations which offer the opportunity for 
both targeted and longer-term interventions.

Main duties of the job

The team has an established clinic based in Basildon, and makes use of agile working to provide support and interventions across the Basildon and Brentwood area.

The role of senior practitioner is to support the development and implementation of a range of groups and 1-1 therapies within the i-Thrive Model and as indicated by the SET CAMHS and NICE guidance. You would ideally have experience of supervising and managing others, although support and training can be given for this to the right candidate. You would also have a keen interest in developing innovative strategies to support young people and their families.

Children and young people who are referred to CAMHS have a range of presentations which would include: early presentation of psychosis, self-harm and suicidal ideation, other trauma related emotional difficulties, low mood, anxiety, obsessional compulsive disorders and other mild to 
moderate mental health difficulties. For those with additional neurodevelopmental needs, interventions for their co-morbid mental health issues are provided within the neurodevelopmental pathway.

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).

Higher Cost Area Supplement - Fringe

This post also attracts payment for High Cost Area Supplement of 5% of the basic salary (minimum payment of £1,258 and a maximum payment of £2,122 per annum pro rata).

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Due to the hard to recruit nature of this post, it has been identified by NELFT as being eligible for a welcome payment subject to the terms set out within the NELFT Recruitment Policy. This post also attracts a one off payment equivalent to 10% of annual basic salary. This would be payable as 50% of the incentive as a lump sum at end of the probationary period (Typically six months) and then the other 50% of the incentive as a lump sum at the end of year two.

Please refer to the attached job description and person specification when completing your application.

As an inclusive and supportive team applications are welcomed by professionals from a wide range of disciplines and backgrounds, including: mental health nurses, counselling psychologists, clinical psychologists, social workers, art psychotherapists, drama therapists, occupational therapist and other suitably qualified professional staff that meet the person specification and who are currently registered with an appropriate professional body. 

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.

Use of AI

Applications for this role should be written by the applicant. If artificial intelligence (AI) programmes are used then the application may be rejected due to this document being an important part of the assessment process. This does not prevent applicants seeking appropriate support with applications should they need to for the purposes of any declared disability.

Person specification

Qualification

Essential criteria

Successful completion of a post-graduate training in psychological practice ( psychologist, family therapist, child and adolescent psychotherapist) or graduate training ( nursing, social work, occupational therapy) To be eligible for registration as a full member of the appropriate professional body ( HCPC, NMC)

Experience

Essential criteria

Experience of working with difficult, disturbed or challenging children/young people requiring skilled and complex interventions. Experience of providing mental health interventions to children and young people with neurodevelopmental disorders.

Desirable criteria

Experience of providing specialist individual interventions with a wide variety of children and young people, from 3 to 19 years old- presenting problems at the most severe end of the spectrum Experience of managing teams

Assessment Method

Essential criteria

Method

Desirable criteria

2024

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:

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. 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. 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. 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.