Cheswold Park Hospital
CAMHS Senior Liaison Practitioner
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Job Summary
We're looking for an experienced Senior Liaison Practitioner who enjoys working in a fast-paced environment, can make sound clinical decisions under pressure and wants to play a key role in supporting children and young people presenting in a mental health crisis.
This role is within the CAMHS Crisis Team and is mainly based within the general acute ward at Pinderfields General Hospital. The role would aim to support children and young people who present to Accident and Emergency (A&E) and paediatric wards and require mental health assessment and support.
You require extensive experience working with children and young people in a mental health setting. The job role requires direct clinical work with children and young people who are presenting in a crisis and/or acutely unwell. You would be required to liaise with other agencies involved in the young person's care to ensure the best outcome possible and work within least restrictive practice.
You would support the acute ward to risk assess, safety plan and care plan to manage risk whilst admitted to the ward and navigate the best outcome for the child/young person.
You require a professional registration to apply for this role and the teamwork between 8am-8pm, 365 days of the year.
Main duties of the job
The role of the Liaison Practitioner would be to also offer supervision, training and advice to the acute hospital with your expertise and knowledge of children and young people's mental health. The team also ensure hospital admission is avoided where possible and you would be able to offer intense support in the community as an alternative to hospital, where safe to do so.
- Direct clinical assessment and brief intervention to children and young people who are currently on a general hospital ward usually waiting assessment or a mental health inpatient bed/safe discharge
- Facilitate and support a safe discharge where possible to ensure working within least restrictive practice guidelines
- Work collaboratively with external services/agencies to ensure smooth handover and communication
- Attend escalation meetings to ensure the child/young person has the right support in place and that the young person is placed in the right setting for their presentation
- Daily mental health reviews when there are young people on the paediatric wards with mental health presentations
- Offering clinical supervision and training to the staff on the acute wards
- Working in the community to prevent admission to hospital where possible, with increased intervention/support via home visits
- Advising the acute wards in relation to risk assessment and care planning to keep children and young people safe whilst admitted to their hospital
About Us
We are a specialist NHS Foundation Trust that provides community, mental health and learning disability services for the people of Barnsley, Calderdale, Kirklees and Wakefield. We also provide low and medium secure services and are the lead for the west Yorkshire secure provider collaborative.
Our mission is to help people reach their potential and live well in their communities, we do this by providing high-quality care in the right place at the right time. We employ staff in both clinical and non-clinical services who work hard to make a difference to the lives of service users, families and carers.
We encourage and welcome applications from all protected characteristic groups, we value diversity and want our workforce to be reflective of our communities.
Being a foundation Trust means we're accountable to our members, who can have a say in how we're run. Around 14,300 local people (including staff) are members of our Trust.
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Join us and you will be one of over 4,500 staff committed to supporting and improving the mental, physical and social needs of the thousands of people we meet and help each year.
We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all colleagues and volunteers to share this commitment.
We do reserve to right to close vacancy before the advertised closing date if necessary, so please apply as soon as possible.
Details
Date posted
07 July 2026
Pay scheme
Agenda for change
Band
Band 7
Salary
£49,387 to £56,515 a year
Contract
Permanent
Working pattern
Full-time, Flexible working
Reference number
C9378-W1517
Job locations
Block 9 Fieldhead Hospital
Wakefield
WF13SP
United Kingdom
Job Description
Job responsibilities
JOB SUMMARY
This job description is an outline of the main duties of the post. The post-holder will be required to undertake other duties commensurate with the grade as directed.
The content of this post will be reviewed in consultation with the post-holder when necessary and in line with the service developments.
To provide highly specialist skills and expertise, facilitating interventions of the highest quality in the field of mental health, including emergency assessments and intensive interventions with children, young people and their families.
To work autonomously and collaboratively within the MDT, providing consultation and teaching for other agencies/professionals.
To provider supervision and teaching to all other disciplines within CAMHS and to deputise as agreed for the team leader.
To promote safeguarding and the welfare of children and young people
KEY RESULT AREAS:
CLINICAL
- To work autonomously within professional guidelines and exercise responsibility in accordance with the Trust Policies and procedures
- The post-holder will have highly developed skills in assessing the needs of children and their carers based on the analysis of highly complex facts and situations. Interventions will be planned based on the assessment information and interpretation of this. The clinical assessment will include gathering appropriate historical information from the child and family, allied to clinical observation of family relationships and mental state of the child and other family members, and obtaining relevant information from other agencies. Offering highly specialist expertise in child and adolescent mental health, ensuring clear documentation in all appropriate case notes and sharing assessments and information with the family and all relevant professionals.
- To undertake highly specialist initial assessments of young people following acts of serious self-harm and attempted suicide in line with evidence based practice.
- To undertake highly specialised risk assessments following referral for presentations requiring urgent mental health or psychiatric assessment and plan relevant interventions.
- To implement intensive interventions with young people and their families, as relevant to the post-holders main clinical role, i.e. group and individual work, systemic family interventions. This will include analysis, interpretation and evaluation to reformulate plans of care.
- The post-holder will provide therapeutic care to emotionally demanding clients in highly emotive situations.
- The post-holder will develop and maintain therapeutic relationships with children and carers. This will include cases of high complexity which require more specialised levels of assessment and therapeutic skills.
- As part of multi-disciplinary team, the Senior Mental Health Practitioner will deliver and devise complex packages of care. Provide individual and family review/follow-up sessions to children, young people or their carers.
- To take a lead role in setting guidelines and standards that will ensure all young persons identified with complex problems are discharged from Specialist CAMHS with an appropriate package of care from universal services.
- The post-holder will have skills to communicate highly complex information regarding personal psycho-social problems in an empathic and supportive way using the highest level of interpersonal skills in situations which can be highly emotional and sometimes antagonistic. Service users and families may have difficulty or be reluctant to understand what is communicated to them.
- Communicate complex, sensitive or contentious information utilising highly developed interpersonal skills. Take into account issues of confidentiality and the consent of Adults and Young People. Considering and assessing a child's maturity to consent.
- To work with children, young people (0-18) and their families, liaising with external agencies, e.g. Education, Social Services and Paediatric Services. Presenting problems are frequently complex and require that sophisticated packages of care are negotiated and delivered. To actively promote user/carer involvement in all aspects of care planning/delivery whilst respecting the rights, capabilities and wishes of the individuals concerned.
- To apply a sound knowledge of safeguarding children and guidelines in clinical work.
- To deputise for the team leader in his/her absence.
- Apply Trust policies and procedures in instances of aggression, acute distress and disturbed mental health presentations.
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All employees of the Trust are strongly encouraged to have their up-to-date flu vaccination to protect staff and patients.
At the time of advertising, this role does meet the minimum requirements set by UK Visas and Immigration to sponsor candidates to work in the UK. We look forward to receiving your application.
For Full Job Description, Please See Attached Supporting Documents.
We are aware that an increasing number of applicants are using AI technology to generate responses on NHS Job application forms. Over reliance on AI-generated content in application forms is strongly discouraged and we will conduct a thorough screening process before selecting candidates to progress to the next stage. If you are using AI to enhance your application, please disclose this in your NHS Jobs application form.
For Full Job Description, Please See Attached Supporting Documents.
We are aware that an increasing number of applicants are using AI technology to generate responses on NHS Job application forms. Over reliance on AI-generated content in application forms is strongly discouraged and we will conduct a thorough screening process before selecting candidates to progress to the next stage. If you are using AI to enhance your application, please disclose this in your NHS Jobs application form.
Person Specification
Experience
Essential
- Experience of delivering training to others
- Extensive experience in identified portfolio requirements
- Substantial post qualification experience, some of which must be working with Children, young people and their carers in a mental health or other complex care setting
- Experience of working in different cultural contexts
- Knowledge and experience of working with Equality and Diversity.
- Multidisciplinary team
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