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Job summary
37.5 hours per week
An exciting opportunity has arisen for a new post within the CAMHS Infant Mental Health Pathway, working as part of a small team of dedicated, multi-disciplinary professionals, supporting infants and caregivers in their early relationships. The new role will enhance the existing 0-5 team by offering assessment and psychotherapy to young children aged 0-5 years and their caregivers, with the ability to work with rising 5s up until 7 yrs old and their caregivers if clinically appropriate. The post holder will offer consultation and supervision to other CAMHS Pathways to share their expertise. This post will enable therapy to continue with rising 5s who have been referred to the Infant Mental Health pathway but whose difficulties require ongoing longer-term psychotherapy.
The post holder will provide a high standard of service to infants, children and their families and to professionals from other organisations. The post holder will work autonomously and jointly within professional guidelines. The post holder will take an important role within Child & Adolescent Psychotherapy pathway within Plymouth CAMHS and take a part in the future development of this service. The post holder will ensure that the standard of the service is maintained at all times. The post-holder will develop knowledge and skills in teaching, training and provide consultation to CAMHS colleagues.
Main duties of the job
Our aim is to improve children and young peoples mental health through the effective delivery of Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) through provision of multi-disciplinary Infant and Community Mental Health Pathway for infants, children and young people aged 0-18 using the Anna Freud i-Thrive framework to inform delivery and providing safe, effective, cost efficient, timely and accessible services that are in accordance with national and local priorities and responsive to the needs and views of local children, young people and their families.
To hold an autonomous caseload of young children aged 0-5 years (or up to 7 years old if clinically appropriate) and their parents/carers who are experiencing highly complex mental health difficulties, providing treatment, assessment and consultation.
To provide supervision to Livewell Southwest staff (as appropriate).
Promote reflection and Clinical Supervision.
Post holder will currently be located at Tamar Folk Children's Centre, Plymouth but may be required to work in other areas of the service when needed and there will be some hybrid working.
This role may not be eligible for sponsorship under the Skilled Worker route.
Please note that Livewell may close the job advertisement earlier than the specified deadline if a high number of applications are submitted.
All staff are expected to be able and willing to work across a 7 day service.
About us
Livewell Southwest is an independent, award-winning social enterprise delivering integrated health and social care services across Plymouth, South Hams, and West Devon, with specialist services in parts of Devon and Cornwall. Our teams work in community hospitals, GP practices, sports centres, and health hubs.
As an organisation with a strong social conscience we are guided by our values, kindness, respect, inclusivity, ambition, responsibility, and collaboration. We focus on transforming services to ensure sustainability, while empowering staff and those we serve.
We involve the people we care for, along with their families and carers, in shaping the care they receive, striving to deliver the right care at the right time and place. Centering our work on individual needs helps people lead healthy, independent lives.
We prioritise employees' development, offering protected CPD time, training pathways, leadership programs, and funding for qualifications like the Care Certificate and Nurse Training Scholarships. Our induction and preceptorship programs ensure a smooth transition into our organisation.
Livewell Southwest values diversity and encourages applications from all sections of the community, including those with armed forces experience, lived experience of mental health, neuro-diverse conditions and learning disabilities. If you need assistance or reasonable adjustments during the application process, contact the Recruiting Manager listed in the job advert.
Details
- Date posted: 16 July 2026
- Pay scheme: Agenda for change
- Band: Band 8a
- Salary: £57,528 to £64,750 a year pa, pro-rata
- Contract: Permanent
- Working pattern: Full-time, Part-time, Job share, Flexible working
- Reference number: B9832-2026-SP-1148-3
- Job locations: Tamar Folk Children's Centre, Victoria Road Primary School, Plymouth, PL5 1RH, United Kingdom
Job responsibilities
To hold an autonomous caseload of young children aged 0-5 years (or up to 7 years old if clinically appropriate) and their parents/carers who are experiencing highly complex mental health difficulties, providing treatment, assessment and consultation.
To provide an efficient, effective, comprehensive and highly specialist child and adolescent psychoanalytic psychotherapy treatment service comprising assessment and treatment for young children and their parents/carers who may present with severe, highly complex or persistent mental health and relational difficulties.
To participate in regular review and ongoing discussion of cases in treatment with other members of the multi-disciplinary team and where appropriate, co-ordinate and organise network meetings with professional members of other agencies.
To be responsible for continually monitoring and evaluating risk to / from children and young people in own caseload and during supervision / consultation discussions. This may be due to Child Protection concerns; emotionally-led behavioural issues or other risk behaviour in their parents/carers
To provide highly specialist advice, guidance and consultation to professional colleagues within CAMHS.
To contribute directly and indirectly to a specialist psychoanalytically informed understanding and care to the benefit of all clients of the service, across all settings and agencies serving the client group, their parents / carers and families.
Participation in the provision of high quality evidence-based supervised assessment and treatment of service users with highly complex emotional and behavioural difficulties.
Assisting with the management of referrals to the child psychotherapy service, ensuring they are appropriately managed and in consultation with CAMHS team colleagues determining the most appropriate treatment for patients.
To provide supervision, as required by the Clinical Pathway Manager to the Child Psychotherapists in Training.
To work as an independent practitioner and have regular clinical professional supervision on their caseload in accordance with good practice guidelines as well as discussion of management of cases.
Work as a Child & Adolescent Psychotherapist within professional guidelines & overall framework of Service policies & procedures & in conjunction with a clinical supervisor(s) and line manager.
Work within an small multi-disciplinary team that offers a comprehensive range of intervention including parent & infant psychotherapy (individual & group) psychology, targeted interventions, assessments and groups within I-THRIVE framework.
To provide consultation with Plymouth CAMHS and external agencies where appropriate.
Be responsible for adhering to the administrative procedures within Livewell Southwest CAMHS, including keeping clear & up to date case notes.
Utilise research skills for audit, policy & service development.
Assist with teaching & training activities within CAMHS Psychotherapy pathway.
Clinical responsibility:
Be responsible for high quality evidence-based assessment and treatment to service users referred into the infant mental health pathway.
To participate in a team approach to working with highly complex emotional and behavioural difficulties. Manage emotional situations with sensitivity, skill and have an understanding of unconscious processes. Service users will include those with complex, severe and enduring mental health needs.
Manage organisation of a complex clinical case-load (including arranging weekly consultations in a weekly appointment system; (System1), WTE contacts 15 per week in line with targets agreed by your line manager.
Work flexibly and cooperatively, with colleagues within the infant mental health pathway and other pathways across CAMHS service .
Apply specialist knowledge and experience of mental health assessment and treatment, and of psychoanalytic models of psychotherapy, to formulate a treatment plan, consulting with relevant colleagues as appropriate.
Communicate with service users about outcome of assessment, treatment recommendations and informed discussion of options.
Assess and manage clinical risk within appropriately defined frameworks. Recognise need for additional mental health team input where appropriate. Undertake risk assessment and management with service users in line with principles of child psychoanalytic psychotherapy and in conjunction with a clinical supervisor.
Engage and communicate with service users and carers sensitively and clearly over sustained periods of time. Understand, contain and manage severe difficulties with communication, including unconscious factors, and high levels of emotional disturbance and arousal.
Engage and communicate with service users across a wide range of social, language and cultural barriers. Engage and communicate with interpreters and advocates for service users about the specific needs of users of specialist psychotherapy services.
Receive and utilise regular clinical supervision of work in accordance with good practice guidelines.
Maintain relevant and up-to-date clinical records. Ensure that the outcome of assessment and treatment is communicated appropriately to referring and other agencies. Execute such responsibility with sensitivity to, and understanding of, issues concerning confidentiality and risk assessment/management.
Be responsible for developing and maintaining knowledge of local resources and developing effective working relationships with relevant statutory and non-statutory services and organisations.
Please see JD attached for more detail
Person specification
Experience
Essential
- Clinical experience as a Child Psychotherapist within CAMHS and infant mental health.
- Extensive knowledge of normal and abnormal child development and other relevant theories, practices, and research in the field of child and adolescent development
- Substantial experience in working in multi-disciplinary, multi-agency context
- Knowledge of Child Protection legislation
- Knowledge of research methodology
- Experience of recent research and audit
- Knowledge about risk assessment and how to support all staff members in assessing and managing risk.
- Knowledge of the range of specific clinical and therapeutic skills relevant to working with children and young people aged 0-19 and their families.
- Recognised postgraduate level training in Child & Adolescent Psychotherapy conferring eligibility for full membership of the Association of Child Psychotherapists.
- Evidence of relevant continuing professional development.
Desirable
- Experience of working within a multicultural framework
- Work with non-communicating children
- Keyboard / IT skills
- Experience of working with partner agencies
- Experience of working across the age range
Circumstances
Essential
- Ability to frequently travel independently and in a timely manner between Livewell Southwest sites and community locations including areas not served by public transport.
- Able to work evenings up to 8 pm and weekends if required.
- Ability to work flexibly (hours of work and duties) both as an individual and with other colleagues in Livewell and with partner agencies.
- Able to undertake the demands of the post with reasonable adjustments where required.
Understanding
Essential
- An understanding of the system of health, social care, education and third sector for children and families.
- Understanding which supports the implementation of quality and patient safety, health and safety legislation, local and national policy around safeguarding children and vulnerable adults.
- Understanding of performance management and the role this can play in the delivery of excellent and effective services.
- Mental Health assessment skills
- Well established case management skills
Desirable
- Knowledge of the key strategies and policies affecting childrens mental health services and how that is located into a wider strategic picture of child health and well-being.
Qualifications
Essential
- Recognised Qualification in Child/Adolescent Psychotherapy (equivalent to Doctorate Level Degree)
- Eligibility for membership of the Association of Child Psychotherapists
- Evidence of current CPD as recommended by professional body
- Please see attached person specification.
Desirable
- Breakaway/
- Management of aggression training
Aptitude and Ability
Essential
- Able to maintain appropriate professional boundaries.
- Ability to communicate clearly and effectively with patients, families and staff, about highly complex and sensitive matters in situations of potential conflict or psychological/emotional pain, and where mental health problems affect relationships
- Ability to express complex and multi-layered concepts in clear and appropriate ways across a range of contexts and where there may be considerable resistance, through reports, publication or public presentation.
- Ability to contain and work with emotional distress both within the patients, their careers and within organisations, and to hold the stress of others
- Capacity to reflect and contain intense feelings that are evoked in oneself by exposure to highly distressing emotional material.
- Ability to remain still and maintain intense concentration over long periods of time, in clinical settings where there may be high levels of distress, verbal or physical aggression or chaotic activity.
- Ability to work in a highly collaborative way with colleagues.
- Ability to work within a multi-disciplinary team with a varying theoretical perspective.
- Well-developed communication skills both oral and written.
- Able to reason, including the ability to analyse, interpret, evaluate, and draw assumptions from data and information. Able to utilise complex information to identify solutions.
- Able to analyse and find solutions to operational issues, providing solutions and motivating people to solving problems.
- Ability to communicate effectively (including sensitive information) verbally, adjusting language, style, and content as appropriate to the audience.
- Sensitive to the needs of others and can deal with conflict and issues of poor performance in an effective and non-confrontational manner.
- Has a strong degree of personal integrity and is able to reflect upon own actions and make changes where necessary.
- Self-motivating and able to work on own initiative.
Desirable
- Able to maintain appropriate professional boundaries.
- Ability to communicate clearly and effectively with patients, families and staff, about highly complex and sensitive matters in situations of potential conflict or psychological/emotional pain, and where mental health problems affect relationships.
- Ability to express complex and multi-layered concepts in clear and appropriate ways across a range of contexts and where there may be considerable resistance, through reports, publication or public presentation.
- Ability to contain and work with emotional distress both within the patients, their carers and within organisations, and to hold the stress of others.
- Capacity to reflect and contain intense feelings that are evoked in oneself by exposure to highly distressing emotional material.
- Ability to remain still and maintain intense concentration over long periods of time, in clinical settings where there may be high levels of distress, verbal or physical aggression or chaotic activity.
- Ability to work in a highly collaborative way with colleagues.
- Ability to work within a multi-disciplinary team with a varying theoretical perspectives.
- Well-developed communication skills both oral and written.
- Able to reason, including the ability to analyse, interpret, evaluate and draw assumptions from data and information. Able to utilise complex information to identify solutions.
- Able to analyse and find solutions to operational issues, providing solutions and motivating people to solving problems.
- Ability to communicate effectively (including sensitive information) verbally, adjusting language, style and content as appropriate to the audience.
- Sensitive to the needs of others and is able to deal with conflict and issues of poor performance in an effective and non-confrontational manner.
- Has a strong degree of personal integrity and is able to reflect upon own actions and make changes where necessary.
- Self-motivating and able to work on own initiative.
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Applying for this NHS job
This advert is for CAMHS Infant Mental Health Psychotherapist with Livewell Southwest in Plymouth, South West, England. It is listed as a Band 8 Psychologist role. The advertised salary is £57,528 to £64,750 a year. The contract type is Permanent. The application deadline is 30 Jul 2026.
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