Children’s Senior Mental Health Practitioner

Job overview

Are you a compassionate and motivated healthcare professional, such as a nurse, social worker, or occupational therapist, fully registered with the relevant professional or regulatory body (e.g. HCPC, NMC) and committed to delivering high-quality care?

Do you want the opportunity to help shape innovative mental health services for children and young people across Kent and Medway?

We are recruiting a Band 6 Children’s Senior Mental Health Practitioner (known internally as a Multidisciplinary Pathway Worker) to join our Dartford Community Children and Young People’s Mental Health Service (CYPMHS). This is an exciting opportunity to become part of a diverse, supportive, and forward-thinking organisation dedicated to delivering high-quality, person-centred mental health care that promotes recovery, dignity, resilience, and independence.

You will manage a defined caseload under the supervision of a senior clinician. As a valued member of the multidisciplinary team, you will play an active role in the assessment, planning, delivery, and evaluation of care for children, young people, and their families. You will be expected to communicate clinical findings effectively, contribute to service development and quality improvement initiatives, and promote best practice, patient safety, and positive service user experiences at all times.

This role offers excellent opportunities for professional development, clinical supervision, and career progression within a supportive team environment.

Main duties of the job

• To routinely measure clinical outcomes and deliver evidence-based clinical interventions, both in-line with the CYP-IAPT programme within the service within CYPMHS.
• You will be responsible for delivering clinical interventions within individual care pathways within CYPMHS locality teams/crisis teams or SPA, receiving clinical supervision from the Care Pathway Lead or a senior psychological practitioner within CYPMHS or from the crisis team lead or SPA team manager.
• Promoting the mental and emotional health of children, young people, and families in the community through clinical interventions in the care pathway/crisis team/SPA.
• To improve the knowledge and understanding of emotional and mental wellbeing services among school staff where appropriate.
• To undertake initial school based and community-based assessments and to deliver a range of early interventions to children and young people with a range of emotional and psychological difficulties where appropriate.
• To prevent more serious mental health problems in children and young people by early identification of the development of mental health problems in children and young people.
• Providing a direct service to children and young people and their families, in an accessible and less stigmatising environment, based on the best available research evidence, within clinical governance.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

What is High Cost Area Allowance?

The High-Cost Area (HCA) allowance, also referred to as London Weighting, is a payment made to employees who work in London and the surrounding areas.

As this post is based in Dartford, Gravesham or Swanley, the successful applicant will receive an additional payment each month.

• 5% of basic salary, subject to a minimum payment of £1,346 per year and a maximum payment of £2,270 per year (the agreed annual amount will be divided into 12 equal amounts and paid monthly) (2026/27 figures)

Please refer to the attached job description for full details and main responsibilities of the role.