SHSCT CAMHS-ID Senior Practitioner Band 7

Job details

• Branch: St Luke's Hospital site, Armagh (SHSCT)
• Location: St Luke's Hosp-Longstone-Cedarwood
• Directorate: Children & Young People's Services
• Salary: Band 7 (£47,810 - £54,710)
• Contract Type: Permanent
• Opening Date: 01/09/26
• Closes: Tue, 15 September 2026 @ 4:00 PM
• Interview Dates: TBC

Notes

If you are submitting a manual application, please post it to: Recruitment Shared Services, Rosewood Villa, Longstone Hospital Site, 73 Loughgall Road, Armagh, BT61 7PR. Applications received after the advertised closing date/time cannot be considered, so please allow enough time for postage. “A waiting list may be created for similar posts that may arise while the waiting list is live, this may include temporary or part-time posts. This will be managed in line with the updated HSC waiting list principles effective from 1 April 2026”. Where a part-time waiting list is required, one part-time waiting list will be created- regardless of any specific hours advertised, this waiting list will cover all future vacancies where part-time posts arise. A part-time post is defined as any post that has less than 37.5 hours per week.” Please remember to save or print a copy of the job description before submitting your application, as it will not be accessible afterwards. Flexible Working We welcome flexible working requests from day one. All HSC organisations offer a range of flexible working options. The options available for this post will depend on the requirements of the role. Find out more about flexible working options on our website.

Job description

The post holder will be part of an established CAMHS-ID team providing community-based specialist, multidisciplinary and therapeutic interventions for children and young people with an intellectual disability and co-morbid mental health problems or complex behavioural difficulties. The post-holder will have the opportunity to help shape and develop the service, with a particular focus on the development of the Step 4 aspect of this service.

This post is a senior practitioner within the service, predominately working as an autonomous clinician with children and young people with an intellectual disability presenting with a wide range of mental health problems and/or complex behavioural difficulties. The post holder will take lead responsibility for clinical work and case management, linking in with the multidisciplinary team and seeking consultation/supervision as necessary.

The service offers timely advice, assessment and interventions to children and young people and their families within a stepped care model. The post-holder will manage their own caseload with access to advice and supervision from senior clinicians. The post holder will also lead on the development of care-pathways between steps 3, 4 and 5 of the service. The service, and the post-holder, will work in multidisciplinary and collaborative ways to ensure the needs of service-users are comprehensively met.

The team combines the culture and approaches of CAMHS and intellectual disability services. The post holder will be expected to provide a lead in clinical practice within areas of special interest according to the needs of the service, for example behavioural assessment and interventions. Alongside formal training, this post-holder will have the opportunity to develop their clinical skills through shadowing, co-working and supervision arrangements. The majority of the work will be community-based, for example schools, short stay units, and children’s own homes, during both normal working hours and out-of-hours, with a specific focus on difficult-to-treat issues which require a more intensive level of intervention.

Main duties and responsibilities

• Provide initial and individualised assessment including emergency/crisis liaison, and develop and deliver appropriate treatment and therapeutic intervention programmes.
• To hold a caseload independently as part of the multidisciplinary team, working with children with intellectual disability and co-morbid mental health and behaviour problems.
• To undertake comprehensive and targeted assessments of the children and young people and families who present to the service, using biopsychosocial model and working with other disciplines / agencies and using information from a range of sources to understand the child’s needs holistically.
• On the basis of a comprehensive assessment, develop a therapeutic formulation and intervention plan with clear treatment goals (taking advice and direction from other team members as appropriate).
• Be highly skilled, competent and knowledgeable in sensitively and collaboratively engaging in therapeutic work with children / young people who have an intellectual disability and their families / the wider system (e.g. schools).
• To act as a source of advanced clinical knowledge and skills for junior staff.
• To act as the professional named case holder responsible for clients open to the service.
• Deliver evidence-based therapeutic interventions working towards clear treatment goals.
• Monitoring progress in a responsive and objective manner when working with young people and their families (e.g. outcome measures, review meetings); adapting the treatment plan and seeking further support and opinion as necessary.
• Lead, plan and deliver therapeutic groups, working alongside other team members.
• Take a lead in areas of CAMHS governance and management as delegated by the team manager, for example child protection, training and development.
• Have a comprehensive understanding of the complex social issues which impact on children and young people with intellectual disability and how these impact on their mental health.
• Have a comprehensive understanding of the developmental and physical health needs and challenges faced by young people with intellectual disability and how these contribute to behaviour problems.
• Organise and chair multidisciplinary and multiagency meetings and case discussions in order to ensure wider information sharing and care planning, e.g. treatment planning meetings, LAC reviews.
• Prioritise and manage a caseload appropriately under the direction and supervision of their Line Manager.
• Co-work cases with other team members as necessary, acting as key-worker or providing specific assessments / interventions to cases held primarily by other team members.
• Undertake mental health risk assessments in accordance with regional guidelines.
• Be flexible and adaptable in responding to service needs for children and young people; this will include crisis assessments, paediatric liaison, intensive-community intervention (both in hours, out of hours, evening / weekend and public holiday provision), generic clinical work, and referral co-ordination etc. in agreement with Line Manager.
• Provide supervision for team members as delegated by line manager.
• To act for the Team manager in his/her absence as required.
• To facilitate and be involved with the induction/mentorship of staff new to the Service.
• To offer training and act as a resource to other health professionals.
• To collect accurate data to facilitate audit and the measurement of quality.
• To take a leading role in audit and the setting and monitoring of standards to assure quality.
• Where appropriate, initiate and undertake research projects to improve standards of service and expand the knowledge base relevant to the field of CAMHS-ID.
• Provide treatment in a range of settings as determined by need, working collaboratively across specialist community CAMHS, as per the CAMHS Stepped Care Service Model.
• Utilise a range of theoretical perspectives in best understanding and responding to the emotional and mental health needs of children and young people with intellectual disability and their families (e.g. behavioural, systemic, etc.).
• Participate in devising and delivering therapeutic programmes to children and young people in accordance with NICE and other best practice guidelines, current legislation, emerging evidence / expert opinion and recommendations of professional bodies.
• Involve users / carers where appropriate in aspects of treatment programmes.
• Work in collaboration with other practitioners in providing the established services and in new developments. This will include multi agency working, providing advice and guidance to medical, nursing and social work staff in CAH/DHH on the management of children and young people who have been referred to CAMHS.
• To contribute to the developing ethos and culture of the team: providing the highest possible quality of care with compassion and a commitment to excellence.
• Contribute to governance, service evaluation and service improvement processes e.g. audit, outcomes measurement.
• Report response to treatment and other relevant clinical issues to the Line Manager and/or Clinical Supervisor.
• Engage in on-going evaluation of care plans and communicate according to Policies & Procedures and update others accordingly.
• Attend case planning meetings, case conferences, paediatric, psychiatric wards, or school based meetings as required.
• Provide advice and consultation to users and carers, and other professionals where appropriate.
• Facilitate the safe and seamless transition of care to other agencies where appropriate, including adult services.
• Assist and work with the CAMHS referral co-ordinators to ensure referrals are appropriately responded to and followed up, providing advice and sign-posting as necessary.
• Provide specialist advice, consultation and liaison to other professionals working with children and young people with intellectual disability e.g. teachers, paediatric colleagues.
• Be able to provide assessment and intervention in a range of settings on an out-of-hours basis depending on client need and service developments.

Person specification

Experience

• Essential: A minimum of four years’ postgraduate experience in health and social care setting with two or more years working therapeutically with children and young people with an intellectual disability.
• Essential: Post graduate qualification/training in an area related to clinical/therapeutic interventions for children and young people with an intellectual disability OR demonstrable competencies in delivering clinical / therapeutic interventions to children and young people with an intellectual disability whom are presenting with a mental illness and/or complex behavioural difficulties.
• Essential: Two years’ experience in the last four years of working therapeutically with children and young people with an intellectual disability and mental health difficulties in a clinical, educational or residential setting.

Qualifications/Registration

• Essential: Level 1 Registered Nurse (1, 3, 5, or 8; Adult, Mental Health, Learning Disabilities or Children’s) on the NMC Register; OR a professional social work qualification and registered on the appropriate part of the Northern Ireland Social Care Council (NISCC) register, without condition; OR Diploma of the College of Occupational Therapists or BSc. (Hons.) in Occupational Therapy and Eligibility for registration with the Health & Care Professions Council; OR hold a degree or qualification recognised by RCSLT and Registered membership of RCSLT and Health & Care Professions Council.

Other

• Essential: Full current driving licence with access to a car. Consideration will be given to alternative travelling proposals in respect of suitable disabled applicants who cannot hold a driving licence.

Skills / Abilities

• Essential: Excellent communications skills to meet all aspects of the post in full.
• Essential: Commitment to training and development relevant to CAMHS-ID.

Knowledge

• Essential: Knowledge of children and young people’s emotional and mental health needs with intellectual disabilities, and their families, in fully meeting all aspects of the post.