Job summary
- Main area
- Children & Adolescent Services
- Grade
- Band 7
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Full time - 37.5 hours per week
- Job ref
- 222-LS-CAMHS-742
- Employer
- West London NHS Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Lakeside mental Health Unit
- Town
- London
- Salary
- £53,751 - £60,651 per annum inclusive
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 26/11/2025 17:00
Employer heading
Family Therapist
Band 7
West London NHS Trust provides a full range of mental health, community and physical healthcare services for children, adults and older people living in the London boroughs of Ealing, Hammersmith & Fulham and Hounslow.
We also provide some specialist services that are commissioned regionally, such as our medium secure services; and nationally, such as the Cassel Hospital for people with complex and severe personality disorder and our high secure services at Broadmoor Hospital.
Job overview
An exciting opportunity has arisen for Family Therapists with experience of working with young people and their families to work in Tri-borough CAMHS. This is a full-time Band 7 permanent post in the CAMHS Alliance service. We would be delighted to hear from Family Therapists who have experience working in CAMHS and are interested in this role. Candidates who have Crisis and/or Home Treatment experience will be prioritised for this role.
The successful applicant will have the opportunity to work alongside other family therapists in a family therapy clinic in addition to holding an individual caseload. You will receive regular clinical, professional and management supervision from a Highly Specialist Systemic & Family Psychotherapist. We offer a range of in house and external training opportunities e.g. Narrative therapy; NVR; CYP-IAPT. West London CAMHS has good relationships with local family therapy training providers and we offer specialist placements to trainees.
As a systemic & family psychotherapist within West London CAMHS you will be offered good opportunities for continuing professional development and you will be supported in your career progression.
Main duties of the job
The Alliance Crisis Team serves 3 key pathways:
• Acute Trust and out of hours’ service
• Intensive community support/ Home Treatment service & Post A&E Review
• Intensive community support/Home Treatment + service with Tier 3 CAMHs interface and Tier 4 diversion/Tier 4 step down
The post holders will work as part of a multi-disciplinary team, holding a clinical caseload and undertaking the comprehensive assessment of children and young people with mental health needs (including risk assessment and the development of risk management plans) who present in crisis to CAMH Services, hospitals and sites covered by the Alliance Crisis Care.
In addition to providing direct work to families and young people, the post holders will also assist the CAMHS and/or paediatrics team with treatment planning and provide consultation to families/carers and other professionals involved in the life of the young person.
The post holder will participate in delivering the provision of specialist mental health services to children and young people and their families and carers across the West London NHS Trust 3 Boroughs CAMH Service and crisis pathway.
Working for our organisation
West London NHS Trust is one of the most diverse healthcare providers in the UK, delivering a range of mental health and physical healthcare and community services. The Trust runs Broadmoor Hospital, one of three high secure hospitals in the country, with an international reputation.
Our high secure services care for patients from South of England and we provide low and medium secure services across eight London boroughs. The Trust also provides mental and physical healthcare in three London boroughs (Ealing, Hounslow and Hammersmith & Fulham). We employ 4,500 staff, of whom 56% are BME. Our turnover for 2023-24 is £426m.
The Trust is rated as ‘Good’ overall by the Care Quality Commission. Forensic services are rated as ‘Outstanding’.
The Trust is an established partner and contributor in the development of the evolving North West London Integrated Care System and the Integrated Care Board. The Trust leads the NW London Children and Adolescent Mental Health provider collaborative.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
The Candidate Pack provides an overview of the key tasks and responsibilities of the role, and the person specification outlines the qualifications, skills, experience and knowledge required. Please view as attached.
The person specification below is not the full person specification, but outlines the criteria against which your application form will be assessed.
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
- Post-graduate training in systemic family therapists as accredited by IFT or AFT.
- Professional registration with the United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP)
- Previous qualification in a relevant profession such as social work, nursing, teaching, psychology or counselling.
Desirable criteria
- CYP IAPT training
- Training in DBT
Knowedge & Skills
Essential criteria
- Evidence base in relation to child and adolescent mental health
- Research and research methodology at post-graduate level in relation to children and adults with mental health and social problems
- The impact of abuse, trauma and other adverse experiences on children, young people and families.
- Legislation and DOH guidelines relevant to child and adolescent mental health e.g. Mental Health Act 1983, Children Act 1989
- Child protection policies and procedures.
- Child development in relation to mental health difficulties.
- Knowledge of other modalities (i.e. psychoanalytical, biological, cognitive, behavioural etc.) sufficient to engage appropriately with colleagues and their work with clients
Desirable criteria
- Well-developed knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised systemic family therapy with vulnerable and hard to reach families.
- Knowledge of the theory and practice of highly specialised psychological therapies and assessment methodologies.
Experience
Essential criteria
- Experience in relevant first profession including extensive experience of safe-guarding children.
- Experience of work with children and adolescents with complex problems, including self-harm and suicidal ideation, in a mental health or equivalent setting.
Desirable criteria
- Experience of other treatment approaches
- Experience of research and audit.
Skills
Essential criteria
- Skills in working with children and families with mental health and social problems using a variety of approaches coherent with a systemic perspective.
- Ability to apply analytical skills to multi-layered complex cases.
- Ability to formulate comprehensive assessments and offer effective treatment based on systemic principles.
- Ability to provide ongoing treatment in complex, often unstable, and frequently changing circumstances.
- Ability to liaise with and manage complex professional networks in relation to individuals and families.
- Skills in consulting to professional colleagues within and outside CAMHS
- Ability to withstand high levels of emotional distress
- Ability to manage the risk of verbal and physical aggression.
- Ability to manage and plan own workload of complex cases.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
Desirable criteria
- Word processing skills, including the ability to use internet and other computer technology effectively
Employer certification / accreditation badges
Applicant requirements
You must have appropriate UK professional registration.
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Amar Bhoobun
- Job title
- Clinical Team Manager
- Email address
- [email protected]
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