Job summary
- Main area
- Mental Health
- Grade
- Band 5
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Part time
- Flexible working
- Job ref
- 448-NCYP-7658709
- Employer
- Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Unit 3 Cringleford Business Centre
- Town
- Norwich
- Salary
- £31,049 - £37,796 per annum, pro-rata
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 22/12/2025 23:59
- Interview date
- 06/01/2026
Employer heading
Senior Mental Health Assistant Practitioner
Band 5
Driven by our Trust values: Honesty, Empathy, Ambition, Respect; the Trust's vision is to provide high quality care to the diverse communities we serve to make their lives better.
We are passionate about creating an inclusive workplace that promotes and values diversity. Our cultural diversity, long term conditions and disabilities, and LGBTQIA+ staff networks are a key part of this commitment, creating positive change and helping build an inclusive culture across the Trust.
Different ideas, experiences and backgrounds make us stronger and more creative and applications from all walks of life are welcomed - our processes ensure that all applicants are treated fairly at every stage of the recruitment process.
Options for flexible working are considered for all roles within CCS, including job share opportunities, compressed hours, annualised hours, tailored working patterns and more. If you are interested in flexible working, please talk to the recruiting manager for this vacancy.
Please note, the selection processes at Cambridgeshire Community Services are in place to ensure we recruit candidates with the right values and skills. Please be advised that the use of AI in applications are monitored, we remain watchful of candidates who misuse these tools to generate an application that doesn’t accurately reflect their skills.
Job overview
We are excited to announce that we have a vacancy for a Band 5 Senior Mental Health Assistant Practitioner in the Mental Health Advice, Support and Access team (MHASA) based at Just One Number (JON).
The MHASA provides the triage of all non-emergency referrals for mental health for 0 – 25 year olds within Norfolk and Waveney.
The post holder will be expected to gather information from a wide range of sources, have direct telephone contact with young people, families and other professionals. Support senior clinicians with the triage of more complex cases. They will also provide advice, guidance, and support to people with mental health care needs via the telephone and other forms of digital technology.
They will also share a willingness to develop positive relationships with local statutory and non- statutory service providers will be key to the role.
This a part time post: 0.6 WTE (9am – 5pm working across Monday – Friday). Non working day to be determined at interview.
The role is in person at the team base in Cringleford, Norwich.
This is a non-patient facing role – contact with young people, their carers and other professionals are made via the telephone and written information.
Should we receive a high number of applications we reserve the right to close this vacancy at any point after the 10th December 2025.
Main duties of the job
We are looking for a Mental Health Assistant Practitioner with experience of working with children, young people and families. And can demonstrate transferable skills. You will have excellent communication skills and are able to contain and support distressed young people and their families, whilst supporting them to the right pathway.
You will be joining a dynamic and supportive team, made up of senior mental health clinicians, who have made an impact on the mental health system for Children and Young people – it’s a busy and varied role.
We are based within Just One Number which provides a single point of access for the Healthy Child Programme and the Speech and Language team.
Working for our organisation
Rated ‘Outstanding’ by the Care Quality Commission, we are proud to provide high quality innovative services across most of the east of England that enable people to receive care closer to home and live healthier lives.
There’s one reason why our services are outstanding – and that’s our amazing staff - who, for the seventh year running, rated us incredibly highly in the national staff survey.
If you share our passion for innovative and high-quality care delivery, then please submit your application and join us on our exciting journey as a leading-edge specialist community provider. All are welcome to apply and our promise to you is a culture which prioritises staff engagement and development.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
To have clinical expertise in the mental and emotional health needs of children, young people, and their families, (covering 0-25 years of age) and be able to elicit information from professionals, carers and young people to support full assessments via telephone or video call which enable timely clinical decisions to be made.
To work effectively with other members of the skill mix team within JON, attending and supporting teaching and clinical supervision in order to develop needs-led, evidence-based care that supports local and national priorities and policies as well as relevant clinical guidelines."
To have a robust understanding of local emotional health provision and be able to give children, young people and their families and referrers appropriate advice and guidance and as needed make appropriate referrals and support colleagues to make referrals to the appropriate service.
To have knowledge of child and young people’s mental health needs and local services. This will involve information gathering, assessment (including risk assessment) and care planning, with children, young people, parents, teachers and being an active link for other stakeholders such as schools, GPs, mental health, and voluntary sector organisations.
To develop skills and confidence to support colleagues within Just One Number, especially in understanding of current mental health need, risk and care planning.
To develop skills to contribute to production and maintenance of digital resources on Just One Norfolk and promotion of these within JON and with other stakeholders – allowing the identification of appropriate use of self-help material and understanding when further clinical assessment is indicated.
Person specification
Qualifications and Training
Essential criteria
- Degree in relevant area of study and relevant experience of working in a Mental Health field
Desirable criteria
- Evidence of continuous professional development
- Degree in Mental Health
Experience
Essential criteria
- Previous experience of working with children and young adults with mental health needs
- Demonstrate effective risk assessment and risk management
- Experience in the delivery of clinical interventions
Desirable criteria
- Undertaking a clinical role including multi-disciplinary working, safeguarding, undertaking complex assessments, planning, and evaluating care packages, and responsibility for the management of a caseload
- Partnership Working
Skills and Knowledge
Essential criteria
- Ability to work regularly unsupervised
- Risk assessment knowledge and skills
- Competent keyboard skills and ability to communicate through IT using packages such as Word, Outlook, Excel and PowerPoint
Desirable criteria
- Clinical/Safeguarding risk assessment skills
- Experience of navigating service users to other services and resources.
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
- Siwsan Jones
- Job title
- Just One Number - Clinical Lead
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 0300 300 0123
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