Job summary
Sequoia is a specialist NHS-commissioned service, co-delivered by Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership (AWP) and Rethink Mental Illness, supporting adults with mild-moderate complex emotional needs (CEN) and personality difficulties across the BNSSG area. Rooted in lived experience and recovery principles, the service provides evidence-based group interventions including Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT)-informed groups, Mentalisation-Based Treatment (MBT)-informed groups, psychoeducation courses, and peer support programmes.

As a Band 6 Specialist Practitioner and Group Facilitator, you will either deliver DBTi or MBTi groups, enabling service users to manage emotional intensity, build resilience, and achieve recovery goals. You will work collaboratively with NHS teams, voluntary and community partners, and service users to promote wellness, safety, and inclusion.

Main duties of the job

• Facilitate either DBT and MBT informed groups, adapting content to meet service user needs.
• Support delivery of psychoeducation and peer support courses.
• Assess referrals, determine service suitability, and plan reviews and next steps with service users.
• Support safe discharge back to GP care following programme completion.
• Contribute to crisis planning, safeguarding, and protective interventions.
• Provide clinical leadership, mentoring, and supervision within the team for our Rethink colleagues.
• Work as part of the duty team dealing with ad hoc situations that arise.
• Maintain accurate records and meet reporting requirements.
• Participate in service development, supervision, and training.

About us
We are AWP (Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust):a diverse organisation with over 5,000 dedicated staff providing inpatient and community-based mental health care.

We provide services from a range of locations to approximately 1.8 million people living in Bath and North East Somerset (B&NES), Bristol, North Somerset, South Gloucestershire, Swindon, across the county of Wiltshire and in parts of Dorset.

Our outstanding people promote mental health and wellbeing. The expertise and resources within AWP are dedicated to a person-centred approach for those who use our services and for all employees. We recognise that happy and fulfilled employees give better care.

AWP is committed to support and create a positive research and evidence-based environment and culture, which can have a beneficial impact on everyone who works for the organisation and the care we provide to those who use our services.

At AWP we actively encourage applicants from all backgrounds; we are particularly keen to encourage applications from people from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds, those with disabilities and from the LGBTQ+ community. We want people to bring their unique blend of experiences, backgrounds, perspectives and knowledge to AWP, as diversity makes us stronger.

Details
Date posted: 07 September 2026
Pay scheme: Agenda for change
Band: Band 6
Salary: £39,959 to £48,117 a year pro rata
Contract: Permanent
Working pattern: Full-time
Reference number: 342-BR125-0926
Job locations: Callington Road Hospital, Marmalade Lane, Bristol, BS4 5BJ, United Kingdom

Job responsibilities
This role is focused on providing effective, evidence-based interventions to people with complex emotional needs and personality difficulties, enabling them to meet daily health, social care, and wellbeing needs in line with recovery goals.

Key responsibilities include:

• Conducting support conversations covering mental state, risk, physical health, social care needs, safeguarding, and capacity under the Mental Capacity Act.
• Reviewing treatment programmes, incorporating psychological therapies (DBTi, MBTi), psychosocial interventions (Peer Support and Psych Education), considering people's motivation to change.
• Acting as care keyworker for service users with the most complex needs, while also supporting individuals on other caseloads.
• Delivering interventions to improve carers ability to support service users.
• Building hope-inspiring relationships with service users, focusing on strengths and aspirations to create meaningful recovery plans.
• Leading and supporting colleagues in clinical practice, mentoring students, and contributing to professional development.
• Ensuring compliance with safeguarding, confidentiality, infection control, and health and safety policies.
• Promoting Sequoias ethos of community, resilience, and inclusion, inspired by the Sequoia trees symbolism of strength and growth.
• Supporting service development through co-production, service user participation, and feedback mechanisms

This post is open to newly qualified social workers. In line with trust policy, all newly qualified social workers will be recruited initially at Band 5 level, regardless of advertised role banding. All NQSWs are expected to successfully complete their ASYE within 2 years of employment, unless there are exceptional circumstances in which case it may be agreed to extend this for a further 2 years.

On successful completion of the ASYE, for which you will be given full support of an experienced Social Worker as well as Divisional Social Work Lead, and peer support from other ASYE candidates, you will then be eligible to progress to a Band 6 position.

If you have been appointed to an advertised Band 6 role this will be an automatic progression, following confirmation of your successful completion. If you have been appointed to a Band 5 you will then be eligible to apply for a subsequent Band 6 vacancy.

Person Specification
Qualifications and registration
Essential

• Diploma level/Degree in relevant health/social care profession, eg RMN, OT, Social Worker
• Current relevant registration with the NMC or HCPC and commitment to CPD.

Desirable

• Relevant post-registration qualifications, such as; DBT, MBT, Brief Interventions etc

Experience and Knowledge
Essential

• Demonstrates substantial post-registration experience gained working in a range of front-line adult mental health services, undertaking assessment and delivering interventions.
• Is able to deliver from a range of possible key therapeutic interventions, DBT, MBT SCM, CBT, Psychosocial interventions, Family Interventions.
• Experience of delivering group work in a mental health setting
• Demonstrates substantial experience of assessing risk and developing risk management strategies

Desirable

• Experience from a wide range of settings.
• Experience of co-production and service user participation

Skills and Abilities
Essential

• Highly developed verbal communication skills, able to engage effectively with people at all levels even when a more assertive approach is needed. Highly developed active listening skills, which allow for reframing and testing of understanding.
• Highly developed written communication skills, with experience of compiling and sorting notes and reports, establishing statistical data and analysing information.
• Substantially developed IT skills including competent use of Microsoft Office, and the use of electronic record keeping systems.
• Experience of delivering mental health interventions online, both 1-1 and groups
• Demonstrates a willingness to embrace new technology and processes.
• Mobile with the facility to move quickly across a geographically dispersed area with limited access to public transport.

Other Requirements
Essential

• Empathy for individuals who have experienced mental health problems and ability to cope with behaviour which may be challenging at times.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Certificate of Sponsorship
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Employer details
Employer name: Avon & Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust
Address: Callington Road Hospital, Marmalade Lane, Bristol, BS4 5BJ, United Kingdom
Employer's website: http://www.awp.nhs.uk/about-us/working-for-us/ (Opens in a new tab)

Employer contact details
For questions about the job, contact:
Clinical Lead
Peter Spavin
peter.spavin@nhs.net
07738264062

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).