Job summaryContract: FIXED TERM end of March 2027 - 1.8 sessions = 5.5 hours per week. Band 8a
This is an exciting opportunity for a clinician with experience of working with Children Looked After (CLA) to join an experienced CAMHS team that is co-located with Children's Social Care. This specialist role will develop and roll out the CAMHS CLA Clinical Offer to Lifelong Links - an LBI service which provides a service for looked after children and care experienced young people aged up to 25 years, which aims to create a positive, lasting support network to help children and young people during their time in care and into adulthood.
The core clinical role has a consultative focus, including offering group and individual consultation to Social Workers, Lifelong Links Coordinators and 'connected people'.
It will involve both direct and indirect clinical intervention, consultation and training.
Our work is framed within a stepped model of care; and is guided by Islington CLA's Practice Models (DDP, Mentalisation, Motivational Practice, Return Home).
We are a dynamic, multidisciplinary team and offer opportunities for continued professional development and reflective practice.
We encourage applications from all sections of the community to develop a team which is more representative of our client groups.
Main duties of the job- To provide specialist mental health advice and consultation to social workers in the Lifelong Links Service to support their practice
- To attend group supervision, sharing clinical and mental health knowledge and expertise to contribute to case discussion.
- To facilitate consultations to enhance their trauma-informed, relationship based-practice with children and connected people.
About usWhittington Health serves a richly diverse population and works hard to ensure that all our services are fair and equally accessible to everyone. Nowhere is this more obvious than in the way we look after our staff. We aim to employ a workforce which is as representative as possible of this population, so we are open to the value of differences in age, disability, gender, marital status, pregnancy and maternity, race, sexual orientation, and religion or belief. The Trust believes that as a public sector organisation we have an obligation to have recruitment, training, promotion and other formal employment policies and procedures that are sensitive to these differences. We think that by doing so, we are better able to treat our patients as well as being a better place to work.
DetailsDate posted: 14 October 2026
Pay scheme: Agenda for change
Band: Band 8a
Salary: £66,274 to £73,496 a year Per Annum (pro rata) Including HCAS
Contract: Fixed term
Duration: 6 months
Working pattern: Part-time
Reference number: 220-WHT-8283069-A
Job locations: Islington Social Services Office - Elwood Street, Elwood Street London N5 1EB, London, N5 1EB, United Kingdom
Job responsibilitiesConsultation and Clinical Work- To provide highly specialist mental health advice and consultation to the Lifelong Links Team
- To attend group supervision, sharing clinical and mental health knowledge and expertise to contribute to case discussion.
- To facilitate individual and joint consultations with Lifelong Links staff and connected people to enhance their trauma and DDP informed practice.
- To contribute to the development of the knowledge and skills of the Lifelong Links workforce and to support embedding of the social work practice model.
- To liaise with professionals in health, mental health, education, social care and voluntary sector services, as required
- To ensure the regular use of routine outcomes as part of evaluating the impact of the clinical, consultation and other work offered.
- To have due regard for your own personal safety and that of children/carers, adhering to moving and handling regulations, restraining policies and ensure the safe positioning of self and others
- To conform to the provisions of the Health and Safety Act and to comply with local statutory training including the appropriate level of Child Protection, on an annual basis or as required.
Teaching, training and supervision- To attend regular clinical supervision and participate in team and service training, as required.
- To provide clinical supervision and line management of trainees and other CAMHS staff, as required by the team and service.
- To contribute to the pre- and post-qualification teaching of clinical staff as required.
- To continue to develop skills in professional post-graduate teaching, training, consultation and supervision
Management, policy and service development- To provide line management for junior clinicians within the service as required by the Team Managers.
- To contribute to the development, evaluation and monitoring of the teams operational policies and services, through the deployment of professional skills in research, service evaluation and audit.
- To advise both service and professional management on those aspects of the service where psychological and/or organisational matters need addressing.
- To be involved, as appropriate, in the recruitment, short listing and interviewing of CAMHS Clinicians and Assistant Clinicians.
- To attend, as required, a range of interagency meetings to represent the team in a delegated role, offering guidance, where appropriate, ensuring that issues relating to the service are noted and brought to the attention of the Team manager.
- To assist, in the integration and development of user participation, outcomes measures, and evidence-based treatment approaches in line with the wider CAMHS strategy for service improvement.
Research and service evaluation- To utilise theory, evidence-based literature and research to support evidence-based practice in individual work and work with other team members
- To contribute to service development (and if necessary, undertake appropriate research and provide research advice to other staff undertaking research).
General- To demonstrate anti-discriminatory practice in all aspects of the role
- To ensure the development and maintenance of the highest personal standards of practice, through active participation in internal and external CPD training and development programmes, in consultation with the post holders line manager.
- To maintain up to date knowledge of legislation, national and local policies and issues of relevance to the service and client group.
- To undertake such other duties and responsibilities, appropriate to the grade of the post, as may be agreed with Manager Community CAMHS.
- To be cognisant and respectful of Whittingtons ICARE values and Islington Vision and Priorities
Person SpecificationEducation / QualificationsEssential- Post-graduate Qualification in: Clinical or Counselling Psychology, Family and Systemic Psychotherapy, Child & Adolescent Psychotherapy
- Registration with relevant professional body: UKCP, HCP, BAP, ACP
Desirable- Advanced clinical skills qualifications eg Dyadic Development Psychotherapy/ Mentalisation based approaches
- Discipline specific supervisor training
Skills & AbilitiesEssential- Ability and skills to offer consultation to professionals individually and in group
- Ability to work with complex professional networks
- Ability to manage within a busy and challenging context, drawing on trauma informed practice for self-care and to support social care colleagues
- Skills and experience in psychological assessment, formulation and interventions with looked after children
- Skills and experience in assessment and management of mental health risk
- Skills and experience in adhering to clinical governance requirements to a high standard (outcome measuring, record keeping, effective communication)
- Skills and experience in developing and delivering training
- Skills and experience working in social care or other multiagency setting
Desirable- Skills in neurodevelopmental assessments
Knowledge & ExperienceEssential- Minimum of 2 years post qualification experience of child and adolescent mental health work
- Demonstrable evidence of clinical experience with children looked after and care experienced young people- and interest in working with this client group
- Experience of delivering a mental health service in a social care or other multiagency setting.
- Commitment to, and experience of using feedback and outcome measures to measure impact
Desirable- Experience working in adult mental health
- Training / familiarisation with Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy, Motivational Practice and NSPCC Reunification Framework
- Experience of delivering clinical interventions to support reunification of CLA to birth family
Disclosure and Barring Service CheckThis 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 SponsorshipApplications 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 RegistrationApplicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
Employer detailsEmployer name: Whittington Hospital NHS Trust
Address: Islington Social Services Office - Elwood Street, Elwood Street London N5 1EB, London, N5 1EB, United Kingdom
Employer's website: https://www.whittington.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)
Employer contact detailsFor questions about the job, contact: Manager Children Looked After Team, Susan Tilki, s.tilki@nhs.net, 07815990371
Whittington Hospital NHS Trust's privacy notice (opens in a new tab) 