Children and Young People Mental Health Practitioner

Job summary
Be the difference in a young person's life.

Join our West Cheshire Children and Young People's Mental Health Service (CYPMHS), where you'll work alongside experienced clinicians from a range of professional backgrounds, helping children, young people and families navigate mental health challenges and achieve positive outcomes.

As part of our supportive multidisciplinary team, you'll deliver evidence-based interventions, undertake assessments, manage clinical risk and contribute to truly life-changing work. No two days are the same, with opportunities to provide therapy, family work, consultation, group interventions and multi-agency collaboration.

We're looking for someone who is committed, compassionate and eager to continue developing their skills through training and professional development opportunities.

You'll need:

• A recognised qualification in Nursing, Social Work, Occupational Therapy or another relevant Allied Health Profession
• Experience working with children and young people experiencing mental health difficulties
• Knowledge and experience of evidence-based therapies such as CBT, DBT, EMDR or Systemic Practice
• Strong risk management and communication skills
• A commitment to high-quality, person-centred care and continuous learning

If you're ready to join a team that's changing lives, building resilience and creating brighter futures for children and young people across West Cheshire, apply today.

Main duties of the job
Do you want to improve the pathways for children and young people's mental health services?

You will have:

• A high level of enthusiasm and dedication to providing quality, community based mental health services to children, young people, and their families
• Experience in undertaking mental health assessments and providing interventions and formulations to address the needs of the client group
• Experience of working with children and young people who, due to their mental and emotional health needs, present with a level of clinical risk
• Experience of working under pressure and in a demanding, fast paced environment
• The skill to adapt and the flexibility to think on your feet due to the nature of your role
• Access to transport or the ability to travel to a variety of venues as part of the working day

Are you interested? Any informal enquiries and visits to the team are welcomed.

About us
Cheshire and Wirral Partnership (CWP) provides health and care services for a population of over one million people, including mental health, learning disability, community physical health and all-age disability care, as well as the provision of three GP surgeries in Cheshire.

We employ around 4,500 staff across 73 sites and have services across Wirral and Cheshire, as well as Trafford, Warrington, Bolton, Halton, Liverpool and Stockport.

Our aim is to help improve the lives of everyone in our communities, adopting a compassionate, person-centred approach to everything we do. We are rated as Outstanding for Caring by the Care Quality Commission, with a Good rating overall.

As a Disability Confident Employer, Rainbow Badge Scheme member, Veteran Aware organisation and proud holder of the Armed Forces Covenant Employer Recognition Scheme Gold Award, CWP is committed to making our recruitment practices as inclusive as possible and developing a culture that values differences, and welcomes applications from people who have direct experience of accessing our services.

All new starters will commence in post on one fixed start date each month, in line with our Prepare to Care (P2C) induction programme date. P2C offers up to 3 weeks training to support you to meet the induction and initial training requirements of the role.

Whether you are just starting out in your career or looking to use your existing skills and experience in a new role, you'll find something to suit you at CWP.

Job responsibilities
Please download a copy of the job description for full details of the main responsibilities for this role.

At CWP, our recruitment selection processes are based on both competence and values. CWP recruits people that can demonstrate the Trusts Values in their everyday life and we use a values-based approach in our interviews, which explores not only what you do but how and why you do it.

Applicants will be required to pay for their DBS check. Costs are deducted from salary following appointment. You are encouraged to enrol for the DBS Update Service. A small annual fee of £16 per year applies.

New entrants to the NHS will commence on the minimum of the scale stated above.

Applicants are advised to apply early as if a large number of applications are received for this post we reserve the right to close the vacancy prior to the advertised date.

Person Specification
Qualifications

• Essential: Core profession (Social Work, Nurse, Allied Health Professional); Professional Registration with recognised National Body (HCPC, NMC, Social Work England); Nationally recognised post-qualification continuous professional development related to the core profession
• Desirable: Therapeutic Training to intermediate / diploma level

Knowledge and Expertise

• Essential: Demonstrable working knowledge of specialist therapeutic approaches e.g. CBT, Family Therapy; Knowledge of Child Protection workings and Practice; Working knowledge of Children related legislation; Experience of inter-agency working; Experience of writing, implementing and evaluating Care / Treatment Plans
• Desirable: Experience of working with Students/Learners; Experience of providing clinical supervision

Experience

• Essential: Significant post qualification experience of working within a CYPMHS or Child Mental Health related field; Recognised experience of working within an environment where evidence based interventions have been delivered; Undertaking formal and informal clinical risk assessments and risk management planning; Undertaking mental health assessments; IT skills, including using databases, Microsoft Office and clinical systems
• Desirable: Post qualifying experience of working within NHS community CYPMHS

Trust Values

• Essential: Demonstrate alignment with Trust Values (6 C's: Commitment, Communication, Care, Courage, Compassion, Competency)

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 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.

UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration.

Employer details
Employer name: Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
Address: Marsden House, Brookdale Place, Chester, CH1 3DY, United Kingdom

Closing date: 06 November 2026

Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Foundation Trust's privacy notice is available on request.