CAMH Clinical Social Worker

Job summary

Are you a passionate Social Worker with strong experience supporting children and young people with mental health needs? This is an exciting opportunity to bring your expertise to Hounslow CAMHS as a Band 7 Clinical CAMH Social Worker within our dynamic Children and Families Team.

An exciting opportunity has become available for a skilled and experienced Band 7 Social Worker to work in the Hounslow Child and Family Team based at Heart of Hounslow Centre for Health, Hounslow, TW3 3EL.

In CAMHS, Social Workers play a vital role in shaping meaningful, person-centred support for children, adolescents, and families. You will bring a social perspective that helps bridge the gaps between mental health, physical health, social care, and community resources- ensuring that every young person receives compassionate, accessible, and holistic care.

You will join a collaborative multi-disciplinary team where your skills, insight, and professional voice are truly valued. This role offers the chance to make a significant difference through direct clinical work, providing assessments and interventions, while also contributing to a culture of shared learning by offering supervision, consultation, and training to colleagues and partners across agencies. You will be encouraged to join our monthly CAMH Social Work Forum and Reflective Practice Groups.

If you are motivated, reflective, and eager to influence positive change for children and families, we would love to welcome you to our team.

Main duties of the job

Work as an autonomous clinician creatively engaging with a culturally diverse population of young people with complex mental health difficulties, carrying out comprehensive assessments (including risk and risk management plans), and offering therapeutic intervention packages using a variety of treatment models.

Contribute to the multi-disciplinary assessment clinic, support team formulation and recommendations for interventions.

Make clear autonomous decisions based on analysis of complex presenting problems & judgments based on available treatment options.

Provide training, consultation and advice to colleagues in the team and across multi-agencies involved with child and adolescent mental health.

Provide clinical, professional and management supervision as appropriate for CAMH Social Workers & CAMHS Practitioners in Hounslow CAMHS.

To contribute to the development, evaluation and monitoring of the team's operational policies and services, through the deployment of professional skills in research, service evaluation and audit.

To be involved, as appropriate, in the recruitment, shortlisting and interviewing of CAMH Clinical Social Workers.

To contribute to the development and maintenance of the highest professional standards of practice, through active participation in internal and external CPD and development programmes, in consultation with the post holder's professional and service manager.

About us

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 over 5,000 staff, of whom 59% are BME. Our turnover for 2024-25 is over £500m.

The Trust is rated as 'Good' overallby 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.

Job 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

• Degree or Diploma in Social Work with additional therapeutic qualifications
• Active Professional registration with Social Work England

Desirable

• First or higher degree in appropriate subject area
• ASYE assessor/Practice Educator assessor qualification
• CYP IAPT Trainings, e.g. CBT, Systemic Family Therapy, Interpersonal Therapy [IPT], Under 5's, Parent Training.
• Other post-graduate qualifications in: CBT, Systemic Foundation Years, EMDR, Mindfulness. Mentalizing Trainings

Experience

Essential

• Significant post registration experience in mental health Including extensive experience of assessment and therapeutic direct work with children and adolescents with emotional, behavioural or mental health difficulties.
• Experience of providing consultation and liaison support to colleagues, referral agencies and services responsible for the care, support and wellbeing of service users and their families/carers.
• Substantial experience of working in multidisciplinary clinical teams and contributing a professional social work perspective
• Experience in assessing and managing high risk behaviours and in developing and implementing risk management plans
• Experience of working in a number of ways i.e. assertive outreach, clinic based settings, home, school or other appropriate environments
• Experience of using therapeutic skills, such as CBT, Solution Focused Therapy, Family Work
• Experience of giving presentations to colleagues in relation to Social Work
• Experience of management of child protection emergencies
• Experience of advising multidisciplinary colleagues about child and adult safeguarding
• Experience of therapeutic work with children and families where abuse or neglect has occurred

Desirable

• Experience of other treatment approaches

Knowledge

Essential

• Knowledge of legislation relevant to the Children's Act 2004, Mental Health Act 1983 & Safeguarding Guidelines
• Knowledge of child protection policies and procedures.
• Knowledge of the evidence base in relation to child mental health
• Knowledge of abuse, trauma and other adverse experiences on children and families.
• Knowledge of the legal issues relating to consent and capacity in children and young people.
• An awareness and understanding of the issues facing, children, adolescents and their families
• Knowledge of the various assessment tools used in CAMHS
• Knowledge of other modalities (i.e. psychoanalytical, medical, behavioural, etc.) sufficient to engage appropriately with multidisciplinary team colleagues and their work with clients.
• A sound working knowledge and application of the SWE Code of Practice and BASW Code of Ethics

Skills

Essential

• Excellent communication skills
• Ability to communicate and relate well to children, young people parents and carers
• Ability to work autonomously as well as part of a team
• Ability to identify and manage risk effectively
• Ability to present and communicate complex information
• Flexible approach
• Good organisational skills, Able to prioritise and manage own workload
• A good understanding of and ability to use clinical supervision
• A high level of self-awareness and capacity to reflect
• Consultation skills
• Computer literate

Desirable

• Skills and sensitivity in working with difficult to engage children, young people and families
• Ability to contain the anxieties of severely unwell young people and their parents.
• Ability to deal with challenging behaviour in possibly distressing situations.

Other

Essential

• Evidence of continuing professional development as expected by SWE
• Highly motivated and able to work independently
• Genuine commitment to equal opportunity, fair access and service user empowerment
• Ability to be calm under pressure, to contain others emotional distress and anxiety.