Child and Adolescent Psychotherapist | Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust

Posting date:	28 January 2026
Salary:	Not specified
Additional salary information:	£56,276 - £63,176 pro rata per annum incl. HCAS
Hours:	Part time
Closing date:	27 February 2026
Location:	London, W8 5LP
Company:	CNWL NHS Foundation Trust
Job type:	Contract
Job reference:	7762563/333-G-CA-1662

Summary

This is an exiting opportunity for a Child and adolescent Psychotherapist to obtain diverse experience of Core CAMHS and under 5s work, through this split post. The role entails working in the Kensington, Chelsea & Westminster (KCW) Under 5s team for 2.5 days a week and do one day of psychotherapy in Kensington and Chelsea Core CAMHS team. The post-holder will be based in Kensington & Chelsea CAMHS clinic and will work in the community and in Family Hubs across KCW.

We seeking a qualified ACP-registered child and adolescent psychotherapist for our CAMHS Emotional Disorders Team and our Inner Under 5s Teams. This is a maternity cover for a staff member who currently has a split role across both the Inner Under 5s and Core CAMHS. Both teams are based in 1B Beatrice Place.

This is a fixed term maternity cover post for 12 months. The post holder will work 2.5 days a week in the Inner Under 5s Team and 1 day a week in Core CAMHS (there might be a possibility to extend the role for an additional day.

We are ideally looking for a candidate who would like the diverse opportunities that the split role has to offer. We will consider applicants to only one of the roles and job shares, if we are unable to appoint to the split role.

We welcome candidates who are dedicated to excellence, able to work independently within professional standards, and keen to participate in quality improvement initiatives that benefit the mental health of children, young people, and their families.



As a vital member of our Under 5s and Core CAMHS teams, you will have the opportunity to engage in psychodynamic work alongside generic CAMHS work, further broadening your scope of professional practice and enhancing your clinical skills. You will be responsible for:
• Providing expert psychodynamic assessment, formulation, and therapy to children, young people, and families with complex mental health presentations.
• In conjunction with the multidisciplinary team, conducting comprehensive state of mind assessments, psychological formulation, care planning and interventions.
• Coordinating care, managing communications with parents and professionals and liaising with various agencies involved in the care of children and young people referred to the team.
• Offering psychodynamic consultation to non-psychotherapist colleagues and other professionals.
• Working alongside professionals in the RBKC and Westminster family hubs, offering consultation to them and therapy to patients under the age of 5.


You will join a well-represented multidisciplinary service, including psychiatrists, psychologists, family therapists, nurses, art therapists and behaviour analysts. You will be part of a supportive network of child psychotherapists working across various teams within our service, fostering an environment of professional growth, reflection and collaboration.

To find out more about working in CAMHS please CLICK HERE  for one of our CAMHS video

Key Responsibilities

1. Clinical:

· Provide specialist psychotherapeutic assessments for referred children and young people, integrating complex data from various sources.

· Develop and implement treatment and case management plans based on appropriate psychoanalytical conceptual frameworks and evidence-based methods across different care settings.

· Implement a range of psychotherapeutic interventions for individuals, carers, families, and groups, grounded in psychoanalytic psychotherapy principles and techniques, including both short-term and long-term interventions as needed.

· Evaluate and decide on treatment options, considering theoretical and therapeutic models as well as complex historical and developmental factors.

· Exercise autonomous professional responsibility for the assessment, care planning, treatment, and discharge of children, young people, and their families.

· Conduct risk assessments and manage risks for individual children and young people.

· Act as care coordinator when appropriate, initiating, planning, and reviewing CAMHS care plans involving children, young people, their carers, referring agents, and others in the care network.

· Communicate effectively and sensitively about assessment, formulation, and treatment plans, and monitor progress during both uni-disciplinary and multi-disciplinary care.

2. Education and Development:

· Receive regular clinical professional supervision from the consultant child and adolescent psychotherapist.

· Identify training and professional development needs in accordance with the service needs, through clinical and management supervision and the appraisal process.

3. Research and Audit:

· Utilise theory, evidence-based literature, and research to support evidence-based practice in clinical work and team collaborations.

· Participate in Quality Improvement (QI) projects and processes as appropriate.

· Advise both service and professional management on aspects of the service where clinical and/or organisational matters need addressing.

· Undertake project management, including complex audits and service evaluations, with colleagues within the service to help develop service provision.

· Contribute to the development and maintenance of the highest professional standards of practice through active participation in internal and external CPD training and development programmes.

· Contribute to the development and articulation of best practices in their professional discipline.

4. Administration and Clinical Recording:

· Enter required data into the Trust’s patient administration systems and use databases as directed by managers.

· Use computer software to prepare reports, presentations, and documents relevant to clinical duties.

· Perform administrative tasks in line with service requirements, effectively utilising available administrative support.

5. Standards:

· Complete the CNWL mandatory training programme annually within directed timescales.

· Prioritise attendance at multi-agency planning meetings such as Child in Need, Child Protection conferences, professionals’ meetings, and CPAs.

· Adhere to CNWL policies and procedures, including confidentiality, data protection, information sharing, code of conduct, capability, equality and diversity, health and safety, infection prevention and control, finance, safeguarding children, sickness absence, annual leave, special leave, lone working policy, and use of information technology.

· Fully participate in the Trust’s Appraisal/Supervision Programme and work with the manager to ensure clear job plans and objectives.

· Undertake additional duties appropriate to the grade/role and work flexibly across CAMHS sites to provide cover for short-term absences when needed. Flexible hours may be arranged with the manager, subject to service needs and regular review.

6. Mandatory Training:

· The post holder will complete the CNWL mandatory training programme annually within directed timescales.

7. Multi-agency Meetings:

· The post holder will prioritise attendance at multi-agency planning meetings such as Child in Need, Child Protection conferences, professionals’ meetings, and CPAs.

8. Duty Systems:

· The post holder will actively participate in and support the CAMHS internal duty system as required and stipulated in the duty rota.

9. Policy and Procedure:

· The post holder will work in line with CNWL policy and procedures at all times, including:

· Confidentiality, Data Protection, and Information Sharing

· Code of Conduct

· Capability

· Equality and Diversity

· Health and Safety

· Infection Prevention and Control

· Finance

· Safeguarding Children

· Sickness Absence

· Annual Leave

· Special Leave

· Lone Working Policy

· Use of Information Technology

10. Professional Standards and Performance Review:

· The post holder will fully participate in the Trust’s Appraisal/Supervision Programme and work with their manager to ensure they have a clear job plan and objectives.

11. Flexible Working:

· The post holder will undertake any other duties appropriate to the grade/role and work flexibly across Child and Adolescent Mental Health sites to provide cover for short-term absences when required. Where service needs allow, flexible hours can be agreed with the manager in line with Trust policy and are subject to regular review.



Note: This is not an exhaustive list of duties and responsibilities. The post holder may be required to undertake other duties within the job grade, in discussion with the manager.


This advert closes on Tuesday 10 Feb 2026

Proud member of the Disability Confident employer scheme

About Disability Confident

A Disability Confident employer will generally offer an interview to any applicant that declares they have a disability and meets the minimum criteria for the job as defined by the employer. It is important to note that in certain recruitment situations such as high-volume, seasonal and high-peak times, the employer may wish to limit the overall numbers of interviews offered to both disabled people and non-disabled people. For more details please go to Disability Confident.