CAMHS DBT Mental Health Practitioner

Posting date:	29 April 2026
Salary:	£39,959.00 to £48,117.00 per year
Additional salary information:	£39959.00 - £48117.00 a year
Hours:	Full time
Closing date:	17 May 2026
Location:	Plymouth, PL4 7PY
Company:	NHS Jobs
Job type:	Contract
Job reference:	B9832-2026-NM-10259

Summary

To provide specialist DBT to Children and Young People and their families identified through Plymouth CAMHS. To facilitate skills training groups, individual therapy and telephone skills support for young people and to support parents/carers. To take a part in DBT consultation. To use and maintain skilled standards of professional clinical practice in the treatment modalities required by the young people in the service. They will work in partnership with other agencies. To provide specialist DBT to Children and Young People and their families identified through Plymouth CAMHS. To facilitate skills training groups, individual therapy and telephone skills support for young people and to support parents/carers. To take a part in DBT consultation. To use and maintain skilled standards of professional clinical practice in the treatment modalities required by the young people in the service. They will work in partnership with other agencies. The post is located with a Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) Livewell South West. To improve the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people with Mental Health Difficulties across the full age range (5-18 years) and prevent the development of severe and enduring challenging behaviors. To develop shared understanding and collective responsibility of all teams within CAMHS to improve children and young people’s emotional wellbeing and mental health For all multi-agency services to work in partnership to promote the mental health of all children and young people, to provide specialist intervention, and meet the needs of children and young people with established or complex problems That all children, young people and their families have access to specialist mental health services and support that is based upon the best available evidence, meets minimum core standards and is needs based. Sustained where appropriate, and provided by staff with an appropriate range of skills and competencies To contribute to the establishment of a positive working environment and open learning culture, which fosters high morale and commitment within CAMHS and promotes wellbeing, personal development and continuous improvement in the standards of business activities and professional practice. This post holder will predominately work within Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (DBT) part of the service. The MHP will be able improve children and young people’s mental health through the delivery of an integrated and coordinated system of community based mental health care to children, young people and their families, providing safe, culturally competent, effective, cost efficient, timely and accessible services that are in accordance with national and local priorities and are responsive to the needs and views of local children, young people and their families. To work as an autonomous professional within BPS and Health and Care Professionals Council (HPCP) guidelines and the policies and procedures of the service, taking full responsibility for own work including treatment and discharge decision, caseload, and supervision responsibilities. The post holder will receive regular individual and team supervision and will be expected to seek advice whenever necessary. To administer and interpret psychological and risk assessments, and to have experience in the use of psychometric measures in the assessment of young people with symptoms of emerging BPD/EUPD, in particular suicidal behaviours and self-harm. Provide specialist Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) and have knowledge of Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) for the young people on your caseload in line with NICE guidance and recognised good practice. Provide good quality group work and take a role in facilitating groups to teach the young people new skills and to support parents/carers. The post holder may need to be flexible in the timing of the groups (e.g. after school). Participate and lead in joint complex assessments and care plans with DBT staff, other disciplines, and other agencies and provide reports for referrers, families, and other agencies as required Participate in the evaluation of the effectiveness of the pathway to ensure the needs of the children and young people it serves are being met. Liaise with other services within LSW and other external agencies To provide specialist assessment and consultation across community CAMHS and Multi Agency / professional forums. To ensure that you are up to date with Safe Guarding and Child Protection Policy’s within LSW. Regularly assess safeguarding issues and risk for each case, and refer concerns to Child Protection teams (etc) where appropriate. Contribute to the single point of access process to ensure referrals into the service are addressed in a timely manner, this may include electronic triage. To provide autonomous specialist clinical practice within the CAMHS Clinical assessment and formulation Making an autonomous judgment about whether the Child or young person requires further DBT CAMHS assessment or intervention Assess and manage risk. Care planning Intervention using a range of therapeutic modalities Hold a case load as identified in the post holders job plan Determining the point of discharge and agreeing this with the child, young person and family. Communicating appropriately the clinical information to the General Practitioner, relevant professionals and parent/carers where appropriate. All documentation must be compliant with LSW policy’s including CPA To participate in multi-disciplinary team meetings Be available for and make use of clinical supervision, child protection supervision and operational line management supervision Ensure the agreed outcome measures are adhered to within the post holders area of work Ensure participation with children and young people to improve service provision is included within CAMHS and undertaken at every opportunity The MHP will develop skills and knowledge enabling them to make an autonomous decision about the time of discharge, and agree with the child, young person and family/carers as well as multi-agency key partners. Communicate a summary of the work undertaken and how to sustain improvements made and include correspondence to General Practitioner The MHP is required to maintain high effective standards in the recording of clinical observations and actions, risk and risk management including child protection in health records The MHP will strongly adhere to culturally competent and anti-discriminatory practice, promote equity of opportunity and use their professional position to empower others and challenge power imbalances where they are found to exist Contribute to the development of team protocols and clinical practice, proposing changes for discussion. Maintain good activity records and input them onto the electronic recording system in a timely manner. To participate in audit and quality and patient safety activity in line with service objectives. To be aware of and familiar with LWSW policy and procedure and operate within that e.g. lone working policy. To maintain high standards of infection prevention and control in day to day delivery of practice. To measure and make available clinical outcome measures within an agreed system. This is most likely to be the CAMHS Outcomes Research Consortium. Please see JD/PS for further information