Senior Mental Health Practitioner – Enhanced triage – CFHD

Job summary

Children and Family Health Devon is excited to offer an 8 month fixed-term opportunity (until March 2027) for two Band 6 Senior Mental Health Practitioner to join our Managing Mood, Emotions & Relationships (MERs) pathway as part of a newly funded Enhanced Triage Pilot.

This position can be based at any of the locations listed and hybrid working arrangements will also be considered.

This innovative model is designed to improve access, flow and coordination for children and young people presenting with emotional and relational difficulties. The pilot ensures that every child referred for a specialist mental health assessment receives a telephone triage assessment within two weeks of referral, providing earlier engagement, better prioritisation and improved continuity of care.

You will play a key role in developing, delivering and evaluating this new approach, helping us test a model that puts children and families firmly at the centre of what we do.

Main duties of the job

• Undertake enhanced triage assessments to support timely, needs-led decision-making for children and young people.
• Provide brief formulations, risk assessments and signposting in collaboration with multi-disciplinary colleagues.
• Conduct telephone triage calls to confirm service suitability, gather clinical information and complete initial risk assessments.
• Develop care plans while children are waiting, including safety planning, signposting and psychoeducation.
• Support the ongoing development and evaluation of the Enhanced Triage Pilot, contributing to audit and quality-improvement work.
• Uphold safeguarding and risk-management standards and promote high-quality, responsive care.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• A professional qualification at degree level or equivalent e.g. Psychological profession, Nursing, Social Work, Occupational Therapy, or equivalent.
• Professional registration/accreditation with a recognised body, e.g. NMC, HCPC, Social Work England, UKCP, BABCP

Desirable

• Recognised qualification in evidenced based therapeutic, mental health interventions for children/young people and their families/carers
• Post graduate qualification relevant to specialism
• Clinical Supervision qualification

Experience

Essential

• Substantial experience of managing an extensive and complex caseload and working with children/young people presenting with a range of complex mental health presentations.
• Experience of working in a multi-disciplinary and multi-agency environment.
• Experience of delivering model based psychological therapy

Desirable

• Participation in user involvement in services.
• Mentoring students in line with professional requirements

Knowledge, skills and abilities

Essential

• Ability to be mobile across a geographical area in a timely manner and in accordance with service need.
• Computer literacy.

Closing Date: 22 July 2026