An exciting opportunity has arisen for a dynamic, ambitious, and motivated CAMH Clinical Nurse Specialist to play a part in the exciting transformation of the West London CAMHS Neuro-developmental. The successful applicant will join the Hounslow CAMHS Neuro-developmental Team which is based at Heart of Hounslow Centre for Health, 92 Bath Rd, Hounslow, TW3 3EL.

The Hounslow Neuro-developmental Team is part of the Tier 3 Hounslow CAMH Service, which also includes an adolescent team and child and family team. The Service also links to a comprehensive Tier 2 CAMH Service, CAMHS Crisis Prevention/Care Team (ALLIANCE) and a CAMHS Eating Disorder Service. The Neuro-developmental Team is multi-disciplinary, including psychiatry, nursing, family therapy psychology, psychotherapy, occupational therapy and speech and language therapy. The post holder will be part of a growing team of clinicians with a special interest and expertise in working with children, and young people, who are presenting with complex mental health needs.

The Clinical Nurse Specialist will also join a thriving team of supportive, committed and skilled nurses who are dedicated to changing the future outcomes for children and young people who present to mental health services.

Main duties of the job

As a Clinical Nurse Specialist you will work as an autonomous clinician to provide mental health assessment and specialist intervention for children, young people and families referred to the Service. You will also contribute to the leadership and development of the CAMHS Nursing Team and you will have the opportunity to be involved in service development, audit, research and quality improvement projects.

The Clinical Nurse Specialist's role will be the assessment, diagnosis and support of children with neuro-developmental conditions (e.g. Autism Spectrum Disorder, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Tic disorders) and co-morbid mental health problems. Non-Medical Prescribing responsibilities are also part of this role and training as an Independent Non-Medical Prescriber will be supported, as well as training in standardised assessment tools such ADI-r and ADOS. You will also have the opportunity to work with children and young people with learning disabilities and mental health needs.

The Clinical Nurse Specialist will form part of the CAMHS Nursing Supervision Structure and will offer supervision and line management as appropriate to members of the nursing team. He/She will also contribute to the delivery of the CAMHS Development Programme and have responsibility for supporting the development of junior staff. The Clinical Nurse Specialist will act as a Supervisor and Practice Assessor for student nurses on specialist placement in CAMHS

About us

Hounslow CAMHS is a borough-located service, and operates as part of a wider three-borough CAMHS service, including Ealing and Hammersmith and Fulham, within West London NHS Trust. The Hounslow CAMHS Team is strongly aligned with the core values of the Trust togetherness, responsibility, excellence, and caring. The Team is committed to providing services that are accessible to everyone, and it prides itself on its creative and innovative ways of delivering high quality evidence based care for children, young people and families referred to the service.

West London CAMHS is committed to supporting the development and progression of its staff. In addition to receiving regular supervision, all staff have access to training and development opportunities in line with their agreed development needs. Staff are also encouraged to be involved in quality improvement projects, audit and research, as well as to take a lead for areas of special interest, such as safeguarding, transitions, SEND.

Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic West London CAMHS has had to develop new and innovative ways of working. Our staff are currently providing a combination of face to face clinical contact as well as clinical contact via virtual platforms, resulting in a combination of onsite and remote working. All staff are provided with a laptop and mobile phone to support this way of agile working.

Job description

Job responsibilities

We are looking to appoint a CAMHS Clinical Nurse Specialist who is able to demonstrate a commitment to creative engagement with a culturally diverse population of young people, shows initiative, is a team player and is able to communicate ideas clearly to both professionals and young people alike. Ability to demonstrate knowledge, competence and an interest in working with children who present with neuro-developmental conditions is essential for role. The Clinical Nurse Specialist will also need to be flexible and have the necessary skills and experience to provide high quality care that is both evidence based and client focussed.

Post qualifying experience working within multidisciplinary CAMHS settings and evidence professional development relevant to child and adolescent mental health practice are essential criteria for this post.

Please see the Job Description and Personal Specification for more information.

Person Specification

Qualifications and Training

Essential

• Degree or Diploma in Mental Health Nursing
• Active Professional registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC)
• Evidence of accredited courses in child and adolescent mental health practice
• Mentorship/Teaching & assessing qualification

Desirable

• Training in the prevention and management of violence and aggression in children and young people
• Post registration training in CAMHS
• Independent Non-Medical Prescriber
• Specialist neurodevelopmental assessment skills e.g. ADOS, ADI-R

Experience

Essential

• Significant post registration experience in mental health
• Extensive experience of assessment and direct work with children and adolescents with emotional, behavioural or mental health difficulties in a Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service
• Demonstrable experience working with young people with in a community CAMHS setting
• 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
• Experience in assessing and managing high risk behaviours and in developing and implementing risk management plans
• Experience of management of child protection emergencies
• 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

Desirable

• Experience of neurodevelopmental assessments
• Experience of preparing comprehensive neurodevelopmental assessment reports
• Experience of working with children and young people with ASD, ADHD and tic disorders
• Working knowledge of psychological therapy CBT and DBT techniques

Knowledge

Essential

• Knowledge of legislation relevant to the Children's Act 2004, Mental Health Act 1983 & Safeguarding Guidelines
• A sound working knowledge and application of the NMC Code of Practice
• 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

Skills

Essential

• Excellent communication skills
• Skills in communicating with children, adolescents and their families or carers
• The ability to present and communicate complex information
• Good organisational and prioritising skills
• Ability to work autonomously as well as part of a team
• Flexible approach
• Good team player
• Able to manage risk
• A good understanding of, and ability to use, clinical supervision
• A high level of self-awareness and capacity to reflect
• Ability to contain the anxieties of severely unwell young people and their parents.
• Consultation Skills
• Computer literate

Desirable

• Skills and sensitivity in working with difficult to engage families
• Ability to deal with challenging behaviour in possibly distressing situations.
• Car Driver

Other Requirements

Essential

• Evidence of continuing professional development as expected by the NMC.

Employer details

Employer name

West London NHS Trust

Address

Hounslow T3 Adolescent Team

Hounslow

TW3 3EL

Any attachments will be accessible after you click to apply.

222-LS-CAMHS-431