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Oxford Health NHS Trust

Senior Mental Health Practitioner - Outreach Service for Children

The closing date is 11 December 2025

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Job summary

Are you looking to make a real difference in the lives of children, young people, and vulnerable adults?

Buckinghamshire Children and Young Person's Mental Health team are looking for a Senior Mental Health Practitioner to join OSCA (Outreach Service for Children and Adolescent).

The OSCA (Outreach Service for Children and Adolescent) is a specialised element within the Buckinghamshire CAMHS service. The Buckinghamshire CAMHS service is based on the iThrive model, and includes a number of pathways delivering the full range of assessments and interventions to young people with mental health needs.

Our service has 3 main elements (DBT, Crisis & Intensive Home Treatment (IHTT) and Outreach) the post holder will be expected to work across all three elements.

You will be required to work flexibility across a 7-day working week.

If you are looking for a role where you can provide expert clinical care, leadership, and support across multiple teams, this is the perfect opportunity for you.

Join us and be part of a dynamic team dedicated to making a positive impact on the community!

Main duties of the job

  • Provide expert care to patients on their caseload. Providing skilled assessment, treatment, supervision and consultation within CAMHS
  • The post holder will have Clinical Care Coordinator responsibility for an agreed case load of Crisis patients, undertaking CPA, including crisis and risk management
  • To undertake relevant training and to participate in the delivery of Dialectical Behavioural Therapy within the OSCA Team as per service need.
  • Develop risk management plans, regularly review risk plans, identifying opportunities for positive risk taking in conjunction with the client, community team and client's carers/ relatives/ significant others
  • Provide expertise and specialist advice, supervision, guidance and consultation.
  • Exercise a high degree of personal professional autonomy
  • Make critical judgements of the highest order to satisfy the expectations and demands of the job
  • Make decisions where precedents do not exist, where appropriate without recourse to others, and to advise and support colleagues where standard protocols do not apply
  • Draw on advanced knowledge and exercise professional skills of the highest order, some of which are likely to be highly specialist, acquired only after lengthy training, supervision and practice
  • Make and receive referrals
  • Complete advanced history taking, and physical examinations as required with patient group
  • Regularly undertake clinical supervision

About us

As a Trust we provide physical, mental health and social care for people of all ages across Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Swindon, Wiltshire, Bath and Northeast Somerset. Our services are delivered at community bases, hospitals, clinics and people's homes, delivering care as close to home as possible. Our vision is that no matter who you are or where you are, you will tell us that you receive:"Outstanding care delivered by an outstanding team"

Our values are: "Caring, safe and excellent"

We offer a wide range of benefits designed to support your career and wellbeing. These include:

  • Excellent opportunities for career progression
  • Access to tailored individual and Trust wide learning and development
  • 27 days annual leave, plus bank holidays, rising to 33 days with continuous service
  • NHS Discount across a wide range of shops, restaurants and retailers
  • Competitive pension scheme
  • Lease car scheme
  • Cycle to work scheme
  • Employee Assistance Programme
  • Mental Health First Aiders
  • Staff accommodation (please note waiting lists apply)
  • Staff networking and support groups hosted by our Equality, Diversity & Inclusion team

Details

Date posted

27 November 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 7

Salary

£47,810 to £54,710 a year Per Annum

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

267-BM7624692

Job locations

Sue Nichols Centre

Bierton Road

Aylesbury

HP20 1EG


Job description

Job responsibilities

We hope that the advert has given you a clear understanding of the skills we are seeking and the opportunity at hand. You will need to use the supporting statement element of your application form to demonstrate your suitability for this role and you should refer to the job description, person specification and the guidance notes attached to this role to help you tailor your application.

The essential and desirable criteria will be used to shortlist for interview, and you should ensure that you refer to these within your application to increase your chances of being selected for interview.

We are aware that some candidates may choose to use AI tools to support their application. We kindly remind applicants that submissions should remain an honest and accurate representation of their experience and must take care to ensure the use of AI tools does not generate an application that does not accurately reflect their knowledge, skills and values.

We spoke with the team and here's what they said about working in CAMHS:

"I am incredibly proud to work for our Trust and to work with so many people who are so committed to helping to support young people and their families. CAMHS feels like one big family, and it is a great place to be where everyone works collaboratively and helps support each other in the quest to trying to provide the best care to our patients."

Job description

Job responsibilities

We hope that the advert has given you a clear understanding of the skills we are seeking and the opportunity at hand. You will need to use the supporting statement element of your application form to demonstrate your suitability for this role and you should refer to the job description, person specification and the guidance notes attached to this role to help you tailor your application.

The essential and desirable criteria will be used to shortlist for interview, and you should ensure that you refer to these within your application to increase your chances of being selected for interview.

We are aware that some candidates may choose to use AI tools to support their application. We kindly remind applicants that submissions should remain an honest and accurate representation of their experience and must take care to ensure the use of AI tools does not generate an application that does not accurately reflect their knowledge, skills and values.

We spoke with the team and here's what they said about working in CAMHS:

"I am incredibly proud to work for our Trust and to work with so many people who are so committed to helping to support young people and their families. CAMHS feels like one big family, and it is a great place to be where everyone works collaboratively and helps support each other in the quest to trying to provide the best care to our patients."

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

  • Professional Qualification and registration in Social Work, Mental Health Nursing or Occupational Therapy.

Skills

Essential

  • Knowledge and experience of risk assessment and management in different settings

Desirable

  • Teaching/mentoring qualification.

Experience

Essential

  • Experience of working with children and young people who have complex mental illness and their families and carers or experience of working within Child maltreatment and abuse and parenting services

Desirable

  • Experience of working within a Child & Adolescent inpatient setting
Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

  • Professional Qualification and registration in Social Work, Mental Health Nursing or Occupational Therapy.

Skills

Essential

  • Knowledge and experience of risk assessment and management in different settings

Desirable

  • Teaching/mentoring qualification.

Experience

Essential

  • Experience of working with children and young people who have complex mental illness and their families and carers or experience of working within Child maltreatment and abuse and parenting services

Desirable

  • Experience of working within a Child & Adolescent inpatient setting

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Additional information

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Employer details

Employer name

Oxford Health NHS Trust

Address

Sue Nichols Centre

Bierton Road

Aylesbury

HP20 1EG


Employer's website

https://www.oxfordhealth.nhs.uk (Opens in a new tab)

Employer details

Employer name

Oxford Health NHS Trust

Address

Sue Nichols Centre

Bierton Road

Aylesbury

HP20 1EG


Employer's website

https://www.oxfordhealth.nhs.uk (Opens in a new tab)

Employer contact details

For questions about the job, contact:

Operational Lead

Ashleigh Green

ashleigh.green@oxfordhealth.nhs.uk

01865901980

Details

Date posted

27 November 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 7

Salary

£47,810 to £54,710 a year Per Annum

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

267-BM7624692

Job locations

Sue Nichols Centre

Bierton Road

Aylesbury

HP20 1EG


Supporting documents

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