South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust

Under 5’s CAMHS Specialist

The closing date is 08 March 2026

Job summary

New investment afforded by the national Family Hub/Start for Life programme allows us to build on the good practice we have developed through Lambeth Early Action Partnership (LEAP) and to offer this exciting opportunity.

Want to play your part in helping improve the lives of babies and young children? This role will enable you to gain experience of working in a CAMHS service to support parents or carers to strengthen their relationship with their baby before birth and up to the age of 5. You will be well supported in the PAIRS team as the staff are warm, supportive, highly skilled and committed. Innovation and creativity are strongly encouraged, and you will be joining a multidisciplinary team who are committed and passionate about the work they do and developing the service they deliver.

You must be able to work independently and have good clinical / therapeutic and case management skills. Lambeth is an inner city, ethnically diverse community so a good understanding of diversity issues is essential.

Main duties of the job

We are looking for two enthusiastic and dedicated Under 5s CAMHS Specialists to work within PAIRS. The successful candidates will be clinically confident in carrying out mental health and risk assessments, group work with parents/carers/young children and supervision. The successful candidates will possess excellent communication and interpersonal skills and be committed to providing a high standard quality of care. The candidates will also contribute within the Start for Life Program towards the development of Lambeth CAMHS Under 5's community service.

All applicants will require a professional training and relevant CAMHS experience in combination with professional registration with one of the following statutory bodies: the Nursing Midwifery Council (NMC), Health & Care Professional's Council (HPC), Association of Child Psychotherapists (ACP), or The UK Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP).

About us

Lambeth CAMHS employs staff from a variety of disciplines, including creative arts, child psychology, psychiatry, nursing, psychotherapy & family therapy. The service is organised into three sections & delivered from a number of community & hospital sites across the borough. Teams include a generic multidisciplinary Tier 3 services, for Children and Adolescents, as well as a number of specialist teams & services including Youth Offending Team, Children Looked After, Parent and Infant Relationship Service (PAIRS) and the Neurodevelopmental Team.

Flexible working:

The Trust is proud to offer flexible working as part of our new ways of working, and we are happy to talk flexible working at the interview stage. In this role you will be able to work Monday to Friday from 9a.m. to 5p.m. with occasional slightly earlier starts or later finishes in line with service needs - which will allow a good work-life balance.

Details

Date posted

20 February 2026

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 7

Salary

£56,276 to £63,176 a year per annum inc of HCAs

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

334-CLI-7749169-A

Job locations

St John's

85 Angel Road

Brixton

SW9 7HH


Job description

Job responsibilities

You will complete assessments and treatment in accordance with the clinical and evidence-based models that are delivered within the service.

You will provide specialist parent & child and group interventions to children and families with mild, moderate, to complex presentations.

You will be required to keep up to date clinical records.

You will have some specific responsibilities for operational procedures e.g. referral response and processing.

You will work in partnership with Social Services, Parental mental Health/Perinatal, Adult Mental Health, Childrens Centres, Child Health and key partner to support integrated practice and service delivery

You will clinically and/or professionally supervise, advise or manage junior members and trainees of the team.

You may be required to contribute to audit or progress reports on specific aspects of the service developments.

Job description

Job responsibilities

You will complete assessments and treatment in accordance with the clinical and evidence-based models that are delivered within the service.

You will provide specialist parent & child and group interventions to children and families with mild, moderate, to complex presentations.

You will be required to keep up to date clinical records.

You will have some specific responsibilities for operational procedures e.g. referral response and processing.

You will work in partnership with Social Services, Parental mental Health/Perinatal, Adult Mental Health, Childrens Centres, Child Health and key partner to support integrated practice and service delivery

You will clinically and/or professionally supervise, advise or manage junior members and trainees of the team.

You may be required to contribute to audit or progress reports on specific aspects of the service developments.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

  • All applicants will require a professional training and relevant CAMHS experience in combination with professional registration with one of the following statutory bodies: the Nursing Midwifery Council (NMC) , Health & Care Professional's Council (HPC), Association of Child Psychotherapists (ACP), or The UK Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP). Relevant professional training will include: First level nursing qualification/registration RMN or RSCN or HV with related CAMHS experience or any as follows:First level qualification in Occupational therapy, Clinical or Counselling Psychology, Social work, or equivalent with related CAMHS experience.
  • oQualification as a Systemic Psychotherapist (Family Therapist) with relevant CAMHS experience.
  • oFirst level qualification in art, play, drama, music therapy or psychotherapy (leading to a registered qualification with one of the above statutory bodies) with related experience in the psychological aspects of caring for children and adolescent with mental health problems/needs.

Desirable

  • Infant Observation Training oTraining in Clinical supervision

Experience

Essential

  • Experience of receiving clinical supervision across a range of client needs
  • Experience that supports working with, and addressing issues of, diversity within local communities. This may have been gained through work, research, volunteering and lived experience.
  • Significant post-qualification/graduation experience including experience of individual and group therapy with people with complex mental health needs
  • Experience in carrying out specialist child and adolescent mental health assessments and treatments for under 5s population.

Desirable

  • Experience of running/observing therapeutic parenting groups

Knowledge and Skills

Essential

  • Ability to work effectively within a multi-disciplinary team, contributing to effective team functioning and holding team roles.
  • Ability to maintain concentration and to remain in restricted positions for long periods during observations, assessments and psychological interventions, and to deal with unexpected interruptions or changes during these
  • Ability to manage emotionally stressful situations such as working with victims of abuse or trauma, or with people who engage in severe self-harming or aggressive behaviour

Desirable

  • Training in VIG, Circle of Security, Watch, Wait and Wonder
Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

  • All applicants will require a professional training and relevant CAMHS experience in combination with professional registration with one of the following statutory bodies: the Nursing Midwifery Council (NMC) , Health & Care Professional's Council (HPC), Association of Child Psychotherapists (ACP), or The UK Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP). Relevant professional training will include: First level nursing qualification/registration RMN or RSCN or HV with related CAMHS experience or any as follows:First level qualification in Occupational therapy, Clinical or Counselling Psychology, Social work, or equivalent with related CAMHS experience.
  • oQualification as a Systemic Psychotherapist (Family Therapist) with relevant CAMHS experience.
  • oFirst level qualification in art, play, drama, music therapy or psychotherapy (leading to a registered qualification with one of the above statutory bodies) with related experience in the psychological aspects of caring for children and adolescent with mental health problems/needs.

Desirable

  • Infant Observation Training oTraining in Clinical supervision

Experience

Essential

  • Experience of receiving clinical supervision across a range of client needs
  • Experience that supports working with, and addressing issues of, diversity within local communities. This may have been gained through work, research, volunteering and lived experience.
  • Significant post-qualification/graduation experience including experience of individual and group therapy with people with complex mental health needs
  • Experience in carrying out specialist child and adolescent mental health assessments and treatments for under 5s population.

Desirable

  • Experience of running/observing therapeutic parenting groups

Knowledge and Skills

Essential

  • Ability to work effectively within a multi-disciplinary team, contributing to effective team functioning and holding team roles.
  • Ability to maintain concentration and to remain in restricted positions for long periods during observations, assessments and psychological interventions, and to deal with unexpected interruptions or changes during these
  • Ability to manage emotionally stressful situations such as working with victims of abuse or trauma, or with people who engage in severe self-harming or aggressive behaviour

Desirable

  • Training in VIG, Circle of Security, Watch, Wait and Wonder

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

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

South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust

Address

St John's

85 Angel Road

Brixton

SW9 7HH


Employer's website

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


Employer details

Employer name

South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust

Address

St John's

85 Angel Road

Brixton

SW9 7HH


Employer's website

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


Employer contact details

For questions about the job, contact:

Clinical Service Lead PAIRS

Melissa Kelsey

melissa.kelsey@slam.nhs.uk

07753136813

Details

Date posted

20 February 2026

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 7

Salary

£56,276 to £63,176 a year per annum inc of HCAs

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

334-CLI-7749169-A

Job locations

St John's

85 Angel Road

Brixton

SW9 7HH


Supporting documents

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