Devon Partnership NHS Trust

Senior Mental Health Practitioner - Enhanced Triage

The closing date is 16 February 2026

Job summary

Children and Family Health Devon is excited to offer a 12-month fixed-term opportunity for a 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 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.

About us

Successful applicants will be employed by Devon Partnership Trust (https://jobs.dpt.nhs.uk/locations/working-here )

Children and Family Health Devon (CFHD) comprises an Alliance of NHS organisations working together to improve health outcomes for children and young people in Devon.

CFHD provides integrated care and treatment for children and young people across physical and mental health. We are working closely with other organisations and providers to ensure we deliver locality and county-wide based integrated access to all of our services, based on the i-Thrive Framework, in response to consultation with our service users and communities.

CFHD works closely with our local universities of Plymouth, Exeter & the Peninsula Medical School where we support students in clinical training placements and in addition support our own staff to undertake post graduate training.

Our children and young people say

We would like the people who work for Children and Family Health Devon to be understanding, patient and respectful. They should be trustworthy and make us feel safe and comfortable. It is important that they use their skills and experience to listen carefully in a non-patronising and non-judgemental way. When staff are positive and friendly, they help to create an environment that is informal and without pressure.

Our vision is to be a successful, vibrant, partnership that benefits the communities we serve.

Date posted

26 January 2026

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 6

Salary

£38,682 to £46,580 a year

Contract

Fixed term

Duration

1 years

Working pattern

Full-time, Part-time, Flexible working

Reference number

C9369-25-0885-2

Job locations

Lescaze Offices

Shinner's Bridge

Totnes

TQ9 6JE

South Devon Healthcare

187 Newton Road

Torquay

TQ2 7BA

Integrated Childrens Services

Fishleigh Road

Roundswell Business Park

Barnstaple

Devon

EX31 3UD

Evergreen

Victoria Park Road

Exeter

EX2 4NU

Job description

Job responsibilities

Full Vacancy details can be found on the attached Job Description/Person Specification. Please refer to your suitability to the post in your supporting information from the role requirements or person specification.

Information regarding the Managing Mood, Emotions and Relationships Pathway:

In this pathway, Senior Mental Health Practitioners work within a strong multi-disciplinary team, providing assessments and therapy to children with severe, chronic and enduring mental health concerns such as depression, anxiety-based disorders and Trauma.

You would work with children, young people and families to understand their experiences and presenting concerns in order to provide an appropriate evidence-based intervention and work closely with other agencies to support the best outcomes.

Job description

Job responsibilities

Information regarding the Managing Mood, Emotions and Relationships Pathway:

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.

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.

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.