Senior Mental Health Practitioner

Norfolk & Suffolk Foundation NHS Trust

Central CAIST Senior Mental Health Practitioner*£3k Welcome Bonus*

Closing date: 17 August 2026

Job Summary
£3K Welcome Bonus (T&C'S APPLY)

Is your passion working creatively with children and families? Looking for a role with flexible working opportunities?

We are excited to offer an opportunity to join CAIST, our under 18's Crisis Service as a Senior Mental Health Practitioner supporting young people and their families across Norfolk and Waveney.

We have bases in East, Central & West Norfolk; we allocate a base closest to where you live. The role is peripatetic so on occasion you may need to travel to different sites, so being able to travel independently is essential.

The CAIST (Crisis, Assessment & Intensive Support Team) service is a vibrant and dynamic service that has 3 teams based across Norfolk & Waveney service, 7 days a week. The service is commissioned for 08:00-20:00 7 days per week.

The team offers community based intensive support to children, young people & their families. CAIST aim to establish trusting therapeutic relationships, to reduce risks when children & young people may be experiencing high levels of distress.

When you join CAIST, you can expect your role to be varied and diverse - no two days are ever the same!

Main Duties of the Job
Whilst experience in working with children and young people would make you perfectly suited to this role, we are really open to welcoming people from clinical backgrounds who have experience in other areas of mental health. We understand that you will be able to bring with you a wealth of skills and experience to the team and would welcome new ways of thinking.

You will offer direct clinical work (crisis assessment and individual interventions via intensive support) with children under 18 years that have presented in crisis, alongside their families and carers where appropriate. We regularly work alongside other mental health services and social care teams, working collaboratively to support the needs of young people. You will work as part of a multidisciplinary team and may have some supervisory responsibilities for junior colleagues.

About Us
The CAIST team has recently been recognised through our Quality and Safety Review Process as being a responsive and collaborative service that has a positive, inclusive culture, with shared vision and objectives. Feedback from young people and families, identified CAIST as an accessible and flexible service that prioritises service user collaboration and shared decision making.

It is important to us that all staff share our values and core beliefs, and those of the NHS Constitution. We promote an environment of mutual respect, compassion, integrity and collaborative working. We are committed to diversity and inclusion and aim to attract and retain a candidate who is compassionate and committed to our trust values.

We are an improving Trust, with ambitious aspirations and we are making significant contributions to exciting transformation work that seeks to improve and further develop the crisis offer for children, young people and their families across Norfolk and Suffolk.

Details
Date posted: 03 August 2026
Pay scheme: Agenda for change
Band: Band 6
Salary: £39,959 to £48,117 a year gross per annum (pro rata)
Contract: Permanent
Working pattern: Full-time, Part-time, Flexible working
Reference number: 246-GYW8181604
Job locations: 80 St Stephens, Norwich NR13RE, United Kingdom

Job Responsibilities
Please read the job description/person specification carefully and ensure your application reflects the knowledge, skills and experience needed.

This post attracts a recruitment premium of £3,000 (pro-rata for part time roles). This is a one off payment with half paid on appointment and half paid after the completion of a satisfactory probation period (6 months). The premium is taxable. Please note that should you leave employment, or choose to move to an alternative post within the Trust that does not attract this recruitment premium, you will be required to reimburse all or some it, as follows: 100% of the value of the premium in the first 12 months; 50% of the value of the premium in the period 12 months to 2 years following appointment.

Previous applicants need not apply

Please find attached our Job Description and Person Specification for more detail on your Key Accountabilities, then if you feel you have what it takes to make a difference in your local communities, click APPLY!

Person Specification
Qualifications - Essential

• Registered Mental Health or Learning Disability Nurse, Occupational Therapist OR Social Worker with the relevant professional registration
• Practice Assessor and Practice Supervisor training (NMC registrants) or Practice Educator (AHP & Social Worker Registrants)
• Ongoing professional development working towards degree level ( if professional registration is following a diploma level course)

Qualifications - Desirable

• Recognised Leadership/Management training
• Higher degree or post graduate certificate in area of clinical / therapeutic practice

Experience - Essential

• Able to demonstrate an appropriate level of knowledge of mental health practice from previous experience
• Demonstrate effective risk assessment and risk management experience
• Experience in the delivery of clinical interventions
• Demonstrable experience in assessment of mental health
• Experience in working in team delivering person centred treatment packages
• Experience of managing a caseload and the provision of Mental Health Care services to people with mental health care needs
• Experience supervising others/students including preceptorship programme, student placements etc

Experience - Desirable

• Experience in delivering group based interventions
• Experience working in the specific area
• Experience of interagency working
• Experience of supporting transitions
• Experience in supporting service development and quality improvement initiatives

Other - Essential

• Ability to travel independently

Skills - Essential

• Excellent communication and engagement skills Conflict resolution and Breakaway training (or requirement to undertake within first 12 weeks)
• Competent assessment skills
• Effective analytical and decision-making skills
• Care planning and Risk assessment knowledge and skills
• Able to effectively prioritise own workload
• Computer skills and experience of using an Electronic Patient Record system
• Competent and effective documentation and record keeping

Skills - Desirable

• Able to time manage and reflect on clinical practice
• Prevention and Management of Suicide training
• Medicine Management
• Safeguarding training

Knowledge - Essential

• The ability to use clinical assessment tools and outcome measures effectively and collaboratively
• An understanding of the policies and guidelines both local and national e.g. National Institute for Clinical Excellence guidelines (Government initiative) Up to date knowledge of legal and ethical frameworks including Mental Health Act.
• Have the ability to discuss, identify and escalate safeguarding issues in a sensitive way to protect those who are vulnerable
• Ensure care is values-based, nonjudgemental and equitable, and supports the principles of equality, diversity and inclusivity being met.

Knowledge - Desirable

• Developing knowledge of local wider systems and networks
• Knowledge of health promotion
• Knowledge of medication and the monitoring of its effects

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 Contact Details
Employer name: Norfolk & Suffolk Foundation NHS Trust
Address: 80 St Stephens, Norwich NR13RE, United Kingdom
For questions about the job, contact: Clinical Team leads, Amelia Rix, View email address on meeveem.com