Cherry Tree Cottage, a specialist children's home operated by Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust, is seeking a CAMHS Practitioner with a background in Nursing, Occupational Therapy, Social Care, or related fields. The role focuses on supporting children and young people in mental health crises, aiming to prevent hospital admissions and facilitate timely discharges.
Key responsibilities include:
- Conducting mental health assessments and care planning for children with complex needs.
- Implementing crisis containment and engaging in therapeutic activities for short-term residents.
- Collaborating within a multidisciplinary team, providing mental health consultation and support.
- Ensuring the home meets legislative requirements and promotes the welfare of its residents.
- Participating in daily activities, including cooking, cleaning, and supervising educational and recreational outings.
- Promoting a nurturing environment to stabilize children's mental health and enhance their overall well-being.
Candidates should possess strong communication and organizational skills, be willing to work flexible shifts (including weekends and holidays), and support therapeutic group activities. Training in the ARC framework (Attachment, Regulation, Competency) will be provided. This is an innovative opportunity to contribute to Hertfordshire's first integrated health and social care service.
Cherry Tree Cottage Specialist Children's home
Social Care and Health together
We are open to receive applications from various disciplines and backgrounds including Nursing, OT, Social Care, Therapy, and / or those with experience working with children and young people in care.
Are you passionate about getting it right for children and young people in care?
Do you want to be part of a unique short-term service to supportchildren in mental health crisis, prevent their admission to hospital or enable timely discharge from hospital and successfully move them on to a settled placement?
Do you want to be part of a Multidisciplinary team with integral Health, Social Care and Psychiatry expertise.
With Innovation at its heart; We are looking to recruit a team who want to be fundamental in the success of this first of its kind service In Hertfordshire.
Cherry Tree Cottaeg is an Ofsted registered children's home operated through an integrated health and social care staffing model (HPFT and HCC Social Services) to care for children looked after. The home provides 3 beds for children with mental health presentations who may be repeat attenders at A&E /S136 suite or at risk of /or have had admission to Tier 4 provision (psychiatric inpatient unit).
This is an exciting opportunity to join this innovative service as a Band 6 clinician working alongside social care colleagues at Cherry Tree Cottage. As part of an MDT, the candidate will work collaboratively with the Registered Manager, Team Leader, HPFT Clinical Lead, Consultant Psychiatrist, and other clinicians in the team with the planning, development, provision and review of an excellent, service-user focused service providing crisis containment and therapeutic support to children and young people with social and co-morbid mental health difficulties.
The home uses the ARC theoretical framework (Attachment, Regulation and Competency) and Non-violent resistance interventions and ethos in the provision to create a warm and nurturing environment to enhance wellbeing of the CYP. Training is provided and all workers are expected to work within this framework. The post-holder will work within professional guidelines and under the clinical and professional supervision of a Team Leader alongside the Registered Manager.
About us
Clinical Responsibilities
- To undertake mental health assessment, risk assessment, care plan management and reviews for CYP with complex mental health and co-morbid social care needs.
- To undertake crisis containment work including therapeutically engaging activities for CYP admitted to the home for a limited time.
- To provide advice ans consultation to other team members regarding the mental health care of CYP in the home.
- To provide good standards of reparative parenting for children and adolescents which safeguards and promotes their welfare by ensuring that the home meets the requirements of legislation, including the National Quality Standards for residential homes.
- To follow all HPFT and HCC policies and local procedures.
- Ensure that children and adolescents develop socially, educationally and emotionally having regard for through effective assessment, care planning, and liaison with other agencies.
- Understand and support the purpose of the childrens homes and be willing and able to respond appropriately to children with challenging behaviour.
- Following the day-to-day activities of the home including; cooking and cleaning; taking children to school, activities and appointments; following petty cash procedures, administering medication, maintaining the home environment and acting as a good role model. You will be required to work shift patterns covering the needs of the children. This will include long shifts, weekends and bank holidays as well as taking children on holiday within and outside of the UK. Please confirm that you are willing to undertake these duties in your supporting statement.
- To provide a safe and containing environment that will help stabilise the mental health of children experiencing a mental health crisis in order to allow them to return to their original placement and thus enhance placement stability.
- Support with running therapeutic groups within the home for the young people.
Planning & Organisational Skills
- To provide accurate, clear and concise communications in all aspects of delivering the service.
- Integrate into a multi professional health and social care team within the residential unit.
- To oversee care team responsibilities.
- To work with the team leader and manager to ensure clinical governance initiatives and service framework targets are adhered to.
- To initiate and participate in service audits that may be required.
- To promote service user feedback.
