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Job summary

Main area
Children & Adolescent Services
Grade
Band 6
Contract
Fixed term: 12 months (Business Development)
Hours
Full time - 37.5 hours per week
Job ref
222-LS-CAMHS-827
Employer
West London NHS Trust
Employer type
NHS
Site
Ealing CAMHS, Hounslow CAMHS, H&F CAMHS
Town
Hounslow
Salary
£45,953 - £54,254 per annum inclusive
Salary period
Yearly
Closing
02/10/2026 23:59

Employer heading

West London NHS Trust logo

Trainee Early Years (0 to 5s) Practitioner RTT

Band 6

West London NHS Trust  provides a full range of mental health, community  and physical healthcare services for children, adults and older people living in the London boroughs of Ealing, Hammersmith & Fulham and Hounslow.

We also provide some specialist services that are commissioned regionally, such as our medium secure services; and nationally, such as the Cassel Hospital for people with complex and severe personality disorder and our high secure services at Broadmoor Hospital.

Job overview

We have an exciting opportunity to join our West London NHS CAMHS 0-5s team as a Therapy Trainee Practitioner on the Early Years and Infant Mental Health Pathway (1 year fixed term), as part of the NHS England (NHSE) funded Recruit to Train Programme in partnership with Anna Freud Centre and University College London.

We are recruiting trainees across West London CAMHS. The post-holders will be training on the Child and Young People’s Psychological Trainings: Early Years and Infant Mental Health Course and carrying out clinical work in our service to complement their studies and use their newly developed skills. We are seeking highly motivated and enthusiastic mental health practitioners with a passion for working with families and children age 0 to 2 or 3 to 5 years old to work and train within our service. This posts may suit a professional with an existing core training who is looking to develop their expertise in clinical, therapeutic practice with children age 0-5 and their families. 

This is a training position and so all candidates will need to apply for both the trainee role with our organisation and the UCL Post Graduate Diploma in IEYP Early Childhood Pathway Course in order to be shortlisted.  Please see attached documentation detailing the application process for the academic course. 

Please note that this job vacancy may close early due to a high number of candidates.

Main duties of the job

You will offer a high-quality service to children age 0-2 or 3-5 and their families / carers, alongside working effectively with your colleagues and liaising with other professionals in the network.  The training will enable you to deliver, under intensive supervision, high quality, focused evidence-based individual and group interventions for children age 0-2 or 3-5 and their parents or carers.  The training will equip those in post to develop and operate effectively in an inclusive, value driven mental health service and team working specifically with children age 0-2 or 3-5 years old.  The roles will be exciting and varied, including individual and group working in a CAMHS setting and also working in community Children’s Centre or Family Hub settings, offering consultation and support to parents and professionals. The development role enables the post holders to develop a range of clinical skills and experience whilst studying for a Postgraduate Diploma (PGDip) in Infant or Early Years Mental Health. The post provides excellent opportunities for professional development and regular supervision.

Working for our organisation

West London NHS Trust is one of the most diverse healthcare providers in the UK, delivering a range of mental health and physical healthcare and community services. The Trust runs Broadmoor Hospital, one of three high secure hospitals in the country, with an international reputation.

Our high secure services care for patients from South of England and we provide low and medium secure services across eight London boroughs. The Trust also provides mental and physical healthcare in three London boroughs (Ealing, Hounslow and   Hammersmith & Fulham). We employ over 5,000 staff, of whom 59% are BME. Our turnover for 2024-25 is over £500m. 

The Trust is rated as ‘Good’ overall by the Care Quality Commission. Forensic services are rated as ‘Outstanding’.

The Trust is an established partner and contributor in the development of the evolving North West London Integrated Care System and the Integrated Care Board. The Trust leads the NW London Children and Adolescent Mental Health provider collaborative. 

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The Candidate Pack provides an overview of the key tasks and responsibilities of the role, and the person specification outlines the qualifications, skills, experience and knowledge required. Please view as attached.

The person specification below is not the full person specification, but outlines the criteria against which your application form will be assessed.

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential criteria
  • • Minimum second-class Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent standard in a relevant subject (e.g. psychology, social work etc); OR Applicants who do not fulfil the academic criteria but have relevant professional experience are still encouraged to apply and will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
  • • Include any service-specific requirement for a core professional qualification where relevant.

Skills competencies

Essential criteria
  • • Ability to communicate effectively and sensitively with young children and their carers;
  • • Ability to adapt communication style according to the varying needs of families;
  • • Ability to personally manage sensitive and potentially emotionally distressing caseload material;
  • • Ability to reflect on own practice (in clinical supervision and practice tutor groups with course peers);
  • • Ability to follow policy and clinical governance procedures and make proposals for change;
  • • Ability to maintain accurate records;
  • • Ability to complete academic work at postgraduate level and balance the academic demands of the course with clinical placement demands;
  • • Demonstrates adaptability and able to work with diverse communities;
  • • Good time management and organisational abilities and ability to work autonomously where required;
  • • Effective oral and written communication skills;
  • • Ability to observe, assess, and think about children’s emotional wellbeing and relational needs within their family and caregiving context.

Knowledge

Essential criteria
  • • Knowledge of the importance of the 0-5 years on development and mental wellbeing and understanding of the range of factors that can impact 0-5 developmental and emotional wellbeing;
  • • Understanding of early child development theory and of 0-5 services (e.g. health visiting, early help, and holistic approaches);
  • • Knowledge of safeguarding issues relating to very young children.
  • • Knowledge of the importance of the parent-child relationship and early relational development in supporting emotional wellbeing across the 0-5 period.

Experience

Essential criteria
  • • 2 or more years of experience working with the development and wellbeing of children and young children aged 0-5 and their families.
  • • Experience of children aged 0-5 and their development in a personal, voluntary or observational capacity.
  • • Experience of multi-agency working and liaising across internal & external agencies.
  • • Experience of observing and thinking about children’s emotional wellbeing, relationships, and caregiving contexts across the 0-5 age range.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Fair Train work experience quality standard - gold standardNo smoking policyPositive about disabled peopleJob share policyInvestors in PeopleDefence Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS) - BronzeArmed Forces Covenant

Applicant requirements

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Documents to download

Apply online now

Further details / informal visits contact

Name
Edwin Fenn
Job title
Clinical Team Manager
Email address
[email protected]
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