Job summary
- Main area
- Mental Health
- Grade
- Band 7
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Full time - 37.5 hours per week (Happy to discuss flexible working.)
- Job ref
- 437-7877939
- Employer
- Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Cluster 2 (Specialist Perinatal Service)
- Town
- Crumpsall Vale, Blackley. Manchester
- Salary
- £49,387 - £56,515 per annum pro rata
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 27/04/2026 23:59
Employer heading
Systemic Family Practitioner (SFP)
Band 7
Job overview
This is an exciting opportunity for a qualified Systemic Family Practitioner (SFP) to be part of an expanding Specialist Perinatal Service, working collaboratively to deliver the ambitions of the NHS Long Term Plan in Greater Manchester. This includes expansion of psychological therapies to include couples’ and family interventions to women/ families referred to the service.
We have opportunities for 3 full-time (37.5 hours/week) Systemic Family Practitioners (SFP) to work in our service in Greater Manchester (across 3 clusters)
-Cluster 1 (Central and South Manchester, Trafford and Stockport) based at Laureate House
-Cluster 2 (Bury, Bolton, Salford and Wigan) based at Hexagon Tower
-Cluster 3 (North Manchester, Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale, Oldham, Tameside and Glossop) based at Central Park
Our service provides specialist assessment and intervention for women/birthing people and their families experiencing moderate to severe mental health difficulties during pregnancy and the first post-natal year.
Our service recognises that perinatal mental health challenges exist within relational and systemic contexts, and your expertise will be integral to our clinical approach.
We are looking for caring, family-focused and dynamic clinicians who aspire to or have experience of working with women and their families during the perinatal period
Main duties of the job
The primary purpose of this role is to provide systemic assessment, formulation and intervention to women and their families, and to provide systemic guidance to the MDT under supervision from a Family and Couples and Systemic Psychotherapist. You will be a specialist resource and contribute to the team’s systemic knowledge and clinical practice via training and upskilling.
This role offers the opportunity to practice thoughtfully and creatively and to make a meaningful difference to families at a particularly vulnerable time.
The position offers excellent professional development opportunities within a supportive and collaborative clinical environment including comprehensive induction, individual clinical supervision with an experienced Couples and Families Systemic Psychotherapist, reflective practice, access to continuing professional development and a supportive multidisciplinary team.
Working for our organisation
Greater Manchester Mental Health (GMMH) Foundation Trust employs over 7000 members of staff, who deliver services from more than 122 locations.
We provide inpatient and community-based mental health care for people living in Bolton, the city of Manchester, Salford, Trafford and the borough of Wigan, and a wide range of specialist mental health and substance misuse services across Greater Manchester, the north west of England and beyond.
Greater Manchester is one of the world's most innovative, original and exciting places to live and work. From the beauty of the surrounding countryside to the heart of the vibrant inner city with great shopping, entertainment and dining options.
Wherever you go you will experience a great northern welcome with people famed for their warmth, humour and generosity.
Our people enjoy their work, have opportunities to learn and develop their skills and are encouraged to generate new ideas that improve care for our service users.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Please see attached job description and person specification
Staff benefits
- Pay Enhancements
- 27 days annual leave plus bank holidays rising to 29 after 5 years and 33 days after 10 years
- Excellent pension
- Cycle to work scheme
- Salary sacrifice car scheme
- Wellbeing programme
- Blue Light Card Discounts
- fuelGenie Fuel Cards (for applicable roles)
Person specification
Education/Qualifications
Essential criteria
- Educated to diploma/degree level and registered with an appropriate body (i.e. Registered Mental Health Nurse, Social Work, Registered General Nurse, OT, Psychology etc. An AFT (Association Family Therapy & Systemic Practice) accredited – Level 2 Intermediate Systemic Training or an accredited CYP-IAPT Training in Systemic Family Practice. Membership of AFT
Desirable criteria
- Supervision qualification
Experience
Essential criteria
- Generic and discipline specific mental health assessments and treatments of parents and families across a range of ages
- Formulating and devising treatment plans for a range of presentations. Including both short and long-term treatment approaches
- Knowledge and skill of using variety of systemic approaches e.g. social constructionist, narrative, solution focussed
- Working autonomously with families providing an assessment and treatment service
- Contributing to multidisciplinary team meetings and co-working assessments and treatment within clinic-based settings
- Ability to offer advice, guidance, consultation and training to other professionals
Desirable criteria
- 2 years’ experience in either Adult or Child mental health
- Experience of providing a culturally competent service
- Working autonomously within community settings
Skills
Essential criteria
- Skills in working systemically with individuals, couples, family, and groups.
- Skills in systemic practice / family assessment, formulation and intervention.
- Ability to form good working relationships and work flexibly with others in a multidisciplinary and multi-agency setting
- Able to work flexibly and both case manage and work therapeutically
- Have respect for different disciplines and therapeutic approaches
Desirable criteria
- Interest and ability to contribute to service development
- Ability to teach and train others, using a variety of multi-media materials suitable for presentations with clients and /or professionals
Knowledge
Essential criteria
- Experience of MDT working
- Understanding of Adult/Child safeguarding issues
- Competent in use of IT packages such as Microsoft Word and PowerPoint
- Demonstrate the ability to work in highly demanding environment
- Evidence of diplomacy and negotiation skills
- Able to demonstrate imaginative and effective use of resources
- High-level knowledge of the theory and practice of family and systemic psychotherapy
- Knowledge and Skills of a range of models in the assessment and treatment of mental health including specific family and systemic theories and evidence base
- Knowledge and skills in effective communication, orally and in writing, complex, highly technical and/or clinically sensitive information to clients, their families, carers and other professional colleagues both within and outside the NHS
- Knowledge of the relevant clinical research literature and ability to apply it to field of child mental health
- Knowledge of legislation in relation to the client group and mental health, education and the children Act and Child protection
Desirable criteria
- Know about different models of family work and evidence base for family therapy.
- Working knowledge of the theory and practice of at least one other specialist psychological therapy
- Attachment theory and relevance to parent / infant mental health
- Knowledge and experience of working with women and families in the perinatal period
- Have an interest in academic links and research
Employer certification / accreditation badges
Applicant requirements
You must have appropriate UK professional registration.
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
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Dr Kirsty Pratt
- Job title
- Consultant Clinical Psychologist
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 0161 2710188
- Additional information
Shaziyah Afzal
Couples and Families Systemic Psychotherapist
0161 2710188
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