Job summary
- Main area
- Community & Mental Health
- Grade
- NHS AfC: Band 7
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Full time
- Part time
- Flexible working
- Compressed hours
- Job ref
- 411-GS-25-7443032
- Employer
- Alder Hey Children's NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Warrington
- Town
- North West
- Salary
- £47,810 - £54,710 Per Annum
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 01/10/2025 23:59
Employer heading

Senior Therapeutic Practitioner
NHS AfC: Band 7
Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust is a provider of specialist health care and has a presence in community outreach sites and, in collaboration with other providers, our clinicians help deliver care closer to patients’ homes by holding local clinics at locations from Cumbria to Shropshire, in Wales and the Isle of Man. The Trust also provides inpatient care for children with complex mental health needs at our Sunflower House building newly relocated, and opened on the hospital site.
We currently have more than 4,000 staff working across our community and hospital sites. We’re also a teaching and training hospital providing education and training to around 540 medical and over 500 nursing and allied health professional students each year.
As black and minority ethnic (BME) employees are currently under-represented in this area, we particularly welcome applications from members of our BME communities. All appointments will be made on merit.
You can expect a warm welcome at Alder Hey Children's NHS Foundation Trust, our staff are friendly and welcoming. We listen to each other and work together to embed our Trusts values and behaviours. At Alder Hey we appreciate our staff and reward them with an outstanding benefits package including:
- Great flexible working opportunities
- Lease car scheme and Home Electronics Scheme
- Generous annual leave and pension scheme
- Extensive staff health and well-being programmes
Job overview
An exciting opportunity has arisen for an experienced clinician to be Senior Therapeutic Practitioner for the Children and Young People's Gender Service (North West). The Children and Young People’s Gender Service is a Phase 1 Provider of Gender Services provided in partnership by Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust and Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust.
The postholder will undertake clinical assessment of children and young people, providing a range of appropriate, evidence-based and high-quality clinical interventions and manage a complex caseload. The role will also include providing advice, support and consultation to families, carers and other professionals, ensuring that an integrated and coordinated care plan is developed and implemented.
Successful candidates will have a passion for delivering safe, high quality and effective care to children and young people and will be enthusiastic and approachable with strong organisational and communication skills.
Main duties of the job
The main duties for this role are provided in the attached job description
For further details please contact [email protected].
Working for our organisation
The base for this service is Mandarin Court, Centre Park, Warrington which includes the following benefits:
- Free parking and free EV charging
- Short walk from Warrington Bank Quay station
- Bicycle storage and on site changing facilities
We welcome applicants looking for both full time and part time contracts, with flexible working opportunities available. Some remote working will also be possible in this role.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
The main responsibilities for this role are provided in the attached job description/person specification.
Person specification
Education and Training
Essential criteria
- Qualified in core profession as per BABCP criteria BABCP | British Association for Behavioural & Cognitive Psychotherapies > Accreditation > Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapist Accreditation > Core Professions > Core Professions list and criteria
- Current registration with appropriate regulatory body (e.g. HCPC, NMC, BABCP, UKCP).
- OR Recognised degree level broad based health & social care qualification which will require completion of The British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies (BABCP) Knowledge Skills and Attributes KSA Guidelines (babcp.com) as part of the application process
- Training in a relevant therapeutic modality to an accreditable level with registration (where registration is applicable)
- Post qualification study in a mental health field.
Desirable criteria
- Certificate in supervision skills.
Experience
Essential criteria
- Working in specialist mental health services for children and young people
- The application of specialist mental health assessment and therapeutic interventions in different cultural contexts.
- Working collaboratively within a multidisciplinary team AND with other agencies and professionals in a variety of settings including managing difficult conversations and differences of opinion.
- Experience of providing a variety of interventions for children and young people and their families
- Assessing clinical risk and developing and communicating appropriate risk management plans including safeguarding.
- Analysing presenting problems and able to work autonomously utilising a range of therapeutic perspectives and modalities, depending on the needs of the client.
- Providing case management and/or clinical supervision for colleagues and students as required.
- Experience of mentoring and supervision of others, including supporting the mental health and wellbeing of junior staff and trainees.
- Experience of developing and providing evidenced based assessments, formulations, and care plans and effective use of Routine Outcome Measures (ROMs).
- Understanding of the principles of Clinical Governance and a willingness to follow Trust Policy and Procedures
Desirable criteria
- Experience of delivering training.
- Experience of audit and research.
- Experience of delivery of group work and workshops.
Knowledge
Essential criteria
- Up to date knowledge of child mental health and relevant legislation, NICE guidance and government policies.
- An understanding of child development and psychological/psychosocial theories.
- Advanced knowledge and skills in delivery of evidence-based practice and the ability to demonstrate how this influences clinical practice.
Desirable criteria
- Audit and research methodology
Skills
Essential criteria
- Skilled in assessment and formulation, with the ability to manage care appropriately, ensuring discharge is timely.
- Skilled in planning, delivering and evaluating evidence-based therapeutic interventions (individuals and groups) with children and young people across the age range, and their families/carers.
- Skilled in the assessment of clinical risk and developing and communicating appropriate risk management plans.
- Skilled in case management, able to function as a part of a multi-disciplinary team and to liaise effectively with other internal and external agencies, maintaining positive working relationships.
- Ability to communicate highly complex, highly technical and/or clinically sensitive information to patients, families, carers and other professional colleagues within and outside the NHS
- Ability to demonstrate strong organisational skills.
- Ability to autonomously manage own workload and act as lead practitioner
- Ability to manage and organise own time and diary; and to work flexibly and creatively in a clinical context and pressurised situations.
- Ability to work independently with the support of clinical and management supervision.
- Ability to select, use and interpret assessment tools and outcome measures / ROMs effectively and in collaboration with the child, young person, and family.
- Ability to integrate psychological theories and outcome data with clinical practice and service provision.
- The ability to work with people from a range of different backgrounds, cultures and or different ages.
- To be able to provide feedback and constructive guidance to junior members of the team and trainees to facilitate their personal and professional development.
- The ability to reflect on and critically appraise own performance.
- The ability to follow policy and make proposals for change.
- The ability to maintain clinical records both written and electronic.
- The ability to cope with stressful situations including maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the case of highly emotive and distressing problems.
Desirable criteria
- Ability to develop, provide and evaluate training and workshops.
- Advanced IT skills
Personal Attributes
Essential criteria
- Demonstrate a commitment to personal professional development
- Commitment to work in line with Trust values
- A commitment to the inclusion of young people’s and parent/carer views in service delivery, development and design.
- Willingness to contribute to team functioning, performance and the ongoing development of the service.
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
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Gender Service Recruitment
- Job title
- [email protected]
- Email address
- [email protected]
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