Job summary
- Main area
- Children & Adolescent Services
- Grade
- Band 8B
- Contract
- Fixed term: 12 months (Business development)
- Hours
- Full time - 37.5 hours per week
- Job ref
- 222-LS-CAMHS-847
- Employer
- West London NHS Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Heart of Hounslow Health Centre
- Town
- Hounslow
- Salary
- £72,719 - £83,505 per annum inclusive
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 18/11/2026 17:00
Employer heading
Principal CAMHS Social Worker
Band 8B
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
An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Band 8b Principal CAMH Social Worker to join the West London CAMHS Tri-borough Alliance Service for 1 year (Fixed Term).
Alliance is a multidisciplinary Specialist Child & Adolescent Mental Health Crisis Service and Home Treatment Team which is currently based in Lakeside Mental Health Unit, Twickenham Road, Isleworth, TW7 6AF. The team works flexibly across the boroughs of Ealing, Hounslow and Hammersmith and Fulham, working across multiple sites and locations.
This Principal Social Worker will play an integral part in supporting the management function of the Alliance Team, including; staff supervision, clinical leadership and pathway development. The Principal Social Worker will also retain a clinical role, undertaking CAMHS assessment and therapeutic interventions for children and young people with complex mental health needs. Extensive post qualifying experience working within multidisciplinary CAMHS settings at Band 8a is essential for this post and experience of working in a Crisis/HTT is desirable.
We are looking to appoint a Principal CAMH Social Worker who will promote evidence-based social work practice and the social inclusion of children and young people with mental health problems.
Main duties of the job
The Principal Social Worker will provide a visible and accessible leadership presence within the Alliance team through promoting a culture of learning and sharing good practice, acting as a clinically credible role model providing insightful, inspirational and compassionate leadership. They will also be an active member of the Cross-borough leadership team and provide professional leadership for social workers, and clinical and line management supervision to clinicians in the Alliance team.
The Principal Social Worker will contribute to the clinical work of the Alliance Team, undertaking highly specialised assessments, therapeutic work, collaborative safety planning and complex network liaison for children and young people referred to the Alliance Service. Extensive post qualifying experience working within multidisciplinary CAMHS settings which includes experience working at Band 8a, advanced clinical skills and evidence of credible continuing professional development in child and adolescent mental health practice are essential criteria for this post.
As Principal Social Worker you will also help to embed a culture of evidence-based practice and partnership working within the Social Work structure and West London CAMHS. You will conduct and lead complex audit, quality improvement and research projects that examine professional practice, and improve client outcomes, whilst supporting the team to develop excellent social work student placements.
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
- Qualification in Social Work with additional therapeutic qualifications and supplemented with other specialist training and short courses.
- Active Professional registration with Social Work England.
- Evidence of credible continuing professional development in child and adolescent mental health practice
- MSc level training in a relevant specialist field or demonstrable consolidated experience that equates to Masters level knowledge
Desirable criteria
- Training in individual and group therapeutic interventions e.g. CBT, DBT, Solution Focused Therapy, EMDR, Family Interventions, NVR
- Training in standardised assessment tools relevant to the role e.g. ADI-r, ADOS or a willingness to undertake this training
- Post graduate level qualification in management/leadership or can demonstrate an equivalent level of knowledge.
- Practice Educator Professional Standards (PEPS) stage 2 qualification
Experience
Essential criteria
- Extensive post-qualifying experience of working within a multidisciplinary CAMH setting which includes experience working at Band 8a.
- Experience of undertaking specialist assessment and treatment at a level appropriate to the role and within relevant specialist clinical area. (e.g. Adolescents, Children and Families, Eating Disorders, Neuro-developmental Disorders, Crisis Care)
- Extensive experience of working with a wide variety of client groups attending CAMH Services, who are presenting with a range of clinical presentations, severity and complexity.
- Experience of working in a number of ways i.e. assertive outreach, clinic-based settings, home, school or other appropriate environments
- Experience of assessing complex risk and formulating safe and effective risk management plans
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
- Emily Skipsey
- Job title
- Head of Social work
- Email address
- [email protected]
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