Senior Mental Health Practitioner - Recruit to Train (SFP)

Job summary
Children and Family Health Devon (CFHD) is an exciting place to grow your career. We are an innovative, integrated service providing community health and mental health support for children and young people across Devon. We are now recruiting a Senior Mental Health Practitioner to join our Systemic Family Practice (SFP) Recruit-to-Train programme.
In this role, you will complete the Children and Young Peoples Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (CYP IAPT) Postgraduate Diploma at the University of Exeter while working within the Managing Mood, Emotions and Relationships (MERs) pathway in East Devon. During your training year, you will build clinical skills in SFP to support children and families experiencing anxiety, depression, and behavioural difficulties. Following completion, you will continue as a valued SMHP, using your SFP knowledge to deliver evidence-based family interventions across our service.
Applicants must be able to start by January 2026 when the university course begins. Interviews will take place on Wednesday 19th November 2025.
Main duties of the job

• Deliver high-quality mental health assessment and evidence-based interventions for children and families within the MERs pathway
• Train in Systemic Family Practice through the CYP IAPT programme at the University of Exeter, combining study, supervised clinical work, and service delivery
• Apply systemic approaches to work with young people experiencing anxiety, depression, and conduct difficulties
• Work collaboratively within a multidisciplinary team, contributing to case discussions, care planning, and outcome monitoring
• Balance study, clinical practice, and service commitments effectively, demonstrating strong organisation and reflective practice skills
• Contribute to service development, participation activities, and quality improvement within CFHD
  About us
  Children and Family Health Devon (CFHD) comprises an Alliance of NHS organisations working together to improve health outcomes for children and young people in Devon.
  CFHD provides integrated care and treatment for children and young people across physical and mental health. We are working closely with other organisations and providers to ensure we deliver locality and county-wide based integrated access to all of our services, based on the i-Thrive Framework, in response to consultation with our service users and communities.
  CFHD works closely with our local universities of Plymouth, Exeter & the Peninsula Medical School where we support students in clinical training placements and in addition support our own staff to undertake postgraduate training.
  Our integrated care and treatment has been developed and refined in partnership with children, young people, and their families/carers.
  Our children and young people say
  We would like the people who work for Children and Family Health Devon to be understanding, patient, and respectful. They should be trustworthy and make us feel safe and comfortable. It is important that they use their skills and experience to listen carefully in a non-patronising and non-judgemental way. When staff are positive and friendly, they help to create an environment that is informal and without pressure.
  Our vision is to be a successful, vibrant partnership that benefits the communities we serve.
  Job description & Job responsibilities
  Full Vacancy details can be found on the attached Job Description/Person Specification. Please refer to your suitability to the post in your supporting information from the role requirements or person specification.
  Qualifications
  Essential
• A professional qualification at degree level or equivalent e.g. Psychological profession, Nursing, Social Work, Occupational Therapy, or equivalent.
• Professional registration/accreditation with a recognised body, e.g. NMC, HCPC, Social Work England, UKCP, BABCP
  Disclosure and Barring Service Check
  This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
  UK Registration
  Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website.