164 Mental health advocate jobs

Purpose of the role 

You’ll be joining an exciting 2-year-old project working creatively alongside BANES CAMHS (the local NHS Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service) to offer non-clinical support that ensures an excellent experience for children and young people accessing mental health support across BANES.

As our CAMHS Link Worker, you’ll be embedded within the CAHMS team, working alongside a wide range clinicians to build trusted relationships with young people and provide 1:1 support for wellbeing, taking a social prescribing approach.

You’ll support children and young people who are: accessing CAMHS support for the first time, already receiving CAMHS support, and those who are moving towards being discharged from CAMHS. You’ll also work to tackle inequalities that disadvantaged groups may face when accessing CAHMS, including Looked After Children, those with SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities), young people out of school, and other groups who are hard to reach and/or hard to engage. 

Your attributes 

We are looking for a candidate who has excellent listening skills and the ability to form positive relationships with young people. You need to be able to carefully manage caseloads and understand the need to work in person-centred way. 

Your enthusiasm and personality are as important to us as your experience. If you can’t tick off every point in the person specification below but feel that you have the right transferable skills to succeed in the post, please do still apply. 

If you would like an informal, confidential conversation about the role before applying, please email OTR to arrange a time for a chat with our Lead CAMHS Link Worker. 

Key duties 

Establishing Links: 

• Develop and maintain effective relationships with children and young people, their families, and relevant external agencies to facilitate access to the right support at the right time. 

• Help to maintain a directory of local community groups and support networks to enable effective social prescribing. 

Assessment and Support: 

• Work closely with children and young people to help them identify their support needs and goals.

• Collaborate with the CAMHS multi-disciplinary team, including taking notes during Initial Assessments.

• Hold a caseload of children and young people providing social prescribing. 

Advocacy and Guidance: 

• Advocate for the rights and needs of children and young people within the CAMHS system. 

• Offer guidance to children, young people and families on navigating the mental health support landscape, including available services and pathways to care. 

 Collaborative Working: 

• Work closely with teams within OTR and CAMHS to co-ordinate holistic care for children and young people. 

• Participate in team meetings, case conferences, and relevant training to enhance service delivery. 

Documentation and Reporting: 

• Maintain accurate records of interactions, assessments, and support plans in accordance with OTR and CAMHS guidelines. 

• Maintain accurate and up to date outcomes and feedback records. 

For full job description and person specification, please see the OTR website