Specialist Mental Health Practitioner (PAIR) - CFHD
At a glance
- Band
- Band 7
- Contract
- Fixed-term
- Pattern
- Part-time, Flexible working
- Posted
- 03/09/2026
- Closes
- 17/09/2026
Sponsorship verdict
This contract type is not eligible for Skilled Worker sponsorship.
NHS Trusts cannot issue a Certificate of Sponsorship for part-time, bank, locum, zero-hours, job-share or short fixed-term (under 12 months) contracts under current Home Office rules. This applies even when the wider Trust holds a Skilled Worker licence.
Role summary
This is an exciting opportunity to join the newly established Parent Infant Relationship (PAIR) Team, focusing on infant mental health, attachment, and early relationships. The role involves providing specialist assessment and intervention for parent-infant relationships, working collaboratively with various agencies. The successful applicant will deliver evidence-based interventions, offer consultation and training, and contribute to service development and safeguarding processes. This maternity cover post offers a chance to shape an innovative specialist service within the MERS Pathway.
Essential criteria
- Professional knowledge acquired through degree supplemented by
- specialist training or equivalent experience to masters level WITH a relevant core professional training (e.g. Nursing, Clinical Psychology, Social Work, Occupational Therapy, etc) and relevant professional registration.
- Training in an evidence-based therapeutic approach.
- Evidence of relevant CPD.
Desirable criteria
- Training in supervision and/or leadership skills.
- Experience of working collaboratively with service users and their families/carers, including using goal-based care and routine outcome measures in practice.
- Experience of working collaboratively in a multi-disciplinary team and across agencies.
- Experience of working with children and young peoples with Autism and/or a Learning Disability, families and parents/carers, maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems and verbal abuse.
- Experience of undertaking specialist mental health and/or behavioural assessment and therapeutic interventions for in the area of childrens mental health, with the ability to work with complex needs and undertake risk assessments.
- Experience of safeguarding infants and ensuring the safety of children in partnership with other agencies as appropriate.
- Experience that evidences an ability to tend to diversity and work in a way that promotes anti-discriminatory practice.
- Experience of initiating, attending and contributing to multi-professional and inter-agency meetings.
- Experience in providing effective clinical supervision, teaching, training and assessing in clinical practice.
- Experience of providing professional teaching and training for other professionals.
- Knowledge, skills and abilities
- Understanding of relevant legislation pertaining to child mental health and learning disability.
- High level knowledge of mental health presentations in and children/young people and knowledge of the theory and practice of short term and long term, evidence-based, clinical interventions in the field of perinatal and infant mental health and who may also present with a Learning Disability.
- Knowledge of child development.
- Knowledge of legislation in relation to children and adolescents and safeguarding procedures and policies.
- Knowledge of NHS, Social Care and Education structures, national policies and frameworks, evidence based practice including NICE guidelines.
- Knowledge of risk management and ability to monitor and assess risk and act accordingly to ensure safety.
- Additional requirement
- A full driving licence and access to a vehicle is required for this role.
- Professional knowledge acquired through degree supplemented by
- specialist training or equivalent experience to masters level WITH a relevant core professional training (e.g. Nursing, Clinical Psychology, Social Work, Occupational Therapy, etc) and relevant professional registration.
- Training in an evidence-based therapeutic approach.
- Evidence of relevant CPD.
- Training in supervision and/or leadership skills.
- Experience of working collaboratively with service users and their families/carers, including using goal-based care and routine outcome measures in practice.
- Experience of working collaboratively in a multi-disciplinary team and across agencies.
- Experience of working with children and young peoples with Autism and/or a Learning Disability, families and parents/carers, maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems and verbal abuse.
- Experience of undertaking specialist mental health and/or behavioural assessment and therapeutic interventions for in the area of childrens mental health, with the ability to work with complex needs and undertake risk assessments.
- Experience of safeguarding infants and ensuring the safety of children in partnership with other agencies as appropriate.
- Experience that evidences an ability to tend to diversity and work in a way that promotes anti-discriminatory practice.
- Experience of initiating, attending and contributing to multi-professional and inter-agency meetings.
- Experience in providing effective clinical supervision, teaching, training and assessing in clinical practice.
- Experience of providing professional teaching and training for other professionals.
- Knowledge, skills and abilities
- Understandin
Useful to know
Agenda for Change 2024/25 pays Band 7 at £46,148 – £52,809 a year, across England.
This advert: £49,387 – £56,515 — outside the standard scale; check for HCAS/London weighting.
Posted 2d ago · Closes in 13d
Plenty of time to prepare a strong application.
Full advert · preview
Job summary
This is an exciting opportunity
to join the newly established Parent Infant Relationship (PAIR) Team at a
formative stage of its development. We are looking for an experienced and
enthusiastic practitioner with a passion for infant mental health, attachment
and early relationships who is keen to help shape and grow this innovative
specialist service within the MERS Pathway.
The PAIR Team has been developed
to strengthen support for babies, parents and carers during the earliest years
of life, recognising the vital role that early relationships play in shaping
emotional wellbeing, development and lifelong outcomes.
This maternity cover post offers
the opportunity to work within a developing specialist service alongside
passionate colleagues who are committed to improving outcomes for babies and
families across Devon. As the service continues to grow and embed, the successful
applicant will have the opportunity to contribute to service development and
help shape the future direction of the PAIR offer.
We are particularly interested
in applicants who already have experience working within infant mental health,
attachment-focused services, parent-infant relationship work, early years
mental health or related areas of practice.
Interview date - 25th September 2026
Main duties of the job
Provide specialist assessment
and intervention where there are concern
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