Senior Community Mental Health Practitioner

Senior Community Mental Health Practitioner Job Summary

We are seeking a dynamic, highly motivated & enthusiastic senior Mental Health Practitioner (MHP) to join the Forensic Intellectual and Neurodevelopmental Disorder Team (FIND) based at Easby House, part of Devon Partnership NHS Trust’s Secure Services directorate. The FIND team is embedded within the Community Forensic Services (CFS), which also includes the Specialist Community Forensic Team (SCFT) and the Forensic Personality Disorder Service (FPDS).

Since 2021 the CFS has integrated the management of these teams to centralise triage and gate‑keeping for a single point of entry. FIND aims to reduce the length of stay for secure care patients with primary diagnoses of Learning Disability (LD), Autism Spectrum Condition (ASC) and/or Acquired Brain Injury (ABI), and to minimise the use of out‑of‑area or specialist placements.

As a core member of the multi‑disciplinary FIND service, you will take an active role in carrying out the team’s functions. You will manage a complex caseload, provide expert assessment and treatment for people with complex difficulties and their carers, coordinate recovery‑care plans, liaise with statutory and non‑statutory agencies, and contribute to clinical leadership, supervision, and service development.

• Maintain a case load of varying complexity with a focus on service users who would benefit most from special forensic LD and A intervention.
• Deliver care management, assessment, care planning, review and evaluation.
• Provide expert assessment and treatment for people with complex difficulties and their carers, including recovery care coordination.
• Work collaboratively with agencies and participate in team and service development.
• Supervise other team members and provide clinical leadership.
• Prioritise tasks, manage workload independently and support colleagues under pressure.

• Professional mental health qualification (e.g., RMN, Social Work Degree, BSc/Diploma in OT).
• Post‑graduate qualification relevant to forensic mental health.
• Student supervisor/assessor or Practice Educator accreditation or equivalent.
• Evidence of post‑graduate courses, ongoing training and development in theory and practice in chosen profession.

• Understanding of the Mental Health Act and Mental Health Capacity Act requirements.
• Awareness of community structures and social care management responsibilities.
• Understanding of recovery principles and good working knowledge of health legislation including CPA, CeTR and risk assessment and management.
• Training and presentation skills; excellent written and verbal communication; group work skills.
• Ability to communicate with a wide range of professionals, assess and manage risk, reflect and critically appraise practice, and maintain professional boundaries.
• Creative planning for complex multi‑agency care plans, independent and team working, self‑management and prioritisation.
• Initiative and innovation in developing new ideas.

• Mobile across a geographical area and able to respond promptly to physical and mental health emergencies.

• Established with learning disability, autism and acquired brain injury.
• Experience managing an extensive and complex caseload of clients with complex forensic needs.
• Work within a community mental health setting in either the statutory or voluntary sector.
• Clinical supervision experience for qualified and/or support staff.
• Experience in a multi‑disciplinary and multi‑agency environment.
• Understanding of current issues within secure services, clinical governance, practice education and associated implications.
• Application of health and safety and risk management policies.
• Awareness of the implications of long‑term institutional care and understanding of team dynamics.

Devon Partnership NHS Trust
Easy House, Langdon Hospital, Dawlish, Devon, EX7 0NR

Website:

Disclosures and Barring Service Check:
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and requires a Disclosure and Barring Service check for any previous convictions.
Certificate of Sponsorship:
Applicants requiring current Skilled Worker sponsorship are welcome to apply.
UK Registration:
Applicants must hold current UK professional registration.