RAIS Senior Mental Health Practitioner

Go back Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

RAIS Senior Mental Health Practitioner

The closing date is 05 October 2025

An exciting opportunity has arisen for 3 enthusiastic and motivated individuals who are passionate about childrens mental health and crisis intervention to join the RAIS (Respond and Intensive Support) Team.

The RAIS team work with children and their families intensively over a period of 2 weeks and work 7 days a week/365 days a year.

We aim to stabilise Young people, instill hope, empower parents to maintain safety and try and improve mental health

We work alongside each other and for the individual's overall care the team is responsible.

There are going to be changes made to the Blackpool RAIS Team and we want you to be part of that exciting change

Main duties of the job

• To work with YP's and their families to stabilise risk of mental health difficulties
• To work within a multi-disciplinary team to develop the best pathway of care for every young person and their family
• To work intensively for a period of 2 weeks until the YP's risk has stabilised and they can be managed by their care co-ordinator in the community
• To provide comprehensive assessments, reviews and discharge to manage safety and to help in crisis
• To work alongside local childrens mental health services and liaise on a regular basis
• Liaise with the wider services to build relationships and help with scaffolding the Young Person and their families
• To mentor and supervise junior members of staff
• To attend regular morning meetings and provide up to date handovers of patients under the RAIS Team
• To attend daily morning meetings, regualar RAIS team meetings and complex case discussion meetings

About us

Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is ideally situated just a forty five minute drive from Manchester. The Trust provides services to the 440,000 residents of Blackpool, Fylde & Wyre and North Lancashire, as well as specialist tertiary care for Cardiac and Haematology patients.

As one of the United Kingdom's largest coastal resort, Blackpool has plenty to offer its residents -it's not just a good place to work; it's a great place to live. In addition to its bustling centre and historic seafront, the town is world famous for its many attractions, including the famous Blackpool Tower. Blackpool also offers a number of scenic cycling routes round our local parks and across the surrounding countryside, as well as boasting panoramic views of the coast on its picturesque Promenade. Further afield, Blackpool also benefits from less than three-hour connections via rail to Edinburgh in the north and London in the south

Job responsibilities

To provide full clinical assessments of children, young people and their families referred to CASHER/RAIS in a variety of settings and situations including the childrens ward/A&E, Adolescent Unit, Place of Calm (POC) and various community settings. You could be asked to carry out an assessment in other locations including the clients home/care home. You will be required to work weekends, evenings and Bank Holidays.

This role will include regular liaison and collaborative working with other agencies i.e. social services / education / CAMHS/ Resilience Team & external agencies.To regularly discuss clinical issues and concerns with the RAIS Team Manager along with other agencies as required. To work closely with other agency staff and provide regular professional consultation, training and advice in order to identify and address the mental health needs of children and young people as early as possible. To understand and work within Child Protection protocols and guidelines.To regularly raise awareness and promote the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people within the wider community. To collaborate with a range of other agencies e.g. Social Services, education, private and voluntary sector to promote a network of services providing help and support to children, young people, parents and their carers. To participate in and provide training and supervision to other team members. To maintain a high standard of record keeping and reports. Participate in clinical governance programs within RAIS Team. To evaluate the effectiveness of therapeutic interventions e.g. individual work, family work, group work whilst responding to the changing needs of the clients andthe service. To attend and participate in regular clinical and managerial supervision within the multidisciplinary team. Whenever possible to attend team meetings on a regular basis for both the RAIS Team To support students and other trainees on placement with the service.To work in the context of an equal opportunities framework and to promote equalityin all areas of work.

Person Specification Qualifications

• Registered professional qualification in Mental Health Nursing, Social Work, OT or other equivalent qualification. At least 12 months experience in a clinical setting
• Post registration qualification in child & adolescent mental health or qualification in therapeutic approaches with children, young people, parents or carers.
• Qualification in teaching, assessing and mentoring of students.

Experience

• Evidence of experience working in a community setting as part of a multidisciplinary team.
• Evidence of carrying out comprehensive assessments and care plans.
• Evidence of collaborative working with other services.
• Evidence of experience and/or training in supervising staff.
• Relevant post qualifying experience of working within children and families.
• Significant post- registered qualification experience with children, adolescents and families in the area of mental health ( 0-25ys ).

Personal

• Evidence of ability to communicate effectively, both written and verbal.
• Evidence of ability to work as an effective member of a team.
• Evidence of ability to work under pressure.
• Evidence of ability to exercise a high level of Judgment and decision-making.
• Evidence of ability to prioritise work appropriately.
• Evidence of awareness to extend knowledge and personal development.
• Evidence of ability to collaborate effectively within and across services.
• Evidence of ability to adapt to changing environment.
• Evidence of being able to work flexible hours
• Evidence of car owner/driver or access to a suitable alternative transport to enable to undertake the role.

Management

• Evidence of ability to manage own time effectively.
• Evidence of ability to use and provide clinical supervision effectively.
• Evidence of ability to use basic IT and information systems.
• Evidence of ability to keep clear and accurate records.

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.

Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

£38,682 to £46,580 a year Dependant on experience