Everyone deserves a safe place to call home.
Company Limited by Guarantee number 1741926 Charity Number 287779 Registered in England as Single Homeless Project
shp Single Homeless Project
| Job title: | Mental Health Practitioner |
| Delegated Authority: | Level 7 |
| Team: | Camden Young Person's High Support Accommodation |
| Responsible to: | Service Manager |
| Responsible for: | N/A |
Job purpose
This role exists to strengthen the way young people in Camden’s high support accommodation access, understand and engage with mental health and wider health support. Many young people we work alongside have experienced trauma, instability, disrupted care, exclusion from services or long waits for the right help. As Mental Health Practitioner, you will help build the trust, structure and confidence needed for young people to take their next steps towards improved wellbeing, safety and independence.
You will hold a focused caseload of young people with higher mental health needs, carrying out screenings, building clear health profiles, supporting referrals and helping young people engage with appointments, treatment and care planning. You will work in a way that keeps young people central to decisions about their own health, recognising that engagement is often built slowly through consistency, patience and strong relationships.
Alongside your direct work, you will support colleagues to feel more confident in responding to mental health need, crisis, risk and barriers to engagement. You will build strong links with local mental health, CAMHS, adult mental health, primary care and other health partners, helping create a more joined-up service where young people are not passed between systems, but actively supported to access the care they need.
Key accountabilities
Direct support and casework
Hold a focused caseload of young people with higher mental health and wellbeing needs, providing practical, relational and goal-focused support.
Complete health screenings, profiles and assessments that help identify needs, risks, barriers and the right routes into support.
Support young people to access and engage with health appointments, referrals, treatment and care planning, including transitions between children’s and adult services.
Help young people build confidence, knowledge and practical skills to manage their own health and maintain engagement with support.
Mental health practice and team support
Provide advice, guidance and reflective support to colleagues working with young people experiencing mental distress, crisis or barriers to engagement.
Support staff to understand different presentations of mental health need and apply trauma informed, psychologically informed and strengths-based approaches.
Contribute to case reviews, reflective practice and multi-disciplinary discussions where mental health, risk or engagement is a key concern.
Work closely with SHP’s psychological services and relevant internal specialists to shape helpful interventions, group work or psycho-social education.
Partnership working and care coordination
Build effective working relationships with local mental health, CAMHS, adult social care, primary care, substance use and other health services.
Coordinate referrals, information sharing and joint working so young people receive more joinedup and responsive support.
Advocate for young people where they face barriers to accessing health services, treatment or appropriate care pathways.
Represent the service professionally in relevant meetings, reviews or local forums where required.
Safeguarding, risk and information sharing
Contribute to risk assessments, support and safety plans, safeguarding actions and management plans where mental health or health-related risk is present.
Ensure risks, concerns and changes in presentation are clearly recorded, shared and escalated in line with SHP policy and local procedures.
Establish and maintain appropriate consent and information-sharing arrangements with young people and partner agencies.
Ensure all health-related activity is delivered safely, with clear attention to confidentiality, safeguarding, data protection and young people’s rights.
Service development, impact and improvement
Support the development of clearer health pathways, referral processes and local partnership arrangements within the service.
Record activity, outcomes and learning to help evidence impact, identify gaps and strengthen the service’s response to young people’s health needs.
Use feedback from young people, staff and partners to inform improvements and keep young people’s voices central to service development.
Contribute to the development of health, wellbeing and meaningful activity opportunities, including use of agreed health or social prescribing budgets where applicable.
Teamwork and professional practice
Work closely with the Service Manager, frontline teams and wider Young People’s Services to support safe, consistent and high-quality practice.
Take part in team meetings, reflective practice, case discussions and relevant SHP health forums.
Maintain accurate, timely and clear records in line with SHP policy and service expectations.
Stay up to date with relevant practice, guidance and local health provision, using learning to strengthen support for young people and colleagues.
Miscellaneous
SHP is at discretion to amend your responsibilities and, in addition to these, you may be required to perform other duties as may be required for the efficient running of the organisation.
To create inclusive working environments and cultures to enable colleagues and clients to feel safe and empowered to achieve their full potential.
Technical and professional know-how needed for position
When completing your application, you will be required to address (using examples) some of the points below
Experience and Knowledge
Experience supporting young people with mental health needs, trauma, distress or barriers to engaging with services.
Good understanding of mental health support pathways, including CAMHS, adult mental health services, primary care and community health provision.
Understanding of safeguarding, risk management, support planning and safe information sharing when working with young people.
Knowledge of trauma informed, psychologically informed and strengths based approaches.
Understanding of the barriers young people experiencing homelessness, care experience or instability may face when accessing health services.
Experience of working with partner agencies to coordinate care, referrals, appointments or multi-agency support plans.
Skills and Abilities
Able to build trust with young people who may feel let down by, or mistrustful of, services.
Confident supporting young people through mental health distress, crisis, uncertainty or complex choices about their care.
Able to guide and support colleagues in a calm, clear and reflective way.
Strong communication skills, including clear recording, handovers, case updates and partnership communication.
Able to use data, feedback and outcomes to identify gaps, evidence impact and improve practice.
Able to work independently, manage a focused caseload and prioritise competing demands.