Job Description

This full-time training will begin in January 2026 with around 2.5 days a week for academic work (teaching and personal study) and 2.5 days based at the service seeing clients related to training assignments. The trainee will be both an employee of the service and an enrolled student with King's College London. Upon completion, qualified trainees will receive a KCL Postgraduate Diploma.



Our service has an exciting opportunity for a Recruit to Train Trainee (Cognitive Behaviour Therapy-SFP-CDD) to join our team as part of the NHS England (NHSE) funded Children and Young People (CYP) Psychological Training Programmes (formerly CYP-IAPT).



Recruit to Train is a government-funded initiative aiming to grow the child mental health workforce to meet much-needed demand. To help reach this goal, NHSE covers salary and training costs for a 1-year post, allowing services to employ trainees to aid in implementing new or expanding existing specialist pathways to bridge the gaps in CYP mental health support.



This is a unique opportunity to apply your learning from weekly teaching into practical clinical interventions working with clients in the service, making a direct impact in the lives of children, young people, and their families.



We are seeking highly motivated candidates who are enthusiastic about making a difference to children's mental health through evidence-based interventions based on NICE Guideline recommended treatment.



You will be committed to the CYP Psychological Training Programme core principles: accessibility, accountability, participation, awareness, and evidence-based practice and in providing an inclusive and effective service for children and young people, along with a dedication to equity, diversity, and inclusion.



This is a dual application process. In addition to applying for this position with us, you must also complete a KCL application for the Course Team to review. The Course Team will liaise with us on whether you meet the academic requirements for the course during the recruitment process. You will only be offered a KCL training place if you are successful in securing this post and you meet the university training requirements (such as academic background, relevant experience, and visa approval).



Any queries applicants have on the course, i.e., teaching/content can be sent to the course programme team cyp-mh@kcl.ac.uk (KCL)



Croydon MSHT is a growing service designed to help meet the mental health needs of children and young people (CYP) in education settings. As an early intervention service, the MHST delivers school interventions for those with mild to moderate mental health issues and supports schools in developing their Whole-School Approach to mental health and wellbeing. The team will also help CYP with more severe needs access the right support, working with schools to provide a link to specialist NHS services.



Our MHST supports 16 schools in Croydon. The successful candidate will be employed by Croydon CAMHS where the MHST deliver emotional wellbeing interventions using Guided Self-Help strategies.



By coming to work at SLaM, you will gain experience of being part of an organisation with a rich history and international reputation in mental health care. You will have access to professional development and learning opportunities and have the chance to work alongside people who are world leaders in their field. SLaM delivered more than 14,000 training experiences in 2014, providing an extensive range of learning opportunities for staff at all levels. In addition, our working relationship with King's Health Partners allows those working at the Trust to get involved in academic research.



This intensive training post will equip the post-holder to provide interventions for children, young people, or families using the core principles of the CYP Psychological Training Programme and consistent with the evidence base in the area of SFP. The post-holder will work in the service for at least 2.5 days of the week, using the newly developed skills whilst attending the training programme or undertaking self-study days for the remaining days, as required by the education provider.



Working with schools to improve mental health outcomes for children and young people, including planning and delivering activities as part of a whole school/college approach, providing assessment and intervention using evidence-based approaches and providing guided signposting and liaison with other services. The post holder will hold an appropriate training caseload and complete the necessary assignments to meet the course requirements.



With the assistance of their clinical supervisor, accept appropriate referrals;



Work as part of the Croydon MHST team to manage a defined caseload with a focus on providing focused assessment and evidence-based intervention for children and young people (CYP) with mild to moderate mental health difficulties and their parents/carers.



Assess clients for suitability for the treatment for which modality-specific training is provided;



Make decisions on suitability of new referrals, adhering to the department's referral protocols, and refer unsuitable clients on to the relevant service or back to the referral agent as necessary;



Formulate, implement and evaluate therapeutic intervention for clients in line with their training modality and experience;



Involve the system around the child in treatment as appropriate, e.g., parent/carer, school, conveying therapy formulations with sensitivity in easily understood language;



Attend multi-disciplinary meetings relating to referrals or clients in treatment, where appropriate;



Complete all requirements relating to data collection within the service;



Keep coherent records of all clinical activity in line with service protocols;



Work closely with other members of the team, ensuring appropriate step-up and step-down arrangements are in place to maintain a stepped care approach.



We are seeking highly motivated candidates who are enthusiastic about making a difference to children's mental health through evidence-based interventions based on the NICE Guideline-recommended treatment.



You will be committed to the CYP Psychological Training Programme core principles: accessibility, accountability, participation, awareness, and evidence-based practice and in providing an inclusive and effective service for children and young people, along with a dedication to equity, diversity, and inclusion.



Please review the additional documents for more information on the role, person specification, and other employment documents.