Specialist Parent and Infant Mental Health Practitioner - CFHD

Job summary

We welcome applicants from a range of professional backgrounds. You might be a child and adolescent psychotherapist, health visitor, psychologist, or come from another relevant professional background. What matters most to us is your knowledge and experience of working with babies, parents and carers, your understanding of Parent-Infant relationships and early emotional development, and your ability to work thoughtfully with the complexity that families may bring.

This is an exciting opportunity to join the Parent Infant Relationship (PAIR) Team at an important stage in its development. We are looking for an experienced and enthusiastic practitioner with a passion for infant mental health, attachment and early relationships, who would like to contribute to the continued development of this 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 importance of early relationships in supporting emotional wellbeing and development.

We are particularly interested in applicants with experience in areas such as infant mental health, Parent-Infant relationship work, attachment-focused practice, perinatal services, health visiting or other early years settings. We recognise that relevant skills and experience may have been developed through different professional routes, and we are interested in what you can bring to this role.

Main duties of the job

Why Join the PAIR Team?

This is an opportunity to join a specialist team at an important point in its development. The PAIR Team is committed to delivering high-quality, evidence-informed care that recognises the importance of early relationships in supporting babies' emotional wellbeing and development.

You will be part of a supportive multidisciplinary team, with opportunities for ongoing learning, supervision, reflective practice, innovation and service development. Most importantly, you will have the opportunity to make a meaningful difference to babies, parents and families at a particularly important stage in their lives.

The successful applicant will:

• Provide specialist assessment and intervention where there are concerns about the Parent-Infant relationship.
• Work collaboratively with colleagues across CFHD and partner agencies, including Health Visiting, Perinatal Mental Health Services, Family Hubs, Midwifery Services and Children's Services.
• Deliver evidence-based and evidence-informed interventions that promote infant emotional wellbeing and strengthen Parent-Infant relationships.
• Provide consultation, training and support to professionals working with infants and families.
• Participate in multidisciplinary discussion, formulation and care planning.
• Contribute to safeguarding processes and multi-agency working where required.
• Support the ongoing development and evaluation of the PAIR service.

About us

At Children and Family Health Devon, we are dedicated to improving the physical and mental health of children and young people across Devon and Torbay. We aim to create an environment where children and young people can thrive and are committed to reducing health inequalities and providing specialised support, empowering them to lead healthy, fulfilling lives.

Our children and young people say

We would like the people who work for Children and Family Health Devon to be understanding, patient and respectful. They should be trustworthy and make us feel safe and comfortable. It is important that they use their skills and experience to listen carefully in a non-patronising and non-judgemental way. When staff are positive and friendly, they help to create an environment that is informal and without pressure.

Who we are

We are an alliance of NHS organisations led by Devon Partnership Trust. We are a group of professionals including psychologists, psychiatrists, occupational therapists, speech and language therapists, physiotherapists, nurses and many other professions.

Join us in beautiful Devon

With access to moors, sea and cities, there are plenty of opportunities to enjoy Devon. Whether you enjoy spending time in the cultural hub of Exeter, exploring the Jurassic coastline or discovering the world surfing reserve in North Devon there really is something for everyone.