Highly Specialist Therapist – Children and Families Service

Hackney is seeking an expert practitioner and dynamic leader to step into the role of Highly Specialist Therapist within our newly redesigned in-house Mental Health Service. Holding a pivotal clinical leadership post, you will navigate the complex intersection of Children’s Social Care and Mental Health services to ensure Hackney’s most vulnerable children receive timely, trauma-informed, and evidence-based psychological support.

In this role, you will provide high-level clinical support, formulation, governance, and supervision to a dedicated team of clinicians (including Specialist Therapists, YJS practitioners, and trainees). Beyond direct clinical delivery, you will act as a strategic bridge—delivering “expert-to-expert” consultation to Social Work Managers, navigating complex CAMHS and AMHS pathways, and designing workforce wellbeing frameworks to support staff resilience.

Our Practice Framework: The STAR Model

Hackney is on an ambitious journey to embed a Systemic, Trauma-informed, and Anti-Racist (STAR) practice model. We are deeply committed to anti-oppressive practice, actively centering the lived experiences of families and clinicians with marginalised identities. Our STAR framework ensures a sharp focus on ethnicity and race, while deeply attending to the intersections of sexuality, faith, neurodiversity, and other protected characteristics. As a Highly Specialist Therapist, you will act as a key champion in driving this cultural change and clinical excellence across the Directorate.

Key Responsibilities

– Clinical Leadership: Hold a clinical caseload of children presenting with highly complex needs including looked after children, care leavers and young people within the youth justice system. Oversee service referral pathways, clinical flow, and deliver advanced formulations that directly support social work decision-making.

– Specialist Supervision & Governance: Provide formal clinical supervision and professional governance to Specialist Therapists and clinicians across Youth Justice, Edge of Care, and Children’s Homes teams.

– Strategic Liaison & CAMHS Interface: Lead the CAMHS Liaison function, acting as the primary clinical interface with NHS statutory health providers to manage complex care pathways and ensure no child falls between the gaps.

– Systemic Consultation & Reflective Spaces: Deliver specialist consultation to social work managers to help stabilise high-risk placements. Design and facilitate reflective practice groups using a vicarious trauma lens following critical or near-critical incidents.

– Anti-Racist Practice Champion: Drive the delivery of STAR methodologies in all aspects of clinical practice, ensuring models are culturally sensitive and actively challenge systemic inequalities.

About You

We are looking for an expert, registered clinician (e.g., UKCP, HCPC, AFT, ACP, or equivalent) with significant post-qualification experience in specialist mental health settings. You will bring:

– Post-graduate clinical qualification and a recognised qualification/training in Clinical Supervision.

– Expertise in working autonomously with complex trauma, attachment issues, and high-stakes clinical risk (e.g., self-harm, safeguarding, CSA, or Harmful Sexual Behaviour).

– Proven experience in providing formal clinical supervision and leading workforce reflective spaces.

– Strong collaborative skills to navigate agency boundaries, liaise with statutory health services, and advocate for children in care.

– A profound, demonstrable commitment to anti-racist, systemic, and anti-oppressive ways of working.

An Enhanced DBS check is required for this role.

What We Offer

In return for your expertise and dedication, Hackney offers a supportive, collaborative environment committed to your professional growth. We provide robust systemic support, including external clinical supervision for different therapeutic modalities as required, alongside excellent local authority benefits.

As a Council, our most outstanding asset is our staff, who are highly dedicated to serving our residents and committed to our goals as an organisation.

If you want to work in a place where you can represent our values so we achieve the best for our residents, please click on the apply button below.

We operate a fair and open anonymous selection process. Therefore, we do not accept supporting statements or CV’s.

To proceed with your application, you will need to create an account and submit your application.

As part of the application process, you will need to complete a number of competency-based questions. These questions allow you to demonstrate your suitability for the role and provide examples of your skills, knowledge, and experience outlined in the job description.

We understand the benefits of using AI in the workplace. However, if you are thinking of using this tool to submit your application, we ask you to think about what value it will add. AI tools tend to lack the personal touch and authenticity we value in candidates. We encourage you to showcase your unique knowledge and skills using your own voice.

This application process replaces a supporting statement.

Closing date for applications: 31 August 2026 (22:59)

Interview date: W/c 14 September 2026

We are working towards our vision, which is to be a place for everyone; where residents and staff can be proud. In order to achieve this, we are seeking individuals who embody our “PROUD” values: Purpose and Respect, where we foster belonging through active inclusion, kindness, and open dialogue; Ownership, where we champion proactive collaboration and accountability for our shared success; and Unity and Diversity, where we work as one Council to break down silos and champion anti-racist behavior.

Hackney Council works to eradicate discrimination on the basis of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, and sexual orientation. We also recognise that people can be disadvantaged by their social and economic circumstances, so we will also work to eliminate discrimination and disadvantage caused by social class. We also welcome those interested in flexible working. We particularly welcome applications from disabled people, as this group is currently under represented in our workforce.

The Council has a dedicated employment support service (Hackney Works), which offers Hackney residents guidance in relation to applying for jobs. If you are thinking about applying for a job, please contact the Hackney Works team to find out what support is available: hackneyworks@hackney.gov.uk