Outreach Liaison Practitioner

Make a Difference Where It Matters Most Are you passionate about improving outcomes for children and young people facing complex mental health challenges? We are looking for an experienced and motivated Outreach Liaison Practitioner to join our dynamic Mindworks Hub team. This is a unique opportunity to work at the centre of an innovative, multi-agency service, supporting children, young people and families whose needs require intensive coordination, creative problem-solving, and strong professional leadership. As an Outreach Liaison Practitioner, you will play a pivotal role in ensuring that children and young people receive the right support at the right time, particularly those whose needs have not been met through traditional pathways., You will hold a small, focused caseload of children and young people with complex and often longstanding needs, acting as the Lead Professional to coordinate care and strengthen support networks around them. You will work with young people who:

• Are at risk of placement breakdown or escalation
• Struggle to step down following extended interventions
• Find it difficult to engage with traditional therapeutic pathways due to systemic complexity
• Require a stronger, more coordinated professional network around them
• Have experienced multiple referrals with ongoing unmet needs for themselves and their families
This role involves extensive partnership working and requires someone who can confidently build relationships, influence decision-making, and lead across organisational boundaries to achieve the best possible outcomes. Travel across Surrey and home visits will be an essential part of the role., What You'll Be Doing As an Outreach Liaison Practitioner, you will:
• Provide leadership and specialist expertise in the development and delivery of the Outreach Liaison pathway.
• Act as Lead Professional, overseeing assessment, formulation, care planning, and coordination for children and young people with complex presentations.
• Undertake timely assessments of children and young people presenting with moderate to severe mental health difficulties, including assessments relating to self-harm.
• Deliver timely follow-up interventions and ensure effective signposting to appropriate services.
• Work closely with families, schools, health colleagues, social care, and wider partners to create coordinated support plans.
• Support professionals across the alliance partnership by sharing knowledge, providing consultation, and building confidence in working with children and young people experiencing mental health difficulties.
• Promote collaborative, outcome-focused approaches that strengthen resilience within the child's wider support network.
  
  Extensive post-qualification experience, including experience of working as a Band 6 (or equivalent level) within a community setting
• Significant experience working with children and young people (CYP) with mental health needs in community-based environments
• Proven ability to carry out comprehensive mental health and risk assessments, including risk formulation, crisis and contingency planning, and the use of outcome measures, Driving Licence and use of vehicle for work, Strong understanding of formulation-led practice and its application in complex and high-risk cases
• Experience in developing and implementing care plans that address risk and safeguard children or vulnerable individuals
• Sound knowledge of family functioning, with the ability to apply a systemic, whole family approach
• Clear understanding of safeguarding procedures and statutory responsibilities
• Experience of working effectively across multi-agency systems, developing collaborative and coordinated approaches to care
• Ability to lead, contribute to, and support multidisciplinary and formulation meetings, including offering guidance and challenge where appropriate
• Experience of supporting and developing others, including delivering training through a range of approaches
• Ability to identify gaps in provision and contribute to service development, improving outcomes for children and young people
• Experience in managing and responding to complaints in line with organisational expectations and professional standards
• Experience of working within partnership frameworks such as i-THRIVE, supporting needs-led, outcome-focused care across the system
  
  Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Foundation Trust is the leading provider of mental health, learning disability, neurodevelopmental and drug and alcohol services in Surrey and North East Hampshire. We support people of all ages and are passionate about providing high quality care that is delivered at the right time as close to home as possible to help people recover and stay well.
We are one of the top 10 mental Health, Learning Disability and Community Trust to work for nationwide. Our Trust is an inclusive and supportive employer that offers a wide range of staff networks, flexible working, free parking and excellent health and wellbeing support. We also provide a wide range of opportunities to help staff develop and progress. Surrey is a beautiful county lying just 30 minutes away from Central London and from the South Coast. Our historic market towns and bustling districts are enveloped in wonderful countryside, and our excellent road and rail networks bring the rest of the country within easy reach. For international travel, both Gatwick and Heathrow airports are nearby.