Senior Mental Health Practitioner – MHST
We are seeking an experienced Senior Mental Health Practitioner (EMHP/CWP) to join the Harrow Mental Health Support Team, delivering short‑term, evidence‑based interventions for children and young people with mild‑to‑moderate anxiety, depression or behavioural difficulties, and their parents/carers.
The post is part of the Green Paper for Transforming Children and Young People’s Mental Health programme. The successful candidate will work within education settings across Harrow, providing individual and group therapy, clinical supervision of junior staff, and supporting the development of whole‑school well‑being approaches.
Closing date: 25 June 2026
Main duties
- Provide 1‑on‑1 and group evidence‑based interventions to CYP and their parents for mild‑to‑moderate mental health issues.
- Support senior mental health leads in schools and colleges to introduce or develop whole‑school or college well‑being approaches.
- Advise school and college staff, liaise with external specialist services, and sign‑post CYP to appropriate support, keeping them in education.
- Manage referrals, conduct clinical telephone triage, carry out face‑to‑face assessments, give advice and sign‑post young people and parents when appropriate.
- Supervise junior clinicians, including Trainee and Qualified Education Mental Health Practitioners.
- Join the duty rota for the service.
Responsibilities
- Form strong working relationships with a range of stakeholders.
- Provide training to team members and other professionals/trainees.
- Supervise junior staff in the team and support the Senior Clinical Supervisors and Service Development Leads in expanding the service and improving quality.
- Develop and deliver evidence‑based individual and group interventions, in line with IAPT principles.
- Hold a caseload of CYP with mild‑to‑moderate mental health difficulties, completing thorough assessments, risk assessments, care plans and reviews.
- Maintain accurate, timely documentation and complete routine outcome measures.
- Analyse service outcomes, feed back data to key stakeholders and contribute to data‑driven improvements.
- Provide clinical supervision to Education Mental Health Practitioners and day‑to‑day support for Trainee Education Mental Health Practitioners.
- Contribute to group supervision sessions and to the senior team’s welfare.
- Support the development of interventions for SEN settings where appropriate.
- Appropriately raise and report safeguarding concerns, and support colleagues through the safeguarding process.
- Safeguard children and adults, recognise risks, and escalation when necessary.
- Act as an advocate for service users and be open and transparent about your practice.
- Identify and report areas for improvement in safety or quality, and work with the team to implement changes.
- Maintain compliance with core training and policies, including Fire, Lone Working, Health & Safety and Absence Management.
- Report accidents/incidents as per the service’s reporting procedures.
Qualifications
- Relevant professional qualification at degree level (Mental Health Nursing, Social Work, Occupational Therapy, Art Therapy, Drama Therapy, Music Therapy, or LD Nursing) or substantial consolidated experience as an EMHP or CWP.
- Additional qualifications or training in child and adolescent mental health – e.g. CBT (CYP‑IAPT), other accredited courses, workshops, postgraduate training.
- Registered with a relevant professional body.
- Formal CBT training or postgraduate accredited training in CBT.
- EMHP supervisor training.
Experience and Knowledge
- Substantial consolidated experience working in child and adolescent mental health.
- Experience in a multidisciplinary or multi‑agency setting.
- Good understanding of the range of CAMHS services, conditions and safeguarding procedures.
- Experience supervising or training junior staff.
- Extensive experience delivering evidence‑based interventions for mild‑to‑moderate mental health issues to CYP individually, to parents/carers and in groups.
- Experience in mental health promotion work.
- Experience working with schools to support CYP emotional well‑being.
- Experience running therapy groups and/or training events.
- Knowledge of how the Mental Capacity Act, Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards, and the Mental Health Act impact work with children, adolescents and service users.
- Knowledge of child and young people safeguarding legislation, policies and procedures.
- Knowledge of the operation of specialist CAMHS teams.
Other Requirements
- Team player with excellent time‑management and organisational skills.
- Good communication, assessment, planning and recording skills.
- Ability to deliver interventions that address assessed needs.
- Co‑operative working with other disciplines.
- Ability to evaluate interventions and practice for service improvement.
- Knowledge of risk management and capability to monitor and act on risk.
- Access to a motor vehicle for work purposes.
- Willingness to travel efficiently throughout the area.
- Self‑motivated, able to work under pressure and meet deadlines.
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975. A Disclosure and Barring Service check will be required.
Salary
£45,953 to £54,254 a year (pro rata P/T), inc. HCAS.
