TEAM: Schools Mental Health Service HOURS: Full time Fixed Term whilst training Are you interested in supporting children and young people's mental health in schools? Would you like to train in an evidence-based role while learning within a supportive, multidisciplinary service? Are you keen to develop your skills while working with children, families and schools across diverse communities? Brighton & Hove City Council is recruiting Trainee Education Mental Health Practitioners (EMHPs) to join our established Schools Mental Health Service (SMHS). The SMHS includes our Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTs), which work directly with primary, secondary and sixth-form settings across Brighton & Hove. About the role As a Trainee Education Mental Health Practitioner, you will work with children and young people aged 5 to 18 who are experiencing mild to moderate mental health difficulties, alongside their parents and carers. You will also contribute to schools' approaches to promoting emotional wellbeing and positive mental health. You will deliver evidence-based interventions informed by Low-Intensity Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (Li-CBT), working under regular supervision as part of a multidisciplinary mental health team. This is a developmental role, and you will be supported to grow your skills, confidence and professional identity over the course of the training year. You will spend: Two days per week studying at the University of Sussex Two days per week on placement within schools or education settings Across the training year, you will, under supervision, develop knowledge and practice skills to deliver individual and group interventions, undertake holistic and child-centred mental health assessments (including risk assessments), and work collaboratively with children, families and schools. What you'll be doing With training, support and supervision, you will: Work alongside mental health professionals delivering a range of evidence-informed interventions in education settings Develop skills to work directly with children and young people, taking account of their individual experiences, needs and strengths Engage parents and carers in supportive, respectful and inclusive ways Carry out holistic and child-centred mental health assessments, including identifying and managing risk appropriately Contribute to whole-school wellbeing and mental health approaches that support a wide range of pupils and communities What we're looking for We are looking for people with the potential to develop into this role and a genuine interest in children and young people's mental health. You will be able to demonstrate: The ability to work at degree level or equivalent, with relevant learning or study in areas such as child development, wellbeing or mental health Experience of working with children and young people, and an understanding of social, emotional and mental health difficulties Experience of working with parents, carers and/or families Experience of working collaboratively with a range of professionals, services or agencies Experience of supporting children and young people with social, emotional and/or mental health needs in education or community contexts We value transferable skills and welcome applications from people with a wide range of professional, community and lived experiences. What we offer A fully supported training year combining academic study and supervised practice Regular clinical and professional supervision within a reflective, supportive team A service culture that values inclusion, learning, collaboration and staff wellbeing The opportunity to make a meaningful contribution to children, young people and schools across Brighton & Hove Clear development opportunities within the Schools Mental Health Service We are committed to inclusive recruitment and to removing unnecessary barriers to application. Reasonable adjustments can be discussed at any stage of the recruitment process. Further information If you would like to find out more about the role or the Schools Mental Health Service, please contact our service and we will invite you to an information session on 26 th May between 3.30 and 4.30: SchoolsMentalHealthService@brighton-hove.gov.uk Interviews: Interviews are scheduled for 22 nd and 23 rd June. Please note: The EMHP posts are training positions. Successful candidates will apply to Sussex University for a place on the EMHP Post Graduate Diploma course, starting in September 2026. You will be based in Brighton and Hove. Encouraging a diverse workforce Our city is known and loved for its diversity. Not only is the mixture of people, culture and skills vital to the economic and social development of the city, it's what makes Brighton & Hove such a great place to live, work and visit. We are committed to developing and retaining a workforce that is representative of the diverse communities we serve so we welcome applications from individuals from all backgrounds. In order to achieve our aims of proportionate representation, we particularly encourage applicants from a BME or White Other background as well as those who identify as disabled, male or trans. Find out more about our commitment to being a fair and inclusive place to work where everyone can achieve their potential by reading about our fair and inclusive actions, our anti-racism strategy and the work we are doing to encourage a diverse workforce (brighton-hove.gov.uk). Why work for us? As a council, we want to: • be connected • be confident • be innovative and creative • be diverse and inclusive • be healthy and psychologically safe For more information about our values and the benefits of working at the council, visit Why work for us which gives details of our wellbeing support, our benefits including leave and pensions as well as details of our training and development. How to apply Please read our Apply for a job at the council pages carefully. They give you all the guidance you need to complete your application as well as information on what will happen after you've submitted your application and at interview. As part of your application, you will need to provide your education and career history and answer some application/shortlisting questions. Your answers to the application/shortlisting questions are the most important part of your application as they will be used in the shortlisting process to assess whether you meet the essential requirements for the role that are set out in the person specification and to decide whether you should be offered an interview. Before you start your application, please read our Shortlisting questions guidance (brighton-hove.gov.uk) as this gives important advice which will increase your chance of success in the shortlisting process. AI advice for candidates We are interested in hearing about your experience and skills in your own words. While we value people who know how to use AI, we ask that you minimise using it in your application. We are keen to hear how your experience and skills align to our values and the skills and experience needed to perform well in our roles with clear real examples from you. To support you in this, we have guidance on using the STAR model which can help you ensure you are telling us your whole story. We also provide clarity on the skills we are looking for in our adverts and in the job description/person specification attached to each job advert. All the applications we receive are read by at least two hiring managers and we do not use AI in this process. Our experience of reading applications is that those that have heavily used AI contain generic paragraphs that are strikingly similar to other applicants' responses. This makes it extremely difficult to differentiate between applications, and doesn't give us enough evidence of your individual skills. There is a risk that we will therefore not be able to shortlist you. Instead, we recommend you ensure your application stands out by presenting clear examples of your actual skills and experiences in your own words. Additional information Your starting salary will be pro rata if the above position is less than 37 hours or term-time only. Please note that this post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974, and is subject to a Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) Check. We are a workplace that supports flexibility and employee wellbeing in the way we work whilst providing the best service for our customers. Team and service working arrangements are designed to support both employee work life balance and team collaboration. These would be part of your individual working arrangements alongside any personal preference agreed with your manager in advance of joining. Your contractual location will be the designated council office for your team and travel to and from your contractual location would be at your own expense.