Joining #TeamNELFT means you’ll become part of a welcoming and supportive working environment. We’re CQC rated Good, and we want you to join us on the journey towards an Outstanding rating. NELFT has sites across North East London, Essex, Kent and Medway. We provide community and mental healthcare services to adults and children within these areas.
The Trust has award winning equality and diversity initiatives and staff health and wellbeing activities. We invest heavily in your development, because when you are valued and supported, we provide the best care to our patients. We are a Level 3 Disability Confident Leader, have been featured in the Working Families Top 10 Employers benchmark for five consecutive years, and we have achieved a Carers UK Level 1 Accreditation. Along with our staff networks and training opportunities, we work hard to embed a just and compassionate culture here at NELFT.
Find out more about NELFT careers and what makes our Trust a great place to work, in this video
Job overview
Tunbridge Wells CYPMHS are looking to recruit CWP trainees to continue to improve children and young people’s mental health services in Kent. The training forms part of the service transformation initiative delivered by NHS England as part of the Children and Young People’s Psychological Trainings (CYP-PT) programme.
This is an exciting opportunity to learn new skills and embed this in practice.
Main duties of the job
Main duties of the job
This is a training position post holder will undertake training at Kings College London alongside working in service for Tunbridge Wells CYPMHS. They will be taught to deliver evidence based guided self-help interventions for children and young people experiencing mild to moderate mental health difficulties. The post holder will use their newly developed skills to support children and young people who are referred into the service and trainees will receive supervision to support their professional development.
Applicants will need to be ready to start work from 5th January 2026 to ensure they complete the NELFT induction; and posts cannot be offered to candidates unless they can guarantee this start date.
Shortlisted candidates will also need to submit an application form to KCL for a place on the Diploma in Child Wellbeing Practice. The application form details are attached and will need to be completed at the same time as your application for a post.
Training commences 19th January 2026
Working for our organisation
Our Values 2025 - 2030
Working with our colleagues, patients and carers we have co-produced three new values that we aim to embed within our culture here at NELFT.
They are:
1. We are kind.
2. We are respectful.
3. We work together with our communities.
These three values help us to strive to provide the best care by the best people.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Job description
Job responsibilities
We are seeking to recruit two graduate level practitioners to provide guided self-help therapy and parenting interventions. These posts are salaried at NHS Agenda for Change band 5 and fully funded for a one year post graduate diploma in Child Wellbeing Practice through Kings College London. Further intensive supervision and on the job training will be provided by an experienced supervisor within each team.
During training, the post-holders will work under close supervision to gain experience across healthcare and community settings to enable them to gain the level of competence required to deliver high-quality, evidence-based early interventions for children and young people experiencing mild to moderate mental health problems.
You will be based at Tunbridge Wells CYPMHS for approximately three days a week and two days at University.
Please note that an application to Kings College London Post Graduate Diploma Child Wellbeing Practice needs to be made alongside your application to [Service]. It is important that you read the attached guidance/linked guidance below:
KCL CWP Jan 2026 - KCL Programme KCL CWP Jan 2026 - KCL Application
Please contact if you have any questions about the course.
Please contact service if you have any questions about the job role.
Certificates of Sponsorship
Although we are a registered sponsor organisation, we are unable to offer sponsorship for all job roles. Please check your eligibility under the UKVI points-based system. When calculating the basic salary for sponsorship, HCAS (High-Cost Area Supplement) is not included to ensure fairness and consistency within our Trust.
Use of AI
Please see attached document regarding acceptable use of AI during the recruitment process.
Person specification
essential
Essential criteria
4. Qualification: · Undergraduate degree, upper second class or above, in Psychology OR related subject (, Psychology, Education, Childhood development, Social Work etc), OR any subject with further training or experience in a relevant field (, Teaching/TA; Learning Support; HCA; Youth Work; Counselling etc) OR · Relevant professional experience in CYP Mental Health/Education/Mentorship (to be considered on a case-by-case basis)
5. Experience of working within a mental health setting and / or school pastoral care
Desirable criteria
6. Experience of working with children and an understanding of how to talk with them
desireable
Desirable criteria
7. Experience of working with children and an understanding of how to talk with them
Benefits
We believe in bringing your authentic and best self to work, in order to deliver the best care to our patients. We are committed to supporting our employees holistically. Here is a snapshot of what is on offer at NELFT:
8. A long-standing and award-winning approach to equality and diversity with supportive networks for ethnic minority staff, staff with disabilities or long term/chronic conditions and LGBT staff.
9. A commitment to supporting colleagues to achieve a work life balance, through flexible working opportunities and our effortsto support our working parents and carers. This has resulted in us being recognised as a ‘Top 10 Family Friendly Employer’ from the Working Families Charity.
10. Proactive health and wellbeing support, including access to our employee assistance programme, staff psychological support, individual wellbeing conversations and a network of health and wellbeing ambassadors.
11. Detailed information about our wellbeing and benefits offer can be found in this link.
As a flexible working friendly organisation, we want to be sure that you can work in a way that is best for us and for our patients, and for you. Speak to us about how we might be able to accommodate a flexible working arrangement whether that’s a job share, part time hours or another flexible pattern.