Job Title
Qualified Education Mental Health Practitioner / Child Wellbeing Practitioner
Company
Harmonia Careers
Job Summary
We are looking for a qualified educational mental health practitioner (EMHP) or child’s wellbeing practitioner (CWP) who wishes to join an existing school-based mental health support team (MHST). The post‑holder will work in the North Herts team, which supports 20 educational settings across the borough and provides a caring, supportive, fun and flexible environment with strong leadership and regular supervision. Core duties involve early interventions for children and young people experiencing mild to moderate mental health concerns in an educational setting. The MHST operates year‑round, including school holidays, with core hours Monday to Friday 9‑5, and occasional work outside these times (group facilitation, workshops). Part‑time arrangements are possible on discussion with Lauren Bailey.
Responsibilities
* Develop and maintain professional relationships with education staff.
* Be on site at allocated educational settings each day of the week.
* Provide 1‑1 interventions such as low‑intensity CBT (guided self‑help) for children, young people, parent/carers and school staff.
* Group interventions.
* Workshops for children, young people, parent/carers and school staff.
* Drop‑in surgeries for children, young people and school staff.
* Facilitate co‑production to support service development.
* Support the team in resource development.
* Any other duties commensurate with the grade to enable effective and efficient running of the service.
The Aim Of These Interventions Is To
* Reduce stigma around mental health.
* Enhance emotional wellbeing by promoting and building resilience in children and young people through educational workshops, assemblies and PSHE lessons.
* Deliver psycho‑education and support to parent/carers and teachers to improve their understanding of children and young peoples needs.
* Support children and young people at the early stages of emotional wellbeing challenges to prevent further mental health intervention later in life.
Essential Skills / Knowledge
* Demonstrates an understanding of anxiety, depression and challenging behaviour and how it may present in universal services.
* Demonstrates understanding of the need to use evidence‑based psychological models and how it relates to this post.
* Knowledge of capacity and consent issues including Gillick competence.
* Knowledge of educational environments.
* Knowledge of safeguarding issues.
* Ability to carry out 1:1 therapeutic mental health interventions with children/families.
* Ability to conduct group parenting programmes.
* Ability to work within educational settings to increase mental health awareness within the staff group.
* Ability to conduct mental health assessments of children and young people.
* Ability to make an assessment of risk and to record and communicate it appropriately.
* Ability to take appropriate action to mitigate or manage risk.
Desirable Skills / Knowledge
* Knowledge of factors affecting acceptability and accessibility of mental health care.
* Demonstrates knowledge of the stressors young people may encounter in an educational setting and the impact that these can have on mental health.
* Knowledge of the functional operation of specialist CAMHS teams.
* Knowledge of the school's safeguarding procedures and the identity of the Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL).
* Ability to teach others about mental health issues.
* Ability to conduct other group therapeutic interventions with children and their families.
Essential Experience
* Experience of working with children and young people, their families and others.
* Experience of working and liaising with a wide variety of agencies and stakeholders.
* Experience of working in a service which has agreed targets in place demonstrating clinical outcomes.
* Experience of using an electronic clinical records and data collection system.
* Experience of working with children and young people who have social, emotional and/or behavioural difficulties, and those who have experienced a mental health problem.
* Experience of working with anxiety disorders, affective (mood) disorders.
* Experience of the delivery of specific therapeutic interventions to children, young people or their families (e.g. CBT, solution focused brief therapy).
Desirable Experience
* Experience of working with children and their families in a healthcare and education setting.
* Experience of monitoring and recording outcome measures for children's emotional wellbeing.
* Experience of navigating complex social systems and environments, who may have conflicting priorities or agendas.
* Experience of working with looked‑after children.
* Experience of working with other vulnerable groups.
Essential Qualifications
* Successful completion of the HEE commissioned 1 yr ‘Education Mental Health Practitioner’ or the ‘Child and Young Persons Psychological Wellbeing Practice’ course.
* A further relevant degree qualification.
Desirable Qualifications
* Teaching qualification.
* Youth Mental Health First Aid trained.
Essential Communication Skills
* Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
* Able to write clear reports and letters.
* Ability to work within a team and foster good working relationships.
* Ability to use clinical supervision positively and effectively.
* Ability to facilitate psycho‑education sessions to professionals (i.e. teachers).
* Skills in delivering Guided Self‑Help interventions.
* Ability to deliver interventions to groups (young people and parent groups).
Desirable Communication Skills
* Able to develop good therapeutic relationships with young people.
Analytical Skills
* Ability to be self‑reflective, whilst working with service users, in own personal and professional development and in supervision.
* Ability to assess risk assessments and understanding of the importance of assessing risk.
Physical Skills
* Good IT skills and experience of use of software such as Word and Excel.
* Car driver.
* Able to travel independently across the Trust.
Physical Effort
* Ability and willingness to work outside office hours when required by the role.
Mental Effort
* Ability to manage own caseload and demonstrate good time management and prioritisation skills.
Emotional Effort
* Regular requirement to deal with distressing or emotionally charged situations.
Additional Information
* Values/Motivational/Personal Qualities/Diversity in line with HPFT's values (Welcoming, Kind, Positive, Respectful & Professional).
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1975 (Exceptions Order). A submission for Disclosure to the Disclosure and Barring Service is required to check for any previous criminal convictions. Applications requiring a Skilled Worker sponsorship will be considered; a valid Certificate of Sponsorship is required. Applicants must have current UK professional registration.
Employer Details
Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust
William Ransom Primary School
Stuart Drive
Hitchin
SG49QB
Seniority Level
Entry level
Employment Type
Full‑time
Job Function
Health Care Provider. Industries: Information Services
Location
William Ransom Primary School, Stuart Drive, Hitchin, SG49QB
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