Job overview
Wigan MHST have an exciting opportunity to join their Mental Health Support Teams in schools and colleges as a Trainee Education Mental Health Practitioners ( EMHPs) who on completion of the training will progress to a band 5 qualified EMHP.
This training is NHS funded starting in September 2025 and as such the person must be able to join the service for September 2025.
EMHP training is offered as a Postgraduate Diploma. The Diploma entitles successful trainees to join the BABCP register, and then work as a qualified EMHP after training.
There is a recently launched accreditation system for providers of EMHP training, operated by the British Psychological Society.
The training programme for EMHPs is 12 months in duration and consists of academic and supervised practice learning across mental health services and educational settings, such as primary and secondary schools, and further education colleges.
Delivery of the training will be provided through a combination of taught days provided by the Psychological Therapies Training Centre, independent self-guided study days and experience gained in education wellbeing and mainstream mental health services.
Candidates Must have a minimum of level 4 qualification.
Main duties of the job
In line with the government’s priority to increase access and availability of mental health and wellbeing support for children and young people, the Education Mental Health Practitioner (EMHP) role is an exciting opportunity to deliver brief evidence-based early interventions for children and young people. EMHPs work in educational settings as part of NHS led Mental Health Support Teams. This training programme is part of the national Children and Young People’s Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (CYP IAPT) initiative.
During training, the post-holder will work under the supervision of their employing NHS Trust to gain experience in providing one to one brief evidence-based interventions for children and young people experiencing mild to moderate mental health problems in educational settings (principally anxiety and depression). Trainee EMHPs are also trained in providing support to educational settings with Whole School Approaches, designed to improve emotional well-being and mental health more broadly in the school.
Working for our organisation
Greater Manchester Mental Health (GMMH) Foundation Trust employs over 7,000 members of staff, who deliver services from more than 122 locations.
We provide inpatient and community-based mental health care for people living in Bolton, the city of Manchester, Salford, Trafford and the borough of Wigan, and a wide range of specialist mental health and substance misuse services across Greater Manchester, the north west of England and beyond.
Greater Manchester is one of the world's most innovative, original and exciting places to live and work. From the beauty of the surrounding countryside to the heart of the vibrant inner city with great shopping, entertainment and dining options.
Wherever you go you will experience a great northern welcome with people famed for their warmth, humour and generosity.
Our people enjoy their work, have opportunities to learn and develop their skills and are encouraged to generate new ideas that improve care for our service users.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
See attached detailed job description and person specification:
Staff benefits
1. Pay Enhancements – 30% additional for Evenings (8pm onwards) and Saturdays and 60% additional for Sundays and Bank holidays.
2. 27 days annual leave plus bank holidays rising to 29 after 5 years and 33 days after 10 years
3. Excellent pension
4. Cycle to work scheme
5. Salary sacrifice car scheme
6. Wellbeing programme
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
7. Proven record of previous academic attainment. Proven academic record - minimum of Level 4 qualification
8. Good solid basic literacy and numeracy qualifications at a minimum of level 2
Knowledge
Essential criteria
9. Working Knowledge of the educational system in England • Knowledge of children and young people gained through academic study in child development, child wellbeing or mental health
Desirable criteria
10. Knowledge of the functional operation of specialist CAMHS teams
11. Low intensity interventions for low mood, worry/anxiety
12. Working knowledge of the whole school approach to mental health
skills and abilities
Essential criteria
13. Excellent oral and written communication skills
14. Ability to study successfully at Postgraduate level (demonstrable through presence of existing qualifications OR by successful completion of a written assignment prior to a confirmed job offer)
15. Ability to display the Trust Values in all interactions
Desirable criteria
16. Proven commitment to continuous professional development
The Trust mandates all post holders who require a DBS for their role to subscribe to the DBS Update Service. You will be required to enrol for this service for a fee of £16 per year and maintain registration throughout your employment with GMMH.
Applicants are encouraged to apply for posts at Greater Manchester Mental Health who have direct experience of mental health, learning disability or drug and alcohol services either as a service user or a carer.
The Trust is also committed to safeguarding children, young people and vulnerable adults and requires all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.
We are aspiring to ensure our workforce is representative of the diverse communities that we serve, and we are strongly committed to removing barriers to employment for candidates from under-represented groups, for example BAME, Disabled and LGBT+ communities. If you would like to have an informal chat about the recruitment process for this role or would value some additional support, we’d love to hear from you.
Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) when writing job applications
A candidate may utilise the help of AI when writing job application. The assessment of an application is made on its entirety and most times AI-generated content does not fully grasp the context and requirements of the job one applies for thus producing inaccurate and misleading information, especially in the supporting statement section of an application that can lack real life examples of one’s achievements, success and challenges.
We have added a disclaimer to our application process advising that the use of AI is monitored. GMMH reserves the right to follow up with a candidate at the interview on specific responses and those examples used in the supporting statement to explore it further.
Sponsorship
We are proud to be an approved sponsor for the Skilled Worker visa. Applications from individuals who require sponsorship will be considered alongside all other applications. Please be aware that not all roles are eligible for sponsorship. You can review the list of eligible roles and salary requirements on the UK Government’s website – click .
If you are offered a role with us and you require sponsorship, we will check your eligibility in line with the information on the above website. Your offer of employment could be withdrawn if the role is not eligible for sponsorship, and you are not otherwise able to evidence your right to work in the UK.
The Home Office introduces new changes from 09/04/2025 that impact the health and care sector, you may wish to familiarise with it.
Do you have experience outside the NHS?
We want to attract and retain people with diverse skills and experience, to deliver inclusive healthcare services to our communities.
We will consider relevant experience outside the NHS to calculate your salary on appointment.