Job summary
In line with the Government's priority to increase access and availability of mental health and wellbeing support for children and young people, the new Education Mental Health Practitioner (EMHP) role is an exciting opportunity to deliver evidence-based early interventions for children and young people, working across both educational settings and healthcare sectors in England.
We encourage applicants to apply early. In previous years it has been necessary to close the advert before the advertised closing date, due to the interest in these popular posts.
Main duties of the job
Applicants will need to be ready to start work in early/mid-January 2025 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 King's College London for a place on the Education Mental Health Practice Post Graduate Diploma. The application form will need to be completed at the same time as your application for a post.
We are seeking to recruit four Trainee EMHPs to deliver evidence-based guided self-help (GSH) interventions for common mental health needs in children and young people, such as anxiety, low mood and behaviors that challenge. These interventions will include working with parents, carers, children and young people in individual or group format. EMHPs will also support the development of whole school/college approaches to mental health and wellbeing, including delivering psychoeducation workshops and working collaboratively with education staff.
Further supervision and training will be provided by an experienced supervisor within each team. There will be a strong expectation for trainees to continue in post on successful completion of the one-year training, with a salary increase to NHS Band 5 scale for the second year onwards. Successful candidates will be employed on a full-time basis and work with a cluster of Lewisham schools.
About us
South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust (SLaM) provide the widest range of NHS mental health services in the UK as well as substance misuse services for people who are addicted to drugs and alcohol. We work closely with the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience (IoPPN), King's College London and are part of King's Health Partners Academic Health Sciences Centre. There are very few organisations in the world that have such wide-ranging capabilities working with mental illness. Our scope is unique because it is built on three major foundations: care and treatment, science and research, and training.
By coming to work at SLaM, you will gain experience of being part of an organisation with a rich history and international reputation in mental health care. You will have access to professional development and learning opportunities and have the chance to work alongside people who are world leaders in their field. In addition, our working relationship with King's Health Partners allows those working at the Trust to get involved in academic research.
Job description
Job responsibilities
- Be supervised, supported and assessed as a trainee then qualified EMHP to assess and deliver outcome focused, evidence-based interventions in educational settings for children and young people experiencing mild to moderate mental health difficulties.
- Develop skills in supporting children and young people experiencing mild to moderate mental health difficulties, and their parents/carers, families and educators in the self-management of presenting difficulties.
- Developing and practicing evidence-based skills under supervisory support of working in partnership with children, young people, their families and educators in the development of plans for the specific intervention and agreeing outcomes.
- Developing and learning the skills required in order to enable children and young people in education, and where appropriate parents/carers, to collaborate and coproduce their own agreed plan of care.
- Show evidence in a variety of forms that at all times assessment and intervention is provided from an inclusive values base, which recognises and respects diversity.
- Discuss with supervisors and agree to accept appropriate referrals for children and young people in educational settings, according to agreed local and national and local referral routes, processes and procedures.
- Under supervision, undertake accurate assessments of risk to self and others.
- Learn, understand, rationalise and adhere to the protocols within the educational service to which the postholder is attached.
- Engage along with more senior staff in the signposting of referrals for children and young people with more complex needs to the relevant service.
- Engage in robust managerial and clinical supervision, identifying the scope of practice of the individual postholder within the role, and working safely within that scope.
- Gain and practice a range of interventions related to provision of information and support for evidence based psychological treatments.
- Be supervised, supported and assessed to deliver a range of low intensity interventions for mild to moderate mental health difficulties in CYP; primarily guided self-help delivered to either YP directly or through their parent(s) / carer(s) but also group work and workshops.
- Practice, evidence, reflect on and demonstrate an ability to manage ones own caseload in conjunction with the requirements of the team and training course.
- Attend multi-disciplinary and multi-agency meetings relating to referrals or children and young people in treatment, where appropriate, both for personal educational benefit in discussion with supervisors, or to provide direct assistance.
- Keep coherent records of all training and clinical activity in line with both health and education service protocols and use these records and outcome data to inform decision making.
- Complete all requirements relating to data collection.
- Show evidence of working within a collaborative approach, involving a range of relevant others when indicated. Specifically, work in collaboration with teachers and other educational staff, parents, children, young people and the wider community to enhance and broaden access to mental health services.
- Contribute to the development of individual or group clinical materials or training materials and go on to develop further such materials as falls within own degree of competence.
- Facilitate or co-facilitate activities to support a schools whole school approach to mental health and wellbeing.
Job description
Job responsibilities
- Be supervised, supported and assessed as a trainee then qualified EMHP to assess and deliver outcome focused, evidence-based interventions in educational settings for children and young people experiencing mild to moderate mental health difficulties.
- Develop skills in supporting children and young people experiencing mild to moderate mental health difficulties, and their parents/carers, families and educators in the self-management of presenting difficulties.
- Developing and practicing evidence-based skills under supervisory support of working in partnership with children, young people, their families and educators in the development of plans for the specific intervention and agreeing outcomes.
- Developing and learning the skills required in order to enable children and young people in education, and where appropriate parents/carers, to collaborate and coproduce their own agreed plan of care.
- Show evidence in a variety of forms that at all times assessment and intervention is provided from an inclusive values base, which recognises and respects diversity.
- Discuss with supervisors and agree to accept appropriate referrals for children and young people in educational settings, according to agreed local and national and local referral routes, processes and procedures.
- Under supervision, undertake accurate assessments of risk to self and others.
- Learn, understand, rationalise and adhere to the protocols within the educational service to which the postholder is attached.
- Engage along with more senior staff in the signposting of referrals for children and young people with more complex needs to the relevant service.
- Engage in robust managerial and clinical supervision, identifying the scope of practice of the individual postholder within the role, and working safely within that scope.
- Gain and practice a range of interventions related to provision of information and support for evidence based psychological treatments.
- Be supervised, supported and assessed to deliver a range of low intensity interventions for mild to moderate mental health difficulties in CYP; primarily guided self-help delivered to either YP directly or through their parent(s) / carer(s) but also group work and workshops.
- Practice, evidence, reflect on and demonstrate an ability to manage ones own caseload in conjunction with the requirements of the team and training course.
- Attend multi-disciplinary and multi-agency meetings relating to referrals or children and young people in treatment, where appropriate, both for personal educational benefit in discussion with supervisors, or to provide direct assistance.
- Keep coherent records of all training and clinical activity in line with both health and education service protocols and use these records and outcome data to inform decision making.
- Complete all requirements relating to data collection.
- Show evidence of working within a collaborative approach, involving a range of relevant others when indicated. Specifically, work in collaboration with teachers and other educational staff, parents, children, young people and the wider community to enhance and broaden access to mental health services.
- Contribute to the development of individual or group clinical materials or training materials and go on to develop further such materials as falls within own degree of competence.
- Facilitate or co-facilitate activities to support a schools whole school approach to mental health and wellbeing.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Undergraduate degree, upper second class or above, in Psychology OR related subject (e.g., Psychology, Education, Childhood development, Social Work etc), OR any subject with further training or experience in a relevant field (e.g., Teaching/TA; Learning Support; HCA; Youth Work; Counselling etc) ? OR relevant professional experience in CYP Mental Health/Education/Mentorship (to be considered on a caseby-case basis)
Experience
Essential
- Previous experience of working with children and young people
Knowledge and skills
Essential
- 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
- Ability to learn in a variety of settings and using a variety of learning methods, including remote delivery of teaching
- Ability to study as a self-motivated learner who can formulate their own progress towards learning objectives and negotiate pathways to achievement with supervisory teams
- Ability to personally manage a sensitive, traumatic and potentially emotionally distressing caseload
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Undergraduate degree, upper second class or above, in Psychology OR related subject (e.g., Psychology, Education, Childhood development, Social Work etc), OR any subject with further training or experience in a relevant field (e.g., Teaching/TA; Learning Support; HCA; Youth Work; Counselling etc) ? OR relevant professional experience in CYP Mental Health/Education/Mentorship (to be considered on a caseby-case basis)
Experience
Essential
- Previous experience of working with children and young people
Knowledge and skills
Essential
- 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
- Ability to learn in a variety of settings and using a variety of learning methods, including remote delivery of teaching
- Ability to study as a self-motivated learner who can formulate their own progress towards learning objectives and negotiate pathways to achievement with supervisory teams
- Ability to personally manage a sensitive, traumatic and potentially emotionally distressing caseload
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
Additional information
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
Employer details
Employer name
South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust
Address
Lewisham CAMHS MHST Kaleidoscope Lewisham Centre
32 Rushey Green, London
Lewisham
SE6 4JF
Employer's website
https://www.slam.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)
