Job summary
We are looking for a qualified Children's Wellbeing Practitioner (CWP) or Educational Mental Health Practitioner (EMHP) who wishes to join an exciting and outstanding school based Mental Health Support Team (MHST). Applicants must have completed a 1 year post graduate qualification. (Please note that this is not a training post).
The post-holder will work in the Three Rivers team which has been an established MHST for almost 2 academic years. The Three Rivers team is an outstanding, supportive, and flexible environment to work in. The team uses innovation and creativity to reach children and young people across 20 educational settings in the district and have built solid working relationships with each setting.
Main duties of the job
This role involves working alongside EMHPs, Senior Practitioners and a Team Leader. The service provides early interventions to children and young people experiencing mild to moderate mental health concerns in an educational setting. Typically, the focus of work is Anxiety, Low Mood and Behaviour.
The aim of the MHST 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 psychoeducation and support to parent/carers and teachers to improve their understanding of children and young people's needs.
- Support children and young people at the early stages of emotional wellbeing challenges to prevent further Mental Health intervention later in life.
The Mental Health Support Teams operate year-round, providing support to young people during school holidays in addition to term time. The core hours will be Monday - Friday 9-5 but some work may be required outside of these times
The post-holder will work with people of different cultural backgrounds and ages, and should be committed to equal opportunities.
This post affords opportunity for contribution to service development. The Hertfordshire MHST offers plenty of opportunity for career development.
Although we are ideally looking to fill a full time post we are able to consider part-time hours. Please state on your application the hours you would be able to work.
About us
Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (HPFT) is an outstanding organisation with ambitions to match. We are one of just five mental health trusts to achieve an overall rating of 'Outstanding' from the Care Quality Commission, and our aim is to be the leading provider of mental health and specialist learning disability services in the country.
Our family of over 3500 members of staff provide health and social care for over 400,000 people with mental ill health, physical ill health and learning disabilities across Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, and Norfolk, delivering these services within the community and several inpatient settings. We also deliver a range of nationally commissioned specialist services including Tier 4 services for children and young people, perinatal services, plus medium and low secure learning disabilities services.
The care we provide makes a fantastic difference to the lives of our service users, their families and carers - everything is underpinned by choice, independence and equality, with our Trust values embedded throughout:
Our Trust values are:
Welcoming. Kind. Positive. Respectful. Professional.
These values are at the core of who we are, everything we do, and how we do it!
Would you like to be part of the HPFT family? Would you like work with us to ensure our service users live the fullest lives possible they can? Would you like to be supported in your career to be the best that you can be?
Then please read on...
Job description
Job responsibilities
Benefits we offer:
1. A coaching network where trained coaches throughout the Trust are matched with staff of all disciplines to provide a powerful development opportunity2. Leading company discounts and childcare vouchers3. Salary sacrifice schemes enabling staff to drive a new car or bike - saving on tax and insurance included4. Wellbeing activities - from mindfulness to yoga, pilates and our signature craft club join our monthly programme of regular and special events to support your wellbeing. Discounts, including Nuffield Health and David Lloyd.6. Refer a friend to work for the Trust and receive up to £500! (A payment of £250 will be made when the applicant commences employment with us and a further payment of £250 will be made once they hit 6 months continuous service with us, terms and conditions apply).
In summary the role requires the post holder to:
- Develop and maintain professional relationships with education staff,
- Be on site at allocated educational settings each day of the week,
- Provide 1-1interventions 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 which may be required to enable effective and efficient running of the service.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Benefits we offer:
1. A coaching network where trained coaches throughout the Trust are matched with staff of all disciplines to provide a powerful development opportunity2. Leading company discounts and childcare vouchers3. Salary sacrifice schemes enabling staff to drive a new car or bike - saving on tax and insurance included4. Wellbeing activities - from mindfulness to yoga, pilates and our signature craft club join our monthly programme of regular and special events to support your wellbeing. Discounts, including Nuffield Health and David Lloyd.6. Refer a friend to work for the Trust and receive up to £500! (A payment of £250 will be made when the applicant commences employment with us and a further payment of £250 will be made once they hit 6 months continuous service with us, terms and conditions apply).
In summary the role requires the post holder to:
- Develop and maintain professional relationships with education staff,
- Be on site at allocated educational settings each day of the week,
- Provide 1-1interventions 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 which may be required to enable effective and efficient running of the service.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Successful completion of the HEE commissioned 1yr 'Education Mental Health Practitioner' or the 'Child and Young Persons Psychological Wellbeing Practice' course.
Desirable
- Youth Mental Health First Aid trained
- A further relevant degree qualification
- Teaching qualification
Experience
Essential
- 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 with children and their families in a healthcare and education setting
- Experience working in a service which has agreed targets in place demonstrating clinical outcomes.
- Experience in 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 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
Knowledge
Essential
- 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 take appropriate action to mitigate or manage risk.
Desirable
- 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 who the Designated Safeguarding Lead, (DSL), is in each establishment that they work in.
- Ability to teach others about mental health issues
- Ability to conduct other group therapeutic interventions with children and their families
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Successful completion of the HEE commissioned 1yr 'Education Mental Health Practitioner' or the 'Child and Young Persons Psychological Wellbeing Practice' course.
Desirable
- Youth Mental Health First Aid trained
- A further relevant degree qualification
- Teaching qualification
Experience
Essential
- 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 with children and their families in a healthcare and education setting
- Experience working in a service which has agreed targets in place demonstrating clinical outcomes.
- Experience in 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 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
Knowledge
Essential
- 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 take appropriate action to mitigate or manage risk.
Desirable
- 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 who the Designated Safeguarding Lead, (DSL), is in each establishment that they work in.
- Ability to teach others about mental health issues
- Ability to conduct other group therapeutic interventions with children and their families
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
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).
