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 three 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

NELFT is the largest provider of Mental Health Support Teams (MHST’s) in England. Our Southend, Essex and Thurrock services cover 144 schools. The service is developing and expanding with an aim to cover all secondary schools in locality by September 2025. The MHST’s deliver evidence-based individual and group interventions in educational settings for children experiencing mild to moderate mental health difficulties aged 5 to 18 years old. The teams also have a strong focus on whole school approaches to improve mental health outcomes for children and young people.

This vacancy is for the North East Essex team.

The North East Essex MHST covers the districts of Colchester and Tendring. We are an early intervention and prevention evidence-based service and as a team we are supportive and passionate in what we deliver. We are a friendly team of professionals who come from multidisciplinary backgrounds. We recognise the needs for a healthy work life balance, and we will consider flexible working applications in line with the trust policies and process. We encourage Continual Professional Development and are keen to support our staff to grow and progress.

We are a welcoming, compassionate and considerate team, that work incredibly hard to support one another to improve the mental health of our community.

Our localities cover large areas so you will need access to a vehicle and have the ability to travel efficiently across the county.

Main duties of the job

The successful candidate will work in partnership with schools, to support children, young people experiencing mild to moderate mental health difficulties and their families in the self-management of presenting difficulties.

They will work in partnership with schools, children, young people, and families in the development of plans for the intervention and agreed outcomes.

Practitioners will work as autonomous and responsible clinicians within their scope of practice, alongside education colleagues. They will be experienced in the delivery of interventions to support CYP in primary, secondary and higher education settings.

The practitioner will complete comprehensive assessments, risk assessments, care plans and reviews.

They will be proficient in using Routine Outcome Measures (ROMS) and clinical tools to gather feedback and guide clinical practice, with opportunities for service provision planning and mapping with schools to inform the delivery of support to CYP.

The post holder will be supported to work alongside other EMHPs/CWPs in educational settings, as well as working alongside more Senior Mental Health Practitioners to support learning and development. There will be opportunities for individual work, group work and consultation.

We offer all staff a robust supervision framework to support with their clinical development.

Working for our organisation

Starting with NELFT

NELFT place a great deal of importance on new starters being properly welcomed and inducted into the Trust. All new starters will join the Trust on the first Monday of each month and will undertake a comprehensive induction of up to two weeks which will include mandatory training, systems training and the allocation of equipment. As part of the process new starters will have the opportunity to also meet the executive team, senior managers and attend a number of drop in sessions focusing in engagement, health and wellbeing and key processes. The induction will be held at our head office in Rainham, Essex.

Probationary Period

This post will be subject to a probationary period. Internal applicants are exempt from the probationary period (unless you are an internal applicant currently part way through a probationary period or currently a bank member of staff).

Base

This post requires the successful applicant to work agilely between NELFT sites and educational settings. For applicant to have the ability to work independently is an important factor. Some travel around the county is also expected. The nominated base for North East Essex is 900 The Crescent in Colchester.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Please see person specification, below, and the job description, for full details of this role.

We are looking for a Qualified Education Mental Health Practitioners or a Qualified Children's Wellbeing Practitioners to join the teams and work with us to develop the service further and ensure we meet the core components.

Whole School Approach

Targeted Treatment (main evidence base is low intensity CBT individual and group)

Consultation and Liaison

You will be providing: 

Assessment and Treatment of Children and Young People under MHST 3 core functions (Targeted intervention, Whole School approach and Consultation and Liaison)

Work as part of a team with a set number of schools to deliver the core components of the service.

Actively participate in local and county wide meetings and supervision forums

Our senior Clinical Team are passionate about the careers of EMHP's and CWP's and we have exciting CPD program happening in service and are working closely with Health Education England (HEE) and NHS England to look at the career pathways of this new work force.

We have good working relationships with our universities and are looking at developing our staff to progress into senior positions and consider senior EMHP/CWP training opportunities and supervisor training.

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.

Use of AI
Applications for this role should be written by the applicant. If artificial intelligence (AI) programmes are used then the application may be rejected due to this document being an important part of the assessment process. This does not prevent applicants seeking appropriate support with applications should they need to for the purposes of any declared disability.

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential criteria

Successful completion of the HEE/NHSE commissioned 1yr Education Mental Health Practitioner’ course/Children's Wellbeing Practitioner course. Appropriate registration with either the BABCP or BPS as a low intensity practitioner.

Desirable criteria

Applicant can demonstrate they are in process of their application with the BABCP or BPS

Experience

Essential criteria

Experience of the delivery of specific therapeutic interventions to children, young people, or their families ( CBT, solution focused brief therapy) Ability to conduct mental health assessments, risk assessments and communicate appropriately with children, young people and parents

Desirable criteria

Experience working within educational settings

Knowledge

Essential criteria

Knowledge of educational environments Knowledge of safeguarding issues

Skills

Essential criteria

Knowledge of capacity and consent issues including Gillick competence Excellent oral and written communication skills

Other

Essential criteria

To be able to travel efficiently throughout the area

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:

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. 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. 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. 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.