Senior Wellbeing Practitioner - Mid Essex MHST

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 (MHSTs) in England. Our Southend, Essex and Thurrock services cover 144 schools currently. We currently cover 48% of secondary and primary school within Southend, Essex and Thurrock. 

The MHST deliver evidence-based individual and group interventions in educational settings for children experiencing mild to moderate mental health difficulties aged 4 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.

The MHSTs build on the support already in place from school counsellors, nurses, educational psychologists and the voluntary sector to support those with mild to moderate mental health issues in school and will help children and young people with more severe needs to access the right support and provide a link to the CAMHS services.

The post-holder will be a graduate qualified health care professional ( nurse, social worker, occupational therapist), or have completed Education Mental Health Practitioner (EMHP)/Children Wellbeing Practitioner (CWP) qualification and will be fully registered with the appropriate professional or regulatory body ( HCPC, NMC, BPS, BABCP). They will have extensive clinical experience working with Children and Young People (CYP) with emotional wellbeing and mental health difficulties. 

Main duties of the job

The post holder will be responsible for delivering interventions within MHSTs in and round schools and colleges whilst receiving clinical supervision.

Act as an autonomous, registered (where appropriate) practitioner who is legally and professionally accountable for own unsupervised actions guided by the professional code of conduct and Trust guidelines and protocols.

Initiate referrals to other health professional specialist services and agencies.

To provide expert emotional wellbeing and mental health support as part of plans to transform CYPs mental health through the NHS Long- Term Plan.

To undertake school based and community-based assessments, risk assessments, care plans and to deliver a range of early interventions to CYP with a range of emotional and behavioural difficulties.

Responsible, and accountable, for service delivery to clients/patients, via NICE compliant pathways and in accordance with the crisis care concordat.

Provide leadership and to promote initiative, creativity and motivation in the MHSTs.

To routinely measure clinical outcomes and deliver evidence-based interventions.

To communicate complex patient related information facilitating positive outcomes and ensuring collaborative working.

To support peers and team leader and be an effective team member whilst working on their own initiative. They will have a commitment to collaborative working and actively support and liaise with other health and social care professionals and agencies.

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 on 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).

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.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The Mid Essex Mental Health Support Team (MHST) covers a large geographical area incorporating the districts of Braintree, Chelmsford and Maldon. 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 (CPD) and are keen to support our staff to grow and progress. 

The successful post holders will have completed or be supported to complete the Senior Wellbeing Practitioner (SWP) course or CYP IAPT Low Intensity Supervisor course.

Please see person specification and job description for full details.

If you are an overseas qualified nurse and wanting to start your journey to becoming a UK based registered nurse with the NMC, you can check whether you are eligible to be supported through our Capital Nurse consortium. Please visit; . Whilst NELFT is happy to welcome overseas nurses we are unable to consider your application directly. You should submit your interest and apply through the Capital Nurse London group.

Although we are a registered sponsor organisation, we are unable to offer sponsorship for some job roles, and this will be identified through filtering questions at the start of any job application on the Trac recruitment system.

Person specification

Qualification

Essential criteria

Successful completion of a graduate training ( nursing, social work, occupational therapy) or have completed a low intensity EMHP/CWP Qualification. To be eligible for registration as a full member of the appropriate professional body ( HCPC, NMC) or successful CYP- IAPT Low Intensity CBT training (CWP/EMHP) with substantial post qualified experience and CPD alongside BPS or BABCP registration. Attended/willing to attend SWP course or CYP IAPT Supervisor training

Other

Essential criteria

To be able to travel efficiently throughout the area

Skills

Essential criteria

Skill in the ability to communicate effectively, verbally and in writing complex, highly technical and/or clinically sensitive information to clients, their families, carers and other professional colleagues both within and outside EWMHS Ability to tolerate anxiety without recourse to premature action whilst appreciating the role of the supervisor. Capacity to work alone, Involving colleagues and manager as relevant

Experience

Essential criteria

Substantial experience in delivering low intensity CBT treatments. Experience of initiating, organising and planning inter-agency meetings aimed at setting in place a treatment package tailored to the individual needs of a child/young person. Experience of assessment carried out autonomously in order to determine the most appropriate treatment plan from a range of options for the child/young person

Knowledge

Essential criteria

Knowledge of risk management and ability to monitor and assess risk and act accordingly to ensure safety. Knowledge of legislation in relation to children and adolescents and safeguarding procedures and policies. Knowledge of NHS, Social Care and Education structures, national policies and frameworks, evidence based practice including NICE guidelines.

Desirable criteria

Knowledge of electronic record systems, ie Systmone and Rio

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.