Assistant/Trainee Education Mental Health Practitioner

NHS; Stockton-on-Tees; On-site; GBP 27,000 - 32,000; Full time

Job description

Assistant/Trainee Education Mental Health Practitioner

Alliance is a leading local children's mental health provider delivering psychological support and emotional well-being services in a range of educational settings across Teesside, supporting a whole school approach to improving children's mental health and wellbeing. We also provide psychological therapies to children and families with multiple and complex needs. Through the Children and Young Peoples Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (CYP IAPT) Programme and the implementation of Mental Health Support Teams, our service transformation is through the delivery of evidence-based therapies, use of routine outcome measures and in full collaboration with children, young people and families.

Main duties of the job

As an assistant EMHP you will collaborate with qualified EMHPs and Children's Wellbeing Practitioners (CWPs), providing psychoeducation to children, young people and their families experiencing mild to moderate mental health difficulties. Upon availability of an EMHP training place (scheduled for Oct 25/26) you'll engage in an academic programme with Northumbria University and be trained to deliver low-intensity evidence-based CBT interventions leading to a recognised qualification. During training and with effective guidance and supervision, you will provide a range of interventions in schools and across local communities, helping to develop a whole school approach to mental health and wellbeing and supporting the wider delivery of Children's Mental Health & Emotional Wellbeing Services through the Thrive Framework.

You will be supporting the delivery and development of a range of group work and 1:1 intervention with both children, young people and parents and building the offer of mild-moderate mental health interventions. You will also be committed to supporting a whole school approach to mental health and wellbeing across Hartlepool and Stockton. This exciting opportunity comes with a commitment across both organisations to support CPD and personal development.

Closing Date: 25 April 2025

Interview: 6 May 2025

About us

This is a great time to join Alliance, where our team is leading on the transformation of local children's mental health and wellbeing services.

You will share our service vision and organisation values for understanding and meeting the different needs of others. We are a strong well-established team who are supportive and friendly.

Alliance offers first-rate training and development opportunities, 38 days annual leave pro rata, rising 1 day every 5 years of service (as well as the option to purchase additional annual leave), EAP health scheme including costs towards eye tests/glasses, dental treatment, physio treatment and shopping discounts alongside a 3% contributory pension scheme. We also offer lots of health and wellbeing initiatives for our staff and promote flexible working for a positive work-life balance.

We are committed to promoting equal opportunities in our employment practice and service delivery. We are signatories to the Mindful Employers Charter. Alliance also has Investors in People status and is committed to the National Living Wage.

We follow safer recruitment of staff for all appointments. It is a requirement that all staff understand it is each person's individual responsibility and are committed to promoting and safeguarding the welfare of clients. Please note that due to the nature of the duties of these roles, an enhanced criminal records disclosure will be sought in the event of a successful application.

Job responsibilities

The post holder will train to become qualified in the delivery of evidence-based interventions for children and young people in an educational setting who are experiencing mild to moderate mental health problems. Additionally, the post holder will work within a Mental Health Support Team and support education settings develop a Whole School Approach to Mental Health & Wellbeing, helping children and young people within these settings who present with more severe problems to rapidly access more specialist services. The post holder will also be responsible for supporting and facilitating staff in education settings to identify and where appropriate manage issues related to mental health and wellbeing.

DBS Check required (level of disclosure): Enhanced

Main Duties and Responsibilities

Therapeutic practice

• Be supervised, supported, and assessed in the delivery of outcome-focused, evidence-based interventions in educational settings to 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 families and educators in the self-management of presenting difficulties.
• Develop and practice skills under supervisory support of working in partnership with children, young people, their families, and educators in the development of treatment plans for specific interventions.
• Develop and learn the skills required to enable children and young people in education to collaborate and coproduce their own agreed plan of care.
• Show evidence in a variety of forms that interventions are 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 referral routes, processes, and procedures.
• Under supervision, undertake accurate assessments of risk to self and others.
• Learn, understand, rationalise, and adhere to the policies and protocols within the organisation and the educational service to which the post holder 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 post holder within the role, and working safely within that scope.
• Gain and practice a range of interventions related to the provision of information and support for evidence-based psychological treatments, primarily guided self-help.
• Practice, evidence and demonstrate an ability to manage one's own caseload in conjunction with the requirements of the team.
• Attend multi-disciplinary and multi-agency meetings relating to referrals for children and young people in treatment.
• Keep coherent records of all training and clinical activity in line with 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.

Training and supervision

• Once a training place becomes available you will attend and fulfil all the requirements of the training element of the post including practical, academic, and practice-based assessments.
• As well as attendance at the University for training, fulfil private study requirements to enhance learning and prepare assignments for examination, for at least one day a week.
• Apply learning from the training programme directly to practice through the course.
• Receive practice tutoring from educational providers in relation to course work to meet the required standards.
• Prepare and present case load information to supervisors within the service on an agreed and scheduled basis, to ensure safe practice and the governance obligations of the trainee, supervisor, and service.
• Engage in and respond to personal development supervision to improve competences and practice.
• Be involved in the evaluation of the course.

Professional

• Ensure the maintenance of standards of own professional practice according to both the post holder's employer and the Higher Education Institution in which they are enrolled.
• Ensure appropriate adherence to any new recommendations or guidelines set by the relevant departments.
• Ensure that confidentiality is always protected.
• Ensure that any risks or issues related to the safety and wellbeing of anyone the post holder comes into contact within the course of their professional duties are communicated and shared with appropriate parties, in order to maintain individual safety and the public interest.
• Ensure clear objectives are identified, discussed, and reviewed with supervisor and senior colleagues on a regular basis as part of continuing professional development.
• Participate in individual performance review and respond to agreed objectives.
• Keep all records up to date in relation to Continuous Professional Development and the requirements of the post and ensure personal development plans maintain up to date specialist knowledge of latest theoretical and service delivery models/developments.
• Attend relevant educational opportunities in line with identified professional objectives.

To work within Data Protection Act 1998 and organisation Information Governance policies and procedures.

Partnership Working

To create and maintain effective working relationships with Headteachers, Deputy Heads, SENCOs, Pastoral Team, and wider teaching staff by providing advice and consultative support on emotional and mental health issues, and in relation to appropriate referral pathways for children, young people, and families with mental health needs.

To liaise effectively with other local providers, including statutory, voluntary sector organisations and on behalf of the child, young person, or family.

To build effective working relationships with other local children's mental health providers including CaMHS and support the development of pathways of support.

Attend multi-disciplinary and multi-agency meetings relating to referrals for children, young people, and families in treatment.

Safeguarding

• Responsible for safeguarding children and always promoting the welfare of children & young people and operating within local policies and procedures.
• Taking appropriate safeguarding action to protect children & young people at risk of significant harm.
• To identify and support families in accessing Early Help Services.
• To share appropriately information with parents/ carers or other agencies regarding the child's wellbeing and progress keeping within the boundaries of Confidentiality and Information sharing protocols.

This job description is designed to identify principal responsibilities only. The post holder is required to be flexible in developing the role in accordance with changes in organisational objectives and priorities.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• Ability to study at post graduate level.
• Proven record of previous academic attainment.
• Hold Trainee membership or willing to hold membership with approved Governing body eg. BPS/BABCP.
• Teaching qualification.
• Youth Mental Health First Aid trained.

Experience

• Previous knowledge and experience of working with children and young people.
• Knowledge of the educational system in England.

Other Skills and Qualities

• Ability to learn in a variety of settings and using a variety of learning methods.
• 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.
• Full, enhanced, and current satisfactory DBS disclosure for the role.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Car driver with own transport.
• Self-motivated.
• Able to travel to meet the requirements of the post.
• Team player.
• Excellent time management and organisational skills.
• Able to meet the physical requirements of the role after reasonable adjustments have been made for any illness or disability.
• Ability to teach others about mental health issues.
• Ability to conduct group therapeutic interventions with children and their families.
• Proven commitment to continuous professional development.

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.

£27,000 a year (£28,500 - £32,000 when qualified).