MHST Senior Wellbeing Practitioner (Developmental role)

NHS AfC: Band 6

Main area: Schools Practitioner Grade NHS AfC: Band 6

Contract: Permanent

Hours: Full time - 37.5 hours per week

Job ref: 334-CLI-7069039

Site: Croydon CAMHS Christopher Wren House

Town: Croydon

Salary: £42,939 - £50,697 per annum Incl. of Outer HCAs

Salary period: Yearly

Closing: 15/04/2025 23:59

South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust has a rich history, well-established community links and an international reputation. We deliver specialist services in the London boroughs of Croydon, Lambeth, Lewisham and Southwark, Bexley, Bromley, Greenwich, Wandsworth and Richmond.

We are committed to providing high-quality specialist care to our service users and are recognised for the care and treatment we provide. The Care Quality Commission rates our services as ‘good’.

We launched our five-year strategy, Aiming High; Changing Lives in 2021 together with Our Care Improvement System as our quality management system methodology to positively impact patient care, outcomes, and staff experience. By joining SLaM, all staff will have the opportunity to be part of this exciting improvement journey supported with learning and development to harness everyone’s potential as change makers.

The trust recognises the unique and valuable contribution that people with lived experience of mental illness can bring to a role. We therefore welcome applications from people with lived experience and consider them an asset to the Trust.

Our Values

We take pride in providing specialist care to our service users where our Trust values and our promise to be caring, kind, polite, prompt, honest, listen, and do what I say I’m going to do is at the heart of everything we do. When you join us, you’ll be part of something special.

As a Trust, we are happy to talk flexible working.

Job overview

This is an exciting opportunity for qualified EMHP CWPs only, who have two years post-qualification to join the team as a Band 5 CWP/EMHP and receive a training and development incentive. In January 2026, you will have the opportunity to progress to Band 6 and enrol either on the King’s College London Senior Wellbeing Practitioner training starting 19th January 2026.

CWP and EMHP candidates must be fully registered or awaiting accreditation with the appropriate professional body (e.g., BABCP or BPS) and have 2 years post-qualification experience as of January 2026. Qualified healthcare professionals, such as nurses, social workers, or occupational therapists, who are interested in undertaking the Recruit to Train opportunity with King’s College London are also welcome to apply.

This role is only open to CWP and EMHP practitioners currently working in a SLaM MHST or CWP Team.

As this is an internal recruitment process, eligible applicants are only asked to complete the following fields on TRAC:

• Evidence of 2-year post-qualifying experience
• Complete their personal statement

The KCL CYP MH Low Intensity Advanced Practice PGDip Course (for Senior Wellbeing Practitioners) starts on 19 January 2026.

Applicants must apply simultaneously with KCL for this training course and be accepted.

The university portals are open until the 24th November 2025. If a candidate has not applied to the university before the portal closing date, they will be ineligible for the course.

Main duties of the job

• Work as part of the Croydon MHST team to manage a defined caseload with a focus on providing focused assessment and evidence-based intervention for children and young people (CYP) with mild to moderate mental health difficulties and their parents/carers.
• Plan and deliver whole school activities, as part of a school’s whole school/college approach to mental health and wellbeing.
• Provide consultation and guided signposting to education settings. Be expected to provide Case Management and Clinical Skills Supervision to qualified and/or trainee EMHPs within the service.
• Be able to work flexibly across a range of education providers. Promote the participation of children, young people, families, carers and the wider school community.
• Promote equity, diversity, and inclusion within their own role, the MHST, and school communities, contributing to enabling other staff, children, young people, families, carers, and the wider school community from diverse backgrounds to flourish by working to create a psychologically safe environment.

Working for our organisation

Croydon MSHT is a growing service designed to help meet the mental health needs of children and young people (CYP) in education settings. As an early intervention service, the MHST delivers school interventions for those with mild to moderate mental health issues and supports schools in developing their Whole-School Approach to mental health and wellbeing. The team will also help CYP with more severe needs access the right support, working with schools to provide a link to specialist NHS services.

Our MHST supports 16 schools in Croydon. The successful candidate will be employed by Croydon CAMHS where the MHST delivers emotional wellbeing interventions using Guided Self-Help strategies.

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. SLaM delivered more than 14,000 training experiences in 2014; providing an extensive range of learning opportunities for staff at all levels. In addition, our working relationship with King's Health Partners allows those working at the Trust to get involved in academic research.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Working with schools to improve mental health outcomes for children and young people, including planning and delivering activities as part of a whole school/college approach, providing assessment and intervention using evidence-based approaches, and providing guided signposting and liaison with other services. Providing supervision to qualified and or trainee EMHPs.

Person specification

Qualifications

• CYP - IAPT Post-Graduate Diploma or Certificate (CWP/EMHP) with two years post qualification experience within the CYP-IAPT model by January 2026
• Evidence of CPD relevant to working with CYP in schools or community settings
• Formal training in parenting interventions i.e. Incredible Years

Experience

• Experience and ability to function as a practitioner in CYP mental health services.
• Demonstrable post qualification experience, including experience of working with CYP’s with mild to moderate mental health problems and their families using CBT or CBT informed GSH.
• Experience of managing and prioritising a caseload.
• Evidence of good practice in CAMHS assessment facilitation, including assessing: risk behaviour, impact of the lived experience, systemic functioning, and managing difference in the clinical space.
• Evidence of providing culturally adapted interventions.
• Working with families in a diverse environment.
• Experience in working as part of an MDT.
• Experience of undertaking qualitative and quantitative research methodology.

Knowledge / Skills / abilities

• The Children Act 1989, 2004 and The Mental Health Act 1983, 2007, Human Rights Act 1998 and Mental Capacity Act 2005.
• Information governance including rules around GDPR as it relates to clinical confidentiality, information sharing, and academia.
• Ability to work to short deadlines, take on new concepts and be innovative.
• Evidence of organisational skills to deliver targets and meet deadlines.
• Proven ability to work flexibly within a changing environment.
• Skills in teaching and supporting trainees.

The Trust is committed to providing services that embrace diversity and promote equality of opportunity. We are a Disability Confident Employer, we welcome applicants from all sections of the community and people of all protected characteristics. We provide reasonable adjustments for candidates with a disability and are committed to treating people fairly with compassion, respect, and dignity and in promoting equality and human rights. We aim to put this commitment into practice by:

• Embedding our commitment to tackling inequality, eliminating discrimination and harassment; promoting equality of opportunity and fostering good relations in our everyday practice.
• Ensuring that all our services and all staff understand and support our commitment.
• We believe that people who use our services, their carers, and our staff should be treated with compassion, respect, and dignity.

Please note:

• All applications for this post will need to be made online.
• Read and understand the Job Description and Personal Specification attached to the role. Your Statement in Support should reflect the requirements specified as your application will be judged against these criteria.
• The closing date listed is a guide only and that the vacancy may close earlier should a sufficient number of applicants have been received. We advise that you submit your application as early as possible.
• Once you have submitted your application, you agree to your application being transferred to a 3rd party e-recruitment system. All subsequent information regarding your application will be generated from apps.trac.jobs.
• If you have not heard from us within three weeks from the closing date, your application has not been successful.
• Priority consideration for applications may be given to at-risk NHS employees.
• If you are successful and appointed, you authorise South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust to confirm your previous NHS service via an Inter Authority Transfer (IAT) process.
• We are a smoke-free Trust.

SLaM is a Stonewall Diversity Champion. Stonewall is the largest Lesbian, Gay, Bi and Trans (LGBT) rights charity in Europe.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Name: Charlie Aretuemhen

Job title: Clinical Lead Mental Health Support team

Email address: charlie.aretuemhen@slam.nhs.uk