NELFT NHS Foundation Trust
Senior Mental Health Practitioner
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Job Overview
This is an exciting opportunity to join our Mental Health Support Team (MHST), supporting children and young people within schools, colleges, and community settings.
As a Band 6 MHST Senior Mental Health Practitioner, you will provide evidence-based early interventions to children and young people experiencing mild to moderate emotional wellbeing and mental health difficulties.
Working closely with education settings, families, CAMHS, and wider partner agencies, you will support early identification of mental health needs and help ensure children and young people receive the right support at the right time.
You will also play an important role in supporting the development of the MHST, providing consultation and training to education staff and contributing to the supervision and development of Education Mental Health Practitioners (EMHPs).
Main Duties of the Job
- Hold and manage a caseload of children and young people with mild to moderate mental health difficulties.
- Undertake assessments, care planning, risk assessment, and evidence-based interventions.
- Work collaboratively with children, young people, families, carers, and education staff.
- Provide consultation, specialist advice, and training to schools and partner agencies.
- Use routine outcome measures to monitor the effectiveness of interventions.
- Support and supervise EMHPs and contribute to their professional development.
- Work closely with CAMHS and wider services to ensure appropriate pathways and onward referrals.
- Contribute to service development, clinical governance, and continuous improvement.
Detailed Job Description and Main Responsibilities
The Senior Practitioner will be expected to work as part of a dynamic mental health team in a creative environment where evidence-based interventions, new ideas, ways of working, and supporting children and young people are actively encouraged. This approach requires flexibility and adaptability, and above all, a passion for working with children and young people in educational settings.
- To routinely measure clinical outcomes and deliver evidence-based clinical interventions, both in line with the CYP-IAPT programme within CAMHS.
- To work with a defined caseload of service users as part of a multi-disciplinary team, providing assessment, care planning, and care delivery for service users with mild to moderate mental health difficulties. This will include the provision of highly skilled professional care, psychological interventions, group work, clinical assessment, risk assessments/risk management, and promoting recovery and inclusion and ensuring co-production with service users, families, and carers and the education staff.
- Promoting the mental and emotional health of children, young people, and families in the community through clinical interventions in the care pathway/crisis team/SPA.
- To improve the knowledge and understanding of emotional and mental wellbeing services among school staff where appropriate.
- To undertake initial school-based and community-based assessments and to deliver a range of early interventions to children and young people with a range of emotional and psychological difficulties where appropriate.
- To prevent more serious mental health problems in children and young people by early identification of the development of mental health problems in children and young people.
- Providing a direct service to children and young people and their families, in an accessible and less stigmatizing environment, based on the best available research evidence, within clinical governance.
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Detailed Job Description and Main Responsibilities
The successful post holder will work within the Havering Mental Health Support Team, delivering high-quality, evidence-based interventions as part of the national Mental Health Support Team programme. The role is centered on providing accessible, timely mental health support within schools and educational settings, helping children and young people receive the right support at the earliest opportunity.
- You will undertake comprehensive assessments, formulate care plans, and deliver evidence-based psychological interventions for children and young people experiencing mild to moderate emotional and mental health difficulties. Interventions may include individual work, group programmes, psychoeducation, and guided self-help, delivered in partnership with families, carers, and education staff.
- Working closely with schools and other agencies, you will contribute to creating mentally healthy educational environments by offering consultation, advice, training, and support to school staff where appropriate. You will promote early identification of mental health needs and support preventative approaches that reduce the likelihood of difficulties escalating.
- The post holder will be responsible for maintaining a defined caseload, managing competing priorities effectively, and ensuring that all clinical documentation is accurate, timely, and compliant with Trust and professional standards. You will routinely collect and evaluate clinical outcome measures, participate in multidisciplinary discussions, clinical supervision, and reflective practice, and contribute to the continuous improvement of the service.
HEST is proud of its culture of innovation and continuous learning. The team has successfully delivered a number of Quality Improvement (QI) projects, collaborated with academic partners including Edge Hill University, and has been recognized nationally, including a visit from the Secretary of State for Education to observe our work within local schools. Successful applicants will have the opportunity to contribute to future service developments and play an active role in shaping the continued growth of the service.
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The role requires flexibility to work across educational settings throughout Havering and a commitment to delivering compassionate, person-centred care that reflects NELFT's values and commitment to improving outcomes for children, young people, and their families.
NELFT places 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.
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).
High Cost Area Supplement Outer London (B&D, Redbridge, Havering, and Waltham Forest)
This post also attracts payment for High Cost Area Supplement of 15% of the basic salary (with a minimum of £4,714 to a maximum of £5,941 p.a. pro rata for part time).
Working for Us
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 and Essex. We provide community and mental healthcare services to adults and children within these areas.
The Trust has award-winning equality and diversity initiatives, along with staff health and wellbeing activities. We invest significantly in your development because when you feel valued and supported, we can deliver the highest quality care to our patients. We are a Level 3 Disability Confident Leader, have been recognized in the Working Families Top 10 Employers benchmark for five consecutive years, and hold a Carers UK Level 1 Accreditation. Through our staff networks and training opportunities, we strive to foster a just and compassionate culture at NELFT.
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