Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
Specialist Educational Psychologist Role (Mental Health Support Teams)
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Educational Psychologist (EP) – Whole School Approach (WSA) Lead
NHS Role within Mindworks, Surrey & Borders NHS Trust
A unique opportunity to make a significant impact on the emotional wellbeing and mental health of children and young people (CYP) through systemic, developmental and collaborative practice in schools and associated mental health teams.
About the Role
Mindworks (led by Surrey & Borders NHS Trust) is a small but innovative team of Educational Psychologists embedded within a **Universal Trees (formerly school-based Support Teams) framework, working alongside Mental Health Support Teams (MHST). We are actively advancing mental health and emotional wellbeing through whole-school approaches, consultation, psychological frameworks, and multi-agency collaborations.
Key focuses include:
- Promoting thriving for CYP through avoiding unnecessary individualised interventions first.
- Facilitating systemic change in schools via consultation, training, and collaborative planning.
- Innovative, preventative approaches at the intersection of education and health.
- Shared psychological frameworks and embedded training, including sustaining Teaming Around the School (TATS) and Attachment-Aware/Trauma-Informed School models.
Responsibilities
Core Areas of Work
- School-Based Consultation & Systemic Change
- Work with headteachers, senior leaders, and school staff to understand and address systemic challenges using collegiate consultation and evidence-based frameworks.
- Co-create training, strategic support, and staff Wellbeing strategies.
- Establish collaborative school-wide initiatives addressing emotional wellbeing using the Public Health England Whole School Approach Framework.
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Mental Health Support Team (MHST) Collaboration
- Provide consultation, joint work, and joint sessions with Clinicians, CBT practitioners and Play Therapists.
- Contribute to multi-professional safeguarding protocols, assessments and team meetings.
- Support mental health professionals through training and joint interventions.
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County-Wide Training, Implementation, and Coaching Programmes
- Lead or contribute to county-wide initiatives such as:
- Attachment-Aware/Trauma-Informed School training implementation.
- Senior Mental Health Lead supervision and Professional Development.
- Team Around the School (TATS) models, organised within education authority partners.
- Help embed psychological perspectives into Universal and Targeted CYP services.
- Lead or contribute to county-wide initiatives such as:
Other Responsibilities
- Provide monthly supervision for non-Clinical members of the EP team.
- Join Daily federation ‘together days’ (half-termly) focused on ongoing CPD (e.g., recent PATH facilitation, peer-assisted learning models, systemic framework training).
- Maintain relevant professional development documentation and participate in service updating, research, and review meetings.
Requirements
- You should hold (or be nearing completion of) qualification as a Healthcare / Educational Psychologist or Registered SENCo/SETPsych status registered with HCPC.
- A commitment to progressive practice and your own escalation to colleagues where appropriate.
- A deep interest in systemic consultancy alongside whole-school approaches.
- Experience of whole-school training and implementation work in health/education and the drive to share your knowledge base and flexibility with emerging frames.
- Strong collaborative and negotiated approach to addressing soft as well as hard barriers to change.
- Technical knowledge of SEND policy alongside ability to ensure therapeutic care is held in mind alongside use of “set time”.
- Experience of safeguarding and multi-agency work is highly desirable.
- Experience of completing tools such as Strength & Difficulty Questionnaire (SDQ) and EPassPort’s Wellbeing questionnaire with CYP reasonable but not mandatory.
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Benefits
As an Employer, Surrey & Borders NHS Trust Offers:
- Supporting opportunities with one of the UK’s top 10 mental health trusts for employees.
- Flexible working arrangements.
- Free on-site parking for clinician roles.
- Comprehensive health & wellbeing support for staff.
- Significant opportunities for career progression, training, and CPD.
Location & Region
Surrey is a beautiful county just 30 minutes from central London, featuring scenic market towns and award-winning education facilities. Located between road and rail links to the UK and close to London’s major airports (Gatwick/Heathrow).
Please be aware that this post reserves the right to close recruitment should sufficient applications be received. Application closing dates or a full application pack will be specified on Trust vacancy details. Regretfully, due to UK Home Office guidelines, we are unable to sponsor schemes for any roles.
Applicants must hold the Right to Work in the UK prior to joining Surrey & Borders NHS Trust.
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