Children In Care (CIC) Emotional Wellbeing Practitioner

NHS; Coventry; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 44,000; Full time

Job summary

NHS seeks a Children In Care Emotional Wellbeing Practitioner in Coventry to support vulnerable children facing instability, loss, and trauma. This role involves creating safe spaces for emotional healing, offering therapeutic interventions, and collaborating with other professionals to enhance children's wellbeing. Applicants should have relevant qualifications and experience with children in care.

Benefits

27 days holiday + bank holidays, rising to 32 days over time

Life assurance at 2 x basic salary

Competitive contributory pension scheme

24/7 Employee Assistance Programme

Excellent learning & development opportunities

Annual performance/salary review

Qualifications

• Experience working with children in care or with emotional/behavioural needs is essential.
• Strong safeguarding awareness and confidence in multi-agency settings.
• Training in Trauma, Mental Health Awareness and Youth Mental Health First Aid is desirable.

Responsibilities

• Support children in care who face instability, loss and trauma.
• Provide early intervention and one-to-one sessions as well as group work.
• Act as a keyworker and advocate to stabilize placements and support healing.

Skills

Emotional Intelligence

Empathy

Safeguarding Awareness

Communication

Building Rapport

Education

Relevant qualification in youth work, psychology, social work or counselling (NVQ Level 4 or above)

Job description

This is work that helps rebuild trust. As a Children In Care Emotional Wellbeing Practitioner, you will support children in care who have faced instability, loss and trauma. Your role is to walk alongside them with compassion and purpose, creating safe spaces where they can begin to feel heard, valued and understood.

You'll be part of a small, specialist team working across mental health, social care and lived experience, where support is shaped around the individual and not the system. You will offer early intervention, one to one sessions, group work and therapeutic planning that puts young people at the centre.

Alongside this, you'll work with carers and professionals to build their confidence in responding to emotional need. You will act as a keyworker, advocate and steady point of connection, helping to stabilise placements, reduce disruption and support healing relationships that make a difference.

This is a service rooted in trust, empathy and collaboration, with a shared belief that things can change when the right support is in place.

If you want to use your skills to help children in care, feel safer, stronger and more hopeful about their future, we want to hear from you.

Main duties of the job

You bring calm, empathy and emotional confidence, and you're ready to use those strengths to support young people who may not have had many stable or trusted adults in their lives. You understand the impact of trauma, and you know that connection is often the first step towards healing.

You'll bring:

• A relevant qualification in youth work, psychology, social work or counselling (NVQ Level 4 or above)
• Experience working with children in care or those with emotional or behavioural needs
• Strong safeguarding awareness and confidence working within multi agency settings
• The ability to assess risk, plan and deliver emotional wellbeing interventions
• A way of building rapport that helps children and carers feel safe and understood

You'll need to be organised, reflective and able to travel across the surrounding areas.If you can show up consistently, be a steady presence, and help young people feel seen without judgement, you belong here.

This isn't about being perfect. Its about being present, human and willing to walk alongside those who need it most.

About us

Compass is committed to safeguarding children, young people and vulnerable adults. Established for over 30 years, Compass is a national charity which works in communities across the UK providing services spanning substance misuse treatment and rehabilitation, early interventions for vulnerable young people, school-aged health programmes and associated prevention as well as treatment and health promotion initiatives.

All Compass posts are subject to appropriate level DBS checks.

We positively encourage applications from all members of the community, regardless of gender, race, faith, disability, age, or sexual orientation, and encourage applications from people who have experiences in life which enrich skills and empathy. This is part of our commitment to equality and developing a truly inclusive and representative workforce.

We are happy to discuss any reasonable adjustments individuals may require in the recruitment process, on commencement, or once in post.

We offer a range of benefits including:

• 27 days holiday + bank holidays, rising to 32 days over time (pro rata)
• Life assurance at 2 x basic salary
• Competitive contributory pension scheme
• 24/7 Employee Assistance Programme and OH service
• Excellent learning & development opportunities and career progression
• Annual performance/salary review

Help us to make a positive change to the lives of children and young people!

#CompShine

Job responsibilities

This is work that helps rebuild trust. As a Children In Care Emotional Wellbeing Practitioner, you will support children in care who have faced instability, loss and trauma. Your role is to walk alongside them with compassion and purpose, creating safe spaces where they can begin to feel heard, valued and understood.

Youll be part of a small, specialist team working across mental health, social care and lived experience, where support is shaped around the individual and not the system. You will offer early intervention, one to one sessions, group work and therapeutic planning that puts young people at the centre.

Alongside this, youll work with carers and professionals to build their confidence in responding to emotional need. You will act as a keyworker, advocate and steady point of connection, helping to stabilise placements, reduce disruption and support healing relationships that make a difference.

This is a service rooted in trust, empathy and collaboration, with a shared belief that things can change when the right support is in place.

If you want to use your skills to help children in care, feel safer, stronger and more hopeful about their future, we want to hear from you.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• Relevant qualification in emotional wellbeing/youth work/psychology/counselling; such as a Diploma in Youth Work, Social work, Psychology or accredited Counselling or equivalent NVQ Level 4 in Children, Young People or families, social care.
• Formal training in Trauma, Mental Health Awareness and a Youth Mental Health First Aid Certificate are desirable alongside coaching & mentoring experience.
• We will consider existing qualifications alongside experience of working with children and young people and a willingness to undertake additional on-the-job training.
• Youth Mental Health First Aid trained

Experience

• Ability to carry out 1:1 therapeutic emotional health and wellbeing interventions with children, young people and families.
• Ability to facilitate/deliver group wellbeing programmes.
• Ability to deliver emotional wellbeing awareness training with staff groups.
• Ability to complete comprehensive emotional wellbeing assessments, including risk assessments, and to plan, implement and evaluate interventions
• Ability to record and communicate risk appropriately.
• Ability to take appropriate action to mitigate or manage risk and/or safeguarding.
• Knowledge of emotional health and wellbeing needs for children, young people and families.
• Knowledge of safeguarding issues.
• Knowledge of capacity and consent issues including Gillick competence
• An understanding of the development, emotions, social and educational issues of CYP
• Knowledge of local and national mental health provision
• Knowledge of the Childrens Act and legislation pertinent to children
• Experience of working with children and young people, their families and others in a mental health setting for a minimum of one year
• An awareness of range of needs of needs of individuals from diverse, ethnic, cultural and social backgrounds
• Experience of working and liaising with a wide variety of agencies and stakeholders.
• Experience of working with children and young people who have social, emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.
• Experience of working with a range of emotional wellbeing needs e.g anxiety, low mood.
• Experience of the delivery of specific emotional health or pastoral wellbeing support to CYP.
• Ability to upskill other professionals regarding emotional wellbeing awareness.
• Ability to conduct other group therapeutic interventions with children and their families.
• Experience of working with children and their families in a healthcare setting.
• Experience of working with children and their families in an education setting.
• Knowledge of the functional operation of specialist Children and Young
• Peoples Mental Health and Emotional Wellbeing services teams.
• Experience of monitoring and recording outcome measures for
• Experience of navigating complex social systems and environments, who may have conflicting priories or agendas.
• Experience of working with children in care.
• Experience of working with other vulnerable groups.

Additional Criteria

• Full enhanced and current satisfactory DBS disclosure for the role.
• Ability to work independently
• Ability to personally manage a complex caseload.
• Excellent oral, written and listening, communication skills.
• Ability to build rapport and trust with young people
• Ability to model appropriate behaviours to both colleagues, CYPF
• Ability to set and maintain clear and appropriate boundaries
• Willingness to study further if required
• Self-motivated
• Enthusiastic and resilient
• Patient, tolerant and sensitive
• 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.
• Able to work all year round and flexibly as part of a team to best meet business need.
• Possession of full UK driving licence and access to vehicle.
• 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.