Education Mental Health Practitioner

NHS; Leighton Buzzard; On-site; GBP 29,000 - 37,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading organization in mental health services is seeking an Education Mental Health Practitioner (EMHP) to help deliver early interventions for children across educational settings. You will be part of an enthusiastic team providing vital support in a diverse community, focusing on enhancing mental health awareness and care models. This permanent, full-time position offers competitive pay, career development opportunities, and a chance to make a real positive impact on young lives.

Qualifications

• Completion of HEE commissioned 1-year Diploma as an EMHP.
• Experience with children and young people in health and educational settings.
• Ability to conduct 1:1 and group therapeutic interventions.

Responsibilities

• Deliver mental health and wellbeing support for children and young people.
• Develop and implement whole-school approaches.
• Provide Guided Self Help to young people and families.

Skills

Therapeutic interventions

Mental health assessments

Working in educational settings

Education

Postgraduate diploma in Education Mental Health Practitioner

Job description

Job summary

The Education Mental Health Practitioner (EMHP) and Child Wellbeing Practitioner (CWP) roles offer exciting opportunities to deliver evidence-based early interventions for children and young people, working across both educational settings and healthcare sectors in England, with a focus on a whole-school approach.

The Mental Health Support Teams (MHST) are part of a wider community pathway service in the locality, where the team are working to reduce health inequalities in communities where these are most prominent, working closely with the schools and other external partners addressing their most prominent needs, by implementing whole schools approaches and targeted interventions. The teams work under the same management team but serve three distinct areas. Luton is a very diverse locality, with a high proportion of young people who have English as an additional language. Both Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard are areas of high need but are more rural. You would be joining a comprehensive and dynamic CAMHS service, delivering a stepped model of care following the needs-led I-Thrive framework.

Main duties of the job

The post holder will play a key role as a member of the MHSTs , who will have the responsibility for delivering the school's overarching approach to providing mental health and wellbeing support for children and young people.The role will help develop and deliver a wide range of interventions, projects, and system changes to adopt whole-school and whole-community approaches to supporting young people's mental health.

You will be confident in providing Guided Self Help to young people and families with anxiety, low mood and challenging behaviours. You will be flexible and creative in responding to the needs of the school populations, with excellent support from your team and supervision. You will also be able to adapt to working remotely and prioritising access to services and resources.

You will be part of a very comprehensive stepped care model of delivery by CAMHS ELFT services in the county, and be an integral part of a thriving and substantive specialist multi-disciplinary service offer.

About us

Our mission is to make a positive difference to people's lives by improving the quality of life for all we serve. Our values are: We Care, We Respect, We are Inclusive - so we are looking for people who live and breathe these qualities when supporting service users and carers, and in their relationships with colleagues in the Trust and our partner organisations.

We offer an exciting and dynamic environment where your ideas and career development will be valued. You will be supported directly by senior colleagues and we will develop the service together.

Details Date posted

17 June 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 5

Salary

£29,970 to £36,483 a year per annum

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

363-SSLB7250339

Job locations

Whichellos Wharf

The Elms

Leighton Buzzard

LU7 2TD

Job description Job responsibilities

Please find attached the job description and person/role specification.

For further details, please contact: Max Ahmed [e-mail] or Brendi Waks [e-mail] or Chommy Dafikpaku [e-mail]

Job description Job responsibilities

Please find attached the job description and person/role specification.

For further details, please contact: Max Ahmed [e-mail] or Brendi Waks [e-mail] or Chommy Dafikpaku [e-mail]

Person Specification Qualifications Essential

• Successful completion of the HEE commissioned 1yr 'Education Mental Health Practitioner' or IAPT 'Child Wellbeing Practitioner' post graduate diploma Post qualification experience as an EMHP and experience of working in schools.

Desirable

• Evidence of CPD - Continuous Professional Development in Child and Adolescent Mental Health or Family work training.

Experience Essential

• Experience of working with children and young people, their families and others in educational and health settings with mild to moderate mental health problems.
• Experience of delivering specific therapeutic interventions to children, young people or their families (e.g. Guided Self Help, CBT, parent work).
• Experience of assessing children and young people who present with more mild to moderate mental health problems and to rapidly access more specialist services.
• Ability to conduct other group therapeutic interventions with children and their families.

Desirable

• Experience of liaising and working effectively with the wider network around the child including educational, social care, family and health.
• Experience of assessing and meeting the communication needs of the schools to deliver psycho-education on mental health or emotional wellbeing to different groups including parents, teaching staff and young people.

Knowledge Essential

• Ability to carry out 1:1 therapeutic mental health interventions with children and families. Ability to conduct group parenting and group young person programmes.
• Ability to work within educational settings to increase mental health awareness within the staff group.
• Ability to conduct mental health assessments and screenings of children and young people.
• Ability to make an assessment of risk and to record and communicate it appropriately and to take appropriate action to mitigate or manage.

Desirable

• Ability to conduct other group therapeutic interventions with children and their families.

Person Specification Qualifications Essential

• Successful completion of the HEE commissioned 1yr 'Education Mental Health Practitioner' or IAPT 'Child Wellbeing Practitioner' post graduate diploma Post qualification experience as an EMHP and experience of working in schools.

Desirable

• Evidence of CPD - Continuous Professional Development in Child and Adolescent Mental Health or Family work training.

Experience Essential

• Experience of working with children and young people, their families and others in educational and health settings with mild to moderate mental health problems.
• Experience of delivering specific therapeutic interventions to children, young people or their families (e.g. Guided Self Help, CBT, parent work).
• Experience of assessing children and young people who present with more mild to moderate mental health problems and to rapidly access more specialist services.
• Ability to conduct other group therapeutic interventions with children and their families.

Desirable

• Experience of liaising and working effectively with the wider network around the child including educational, social care, family and health.
• Experience of assessing and meeting the communication needs of the schools to deliver psycho-education on mental health or emotional wellbeing to different groups including parents, teaching staff and young people.

Knowledge Essential

• Ability to carry out 1:1 therapeutic mental health interventions with children and families. Ability to conduct group parenting and group young person programmes.
• Ability to work within educational settings to increase mental health awareness within the staff group.
• Ability to conduct mental health assessments and screenings of children and young people.
• Ability to make an assessment of risk and to record and communicate it appropriately and to take appropriate action to mitigate or manage.

Desirable

• Ability to conduct other group therapeutic interventions with children and their families.

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Additional information 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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Employer details Employer name

East London NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Whichellos Wharf

The Elms

Leighton Buzzard

LU7 2TD

Employer's website

https://www.elft.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)

Employer details Employer name

East London NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Whichellos Wharf

The Elms

Leighton Buzzard

LU7 2TD

Employer's website

https://www.elft.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)