Education Mental Health Practitioner/Children's Wellbeing Practitioner

NELFT NHS Foundation Trust; Gillingham; On-site; GBP 28,000 - 35,000; Full time

Job summary

A healthcare provider in Gillingham is seeking individuals for Mental Health Support Teams to collaborate with schools and support children's emotional wellbeing. The ideal candidates will have a passion for service development and education on mental health. Flexible working and part-time hours considered, with comprehensive induction provided.

Benefits

Flexible working options

Comprehensive induction program

Qualifications

• Experience working in mental health services preferred.
• Awareness of children's emotional wellbeing and mental health.
• Ability to collaborate with schools and other agencies.

Responsibilities

• Deliver core components of the service to schools.
• Participate in local and county-wide meetings.
• Engage in research and co-production projects.

Skills

Passion for participation and service development

Teamwork

Communication skills

Job description

Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTs) support children, young people and their families that have links to identified school settings. Each designated MHST will work in collaboration with schools and other agencies who cover a population of up to 7,000 children and young people. Trailblazer sites were established in Kent in 2019, with the service aim to cover 50% of the schools across Kent and Medway by 2026. It is expected that this will increase early access to services and offer greater preventative provision.

We also work with our schools to support their development of a Whole School Approach (WSA) to emotional wellbeing and mental health as well as their development of curriculum content to ensure pupils are taught about mental health in the classroom.

Kent and Medway Mental Health Support Teams | NELFT NHS Foundation Trust

We have vacancies in

• Medway & Swale

Kent Emotional Wellbeing Team and Medway Emotional Support Team

Information for school staff, families and professionals to find out more about the services the Kent and Medway Mental Health Support Teams provide.

Kent Emotional Wellbeing Team and Medway Emotional Support Team | NELFT NHS Foundation Trust

• Assessment and Treatment of Children and Young People under the MHST 3 Core functions (Targeted Intervention, Whole School Approach & Consultation and Liaison)
• To work as part of a team with a set number of schools to deliver the core components of the service
• Active participation in local and county wide meetings and supervision forums

(Please See Corresponding Job Description For More Details)

We hope successful candidates will come with a passion for participation and service development as we have a number of research and co-production projects we are working on. It is also the aspiration that successful candidates will be keen to develop their skills further to consider their exciting career prospects within MHST services.

Our Values 2025 - 2030

Working with our colleagues, patients and carers we have co‑produced three new values that we aim to embed within our culture here at NELFT.

• We are kind.
• We are respectful.
• We work together with our communities.

These three values help us to strive to provide the best care by the best people.

Starting with NELFT

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. The induction will be held at our head office in Rainham, Essex.

Probationary Period

This post will be subject to a probationary period.

Flexible Working

We will consider part-time hours (30 hours plus) and flexible working pattern applications will be reviewed on a case‑by‑case basis to promote a healthy work life balance.

For further details / informal visits contact: Name: Indie Randhawa/Valentine Onyekweli Job title: Operational Manager (Mental Health Support Team) Email address: [e-mail] Telephone number: 07976735752