Education Mental Health Practitioner/Children's Wellbeing Practitioner

NHS; Gillingham; On-site; GBP 31,000 - 38,000; Full time

Job summary

A regional mental health services provider is seeking Qualified Education Mental Health Practitioners (EMHP) / Children's Wellbeing Practitioners (CWP) in Gillingham, England. The role involves assessment and treatment of children and young people, working collaboratively with schools. Candidates with a passion for service development and flexible working options are encouraged to apply. Competitive salary with opportunities for professional development available.

Benefits

Flexible working options

Comprehensive induction program

Qualifications

• Experience of delivering therapeutic interventions to children and young people.
• Ability to conduct mental health assessments and communicate with families.

Responsibilities

• Assessment and treatment of children and young people under the MHST functions.
• Deliver core components of the service in collaboration with schools.

Skills

Excellent oral and written communication skills

Knowledge of safeguarding issues

Ability to conduct mental health assessments

Education

Successful completion of Education Mental Health Practitioner / Children's Wellbeing Practitioner course

Working towards professional registration with BABCP or BPS

Job description

Job summary

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 heath 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

Main duties of the job

• 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.

About us

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. They are: 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.

Details

Date posted: 05 November 2025

Pay scheme: Agenda for change

Band: Band 5

Salary: £31,049 to £37,796 a year

Contract: Permanent

Working pattern: Full‑time, Part‑time, Job share, Flexible working, Compressed hours

Reference number: 395-KM293-25-A

Job locations

The Courtyard,
Gillingham
ME8 0NZ

Job description

We are looking for Qualified Education Mental Health Practitioners (EMHP) / Children's Wellbeing Practitioners (CWP) to join the team and work with us to develop the service further and ensure we meet the core components;

• Whole School Approach
• Targeted Treatment (main evidence base is low intensity CBT individual and group)
• Consultation and Liaison

**(if you are about to qualify from an EMHP / CWP course please apply as posts can be held for successful applicants)**

Our senior Clinical Team are passionate about the careers of EMHP's and CWP's and we have an exciting CPD programme happening in service and are working closely with Health Education England (HEE) and NHS England to look at the career pathways of this new workforce.

We have good working relationships with University of Surrey and Kings College London and are looking at developing our staff to progress into senior positions and consider senior EMHP / CWP training opportunities and supervisor training.

Certificates of Sponsorship

Although we are a registered sponsor organisation, we are unable to offer sponsorship for all job roles. Please check your eligibility under the UKVI points‑based system. When calculating the basic salary for sponsorship, HCAS (High‑Cost Area Supplement) is not included to ensure fairness and consistency within our Trust. Use of AI: Please see attached document regarding acceptable use of AI during the recruitment process.

Fair Recruitment

As part of NELFT fair and legal recruitment we want to ensure reasonable adjustments are in place for anyone that has a disability during their interview process. We would be grateful if you can disclose on your application if you have a disability requiring reasonable adjustments.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• Successful completion of Education Mental Health Practitioner / Children's Wellbeing Practitioner course
• Working towards / received professional registration with either the BABCP or BPS as a low intensity practitioner (desirable)

Experience

• Experience of the delivery of specific therapeutic interventions to children, young people, or their families (e.g. CBT, solution focused brief therapy)
• Ability to conduct mental health assessments, risk assessments and communicate appropriately with children, young people and parents.
• Experience of working within educational settings (desirable)

Skills

• Excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Knowledge of capacity and consent issues including Gillick competence (desirable)

Travel

• Ability to travel across a large geographical area in a timely manner.
• Holds a valid driving licence and has access to a vehicle (desirable)

Knowledge

• Knowledge of education systems within the United Kingdom.
• Knowledge of safeguarding issues.

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.

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website.

Employer details

Employer name: NELFT North East London Foundation Trust

Address: The Courtyard, Gillingham, ME8 0NZ

Employer's website: https://www.nelft.nhs.uk/