Mental Health Coordinator, Childrens Multi-Disciplinary Team

Essex County Council; Chelmsford; On-site; GBP 46,000 - 57,000; Full time

Job summary

A local government organization in Chelmsford seeks a passionate Mental Health Coordinator to support children experiencing emotional and mental health difficulties. The role involves delivering innovative therapeutic interventions and collaborating with a dynamic Multi-Disciplinary Team. The ideal candidate will have the experience and creativity to foster positive change in children's lives. This position is a fixed term contract for 24 months with a focus on community engagement.

Benefits

Flexible working arrangements

Support for unpaid carers

Commitment to Disability Confident Leader

Qualifications

• Experience in developing support packages and thorough assessments.
• Significant experience in engaging children and families.
• Understanding of safeguarding protocols.

Responsibilities

• Initiate innovative methods to engage children and families.
• Provide consultation on mental health issues.
• Maintain accurate case records and reports.

Skills

Emotional intelligence

Team collaboration

Trauma-informed care

Therapeutic interventions

Education

Accredited degree or diploma in mental health nursing

Job description

Mental Health Coordinator, Children - Multi-Disciplinary Team

Fixed Term, Full Time

£46,574 to £56,027 per annum

Location: Chelmsford

Working Style: Community-based worker

Closing Date: 1st February 2026

Please note that this position is being offered as a Fixed Term Contract / Secondment with a planned duration of 24 months

The Team

The Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT) comprises subject matter experts specialising in housing, domestic abuse, education, drug and alcohol support, youth work, and mental health for adults and children.

MDT workers bring specialist knowledge and therapeutic insight. Their expertise is instrumental in re-engaging families, restoring hope, and fostering sustainable change. This team's work is not only impactful – it's transformative.

We are seeking an experienced, motivated, and passionate individual to join our team. Being led by the Team Manager, you will work to create the conditions for sustainable change with families.

The MDT team is situated within frontline social work teams where the referrals come from. The interventions from MDT are delivered within the community or in the families' homes.

We want you to be part of our vision and make this a reality. If you have the drive, creativity, and enthusiasm to enhance and improve the lives of children and families, we want to hear from you.

Are you ready for the challenge of being at the forefront of innovative and impactful practice?

This is an exciting time for Children's Social Work in Essex, and we are seeking experienced, motivated, and passionate individuals to join our dynamic Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT).

Led by the Team Manager, you will help create the conditions for sustainable change, working alongside a diverse team of subject matter experts in housing, domestic abuse, education, drug and alcohol support, youth work, and mental health.

Based within frontline social work teams, the MDT provides bespoke, specialist interventions in the community and in family homes, bringing therapeutic insight and expertise that re-engages families, restores hope, and supports meaningful, lasting change. We want you to be part of our vision and help make it a reality. If you have the drive, creativity, and enthusiasm to enhance and improve the lives of children and families, we want to hear from you.

To read more about us please visit: Children & Families

Please take a look at our 'No Magic' Children & Families video

The Role

The Mental Health Coordinator, Children will deliver creative and dynamic support for children and young people who are experiencing emotional and mental health difficulties. This will include using a range of therapeutic interventions that take into account the holistic needs of the family.

We are currently recruiting to multiple roles within our Multi‑Disciplinary Team. To find out more about these vacancies, please visit: Working for Essex - Multi-Disciplinary Team Vacancies

Accountabilities

• Initiate and support new and innovative ways of working to engage children, young people, and their families in partnership with colleagues, and/or other front-line professionals and third sector partners.
• Deliver advice, support and consultation in respect of children and young people's mental health issues, perspectives and frameworks to colleagues and other professionals.
• Raise knowledge and awareness of child and adolescent mental health issues and preventative strategies across the service.
• Maintain up-to-date records of activity on case files, produce reports, attend court, and give verbal presentations as required. Where applicable, actively participate in relevant meetings regarding the family.
• Build strong working relationships across the organisation and partner agencies.
• Specific individual and shared targets and objectives are defined annually within the performance management framework.

The Experience You Will Bring

• Hold an accredited degree or diploma-level qualification in mental health nursing or an equivalent discipline, supported by evidence of excellent practice.
• Demonstrate significant experience in developing support packages, accurate recording, and thorough assessment, all delivered in line with trauma-informed principles that prioritise safety, trust, and empowerment.
• Have significant experience in applying a range of therapeutic intervention models with children and young people.
• Demonstrate a strong track record of direct engagement, delivering effective one-to-one and indirect interventions sensitive to the impact of trauma, recognising triggers, avoiding re-traumatisation, and fostering resilience through collaborative, strengths-based approaches.
• Be a catalyst for positive change in the lives of children, young people, and their families.
• Ensure trauma-informed practice underpins your work, tailoring interventions to individual needs and promoting emotional safety and empowerment.
• Possess a significant understanding of vulnerability and safeguarding protocols, and integrate trauma-informed strategies into risk assessments and safety planning.
• Demonstrate strong evidence of building collaborative and influential partnerships.
• Work effectively within multi-agency environments, fostering relationships that enable coordinated service delivery.

The role requires you to be mobile throughout a wider operational area, including travelling around the county of Essex and beyond, transporting service users and their belongings, and to be able to do so in an emergency. A driving licence and a car, or the ability to meet the mobility requirements of the role through other means, is essential.

Next Steps

Candidates shortlisted for interview will be invited to attend a face‑to‑face interview at one of our Essex County Council offices, with interviews expected to take place around the week commencing 11th February 2026.

If successful, the anticipated start date for this role will be from April 2026.

In February 2025, Greater Essex was accepted onto the Government's devolution priority programme, which will see local authorities in Essex work towards establishing a Mayoral Combined County Authority by May 2026. You can read more about devolution and local government reorganisation (LGR) on our careers site.

Essex County Council is proud to be a Disability Confident Leader. We're committed to interviewing all disabled applicants who choose to apply under our Job Interview Scheme if they meet the minimum requirements of the job. Please speak to our recruiters if you require any reasonable adjustments during the process. We're also committed to interviewing all veterans and care leavers who meet the minimum requirements of the role for which they are applying.

Once you've secured your role within Essex County Council you will receive many great employee benefits, including support for unpaid carers and flexible working arrangements to accommodate their needs.

At Essex County Council, we value integrity and ethical behaviour. We kindly ask that you embrace our code of conduct and the Nolan principles throughout the recruitment process. Your commitment to these standards helps us maintain a positive and respectful workplace for everyone.

As part of employment with Essex County Council (ECC), should your role require a DBS check you will be required to register with the DBS update service. The DBS update service ensures all registered DBS certificates are kept up-to-date and allows authorised parties to view the status of your certificate. This is an annual subscription, and you will be responsible for ensuring this is maintained. For further information on the DBS update service please go to https://www.gov.uk/dbs-update-service

Essex County Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults, and expects all employees and volunteers to share this commitment.

If you would like to be kept up to date on other relevant opportunities, blogs, news, events and industry-related news at Essex County Council, please join The Essex Talent Community.

If you have queries on this role or require anything further, please email [e-mail].

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