Mental Health Navigator

Integrated Care System; Dover; On-site; GBP 26,000 - 30,000; Full time

Job summary

A community welfare organization in Dover seeks a Mental Health Together Navigator to support individuals with mental health needs. The role involves co-creating personalized support plans and managing complex cases in a collaborative team. Candidates should have strong communication skills and a Level 3 qualification in mental health or related fields. The position offers a salary between £26,850 to £29,644 and requires a passion for improving mental health services.

Qualifications

• At least two years of experience in community mental health or wellbeing.
• Full driving licence and access to a vehicle.
• Ability to listen, understand, and co-create plans.

Responsibilities

• Meet individuals at their first contact with Mental Health Together.
• Co-create personalised support plans for complex mental health needs.
• Apply expertise in social factors affecting mental health.

Skills

Communication skills

Team collaboration

Compassion

Education

Minimum Level 3 qualification in mental health or related field

Job description

Join Mental Health Together (MHT), a new Kent & Medway multi-agency service supporting people with varying mental health needs. Porchlight is a strategic partner in this transformed offer, designed to remove service boundaries and ensure people receive the right care without retelling their story.

Youll be one of the first contacts for those using MHT, so strong communication, compassion, and a commitment to positive experiences are essential. Working as part of a collaborative team across organisations, youll value partnership and the unique skills each member brings.

This role suits someone with at least two years experience in community mental health or wellbeing, supporting individuals with complex needs. Youll understand mental health systems, local services, and the impact of social factors.

Requirements:

• Minimum Level 3 qualification in mental health, housing, welfare advice, social work, or healthcare
• Full driving licence and access to a vehicle (subject to DDA 1995)
• Ability to listen, understand, and co-create achievable plans with individuals
• Passion for improving mental health service experiences

Hours: 37.5/week, MonFri 9am5pm (some flexibility)Base: Coleman House, DoverContract: Fixed Term until 31 March 2026

See Job Description and Person Specification for full details

Main duties of the job

Meet individuals at their first contact with Mental Health Together, using Dialog/Dialog+ to assess needs and outcomes
• Co-create personalised support plans for those with complex mental health needs, identifying next steps and aspirations
• Apply expertise in social factors affecting mental health and identify relevant services to support whole-life needs
• Collaborate from locality hubs to agree on suitable services/interventions following initial assessments
• Deliver initial CBT-based one-to-one interventions (training provided by clinicians)
• Manage a caseload effectively, knowing when to involve specialist support within the team
• Identify, assess, and manage risk and safeguarding concerns, escalating appropriately
• Work independently in the community, building professional relationships and mapping local assets to support individual goals
• Maintain accurate, timely records across Mental Health Together systems

About us

Porchlight is a charity supporting people who are homeless, vulnerable, and isolated. At Porchlight, we are passionate about helping vulnerable people to reach their full potential. We strive for a fairer society where vulnerable people find stability, the most excluded are included, and where homelessness and poverty are things of the past.

Porchlight is an Equal Opportunities Employer and welcomes applications from all sections of the community. Porchlight is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults at risk.

Job responsibilities

Job Description

Job title: Mental Health Together Navigator

Project/Base: Dover

Reports to: Service Manager

Hours: 37.5 hours per week

Contract: Fixed Term until 31 March 2026

Purpose

• Porchlight is one of the strategic partners for the newly established Kent & Medway service,Mental Health Together (MHT); this is the transformed multi-agency offer, which brings allthe services and agencies that support people with varying mental health needs much closertogether. This ensures that people get the right care, without having to navigate serviceboundaries and without repeatedly telling their story. The MHT Navigator is one of severalnew roles which is part of a new joined-up model of care which bridges the gap that currentlyexists between primary (i.e. GPs) and community mental health (i.e. KMPT). It will supportpeople with complex mental health needs by:
• Providing someone with support in a person-centred, holistic way
• Delivering needs-led and personalised trauma-informed care.
• Removing barriers to access, and thresholds across services working together
• Involving those using services and carers as equal partners in their support
• Building in involvement and co-production at all levels of service design delivery

What we need

You will be one of the first people that those using Mental Health Together will meet, so youwill have a strong commitment to ensuring that this first experience is positive, being astrong communicator as well as showing compassion.

As part of one team of professionals from across different organisations that make up MentalHealth Together, you will value partnership and collaboration, recognising the different skillsand understanding that each person brings to the team.

This role is perfect for individuals with significant experience of working within a community.mental health and or wellbeing setting, working with individuals with complex mental healthneeds to help them achieve their goals. As well as understanding how mental healthsystems work, you will have good insight into local services and support, and how socialfactors can affect mental health.

Main Duties & Responsibilities

• Work with individuals at their initial meeting of Mental Health Together to understandtheir needs using Dialog and Dialog+, a person-centred assessment and outcomemeasurement tool
• Develop an initial personalised support plan with those with complex mental healthneeds accessing support about next steps in meeting their needs and aspirations
• Bring expertise related to the whole life room aspect of the persons needs, thinkingabout the social factors that might be affecting those with complex mental healthneeds, and which services could help and support
• From locality hubs, work collaboratively as part of the Mental Health Together team,agreeing which services and/or interventions will best support individuals after theirinitial meeting assessment
• Deliver initial interventions (a one-to-one CBT based psychological intervention) fornew individuals accessing the service, with training provided by clinicians
• Effectively manage a caseload, with good awareness and understanding of when tocollaborate within the Mental Health Together team where more specialist support isneeded
• Identify, assess, and effectively manage risk and safeguarding issues, escalating asappropriate within the team
• Work independently in the community, proactively building up a network ofprofessional relationships, and knowledge of community assets to support individualsin their achievement of their goals within their support plan
• Maintain timely, accurate and up to date records on client record systems acrossMental Health Together

This job description is a summary of the main responsibilities of the post and duties may change andvary from time to time. Employees will be consulted on any major changes to the job description.

Person Specification

Skills & Abilities

• Knowledge and understanding of complex mental health needs.
• Ability to facilitate, engage, motivate, and support individuals.
• Ability to support & empower individuals to form their own decisions.
• A motivational, flexible, and problem-solving approach.
• Ability to work on own initiative, as well as in consultation and negotiation with managers and other stakeholders as required.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills
• Flexibility to cope with the varying demands of the role, balancing face-to-face work with the need for accurate recording of support notes, and activity.
• Confident in speaking in multi-disciplinary meetings & giving feedback to colleagues & local service providers.
• Be able to display an awareness, understanding and commitment to the protection and safeguarding of young people and vulnerable adults.

Experience

• Minimum of two years experience delivering mental health and wellbeing interventions in a case management approach.
• Experience of working with primary or secondary health/social care services
• Experience of facilitating and supporting clients with complex and/or multiple barriers in getting the support they need.

Qualifications

• Minimum level 3 qualification in either mental health, housing, welfare advice, social work, health care
• To have a full driving license and the use of a vehicle, subject to the provisions of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995
• Relevant additional training in the health and social care field including safeguarding, and quality practice developments.

Personal Qualities

• Embraces change and drives continuous improvement.
• Demonstrates a passion to further the charitable aims of the organisation and acts with integrity.
• Provides a high standard of service and professionalism to those supported and worked with
• Have an understanding of and be able to demonstrate a commitment to Equal Opportunities and Diversity.
• Any other requirements to ensure effective delivery of the service, within reasonable expectations.

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.

£26,850 to £29,644 a yearRises to £29,644 after 5 years' service