Mental Health Navigator

Porchlight (charity); England; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

A charitable organization in Dover is seeking a Mental Health Together Navigator to provide holistic support for individuals with complex mental health needs. This role requires strong communication skills and experience in community mental health. Responsibilities include developing personalized support plans and delivering psychological support. The position is full-time, offering a fixed-term contract until March 2026, contributing significantly to community well-being.

Qualifications

• Significant experience in community mental health or wellbeing settings.
• Understanding of social factors influencing mental health.

Responsibilities

• Work with individuals to understand their needs using assessment tools.
• Develop personalized support plans.
• Deliver one-to-one CBT-based psychological support.
• Identify and manage risks and safeguarding issues.

Skills

Strong communication skills

Compassion

Experience in community mental health

Understanding of mental health systems

Job description

Job Description

Job title: Mental Health Together Navigator

Base: Dover

Reports to: Service Manager

Hours: 37.5 hours per week

Contract: Fixed Term until 31 March 2026

Salary: Grade D

Purpose

Porchlight is a strategic partner for the newly established Kent & Medway service, Mental Health Together (MHT). This transformed multi-agency offer brings services supporting people with mental health needs closer together, ensuring access to appropriate care without navigating service boundaries or repeatedly sharing their story. The MHT Navigator role is part of a new model of care that bridges the gap between primary care (GPs) and community mental health services (e.g., KMPT). It supports people with complex mental health needs by:

• Providing person-centred, holistic support
• Delivering trauma-informed, needs-led care
• Removing barriers to access and thresholds across services
• Involving service users and carers as equal partners
• Incorporating involvement and co-production in service design and delivery

What we need

You will be one of the first contacts for those using Mental Health Together, so a positive first impression, strong communication skills, and compassion are essential. As part of a multidisciplinary team, you will value partnership and collaboration, recognizing the diverse skills and insights each member brings.

This role is ideal for individuals with significant experience in community mental health or wellbeing settings, working with individuals with complex needs to help them achieve their goals. You should have a good understanding of mental health systems, local services, and how social factors influence mental health.

Main Duties & Responsibilities

• Work with individuals at their initial meeting to understand their needs using Dialog and Dialog+ assessment tools
• Develop personalized support plans, outlining next steps to meet needs and aspirations
• Apply expertise related to social factors affecting individuals with complex needs and identify supportive services
• Collaborate with locality hubs to determine appropriate interventions post-assessment
• Deliver initial interventions, including one-to-one CBT-based psychological support, with training provided
• Manage caseloads effectively, knowing when to escalate to specialist support within the team
• Identify, assess, and manage risks and safeguarding issues appropriately
• Work independently in the community, building professional networks and knowledge of community assets
• Maintain accurate and timely records across client record systems

This job description summarizes main responsibilities; duties may evolve. Employees will be consulted on major changes.