Mental Health Support Team (MHST) Senior Practitioner

NHS; Maidstone; Hybrid; GBP 30,000 - 42,000; Full time

Job summary

A healthcare trust in Maidstone seeks a Mental Health Support Team Senior Practitioner to deliver interventions in schools and support children's emotional well-being. The successful candidate will have clinical experience working with children and young people, providing CBT for various mental health issues. Supervisory skills and a graduate qualification in health care are required, with opportunities for professional development. The position is flexible with various working hours available.

Benefits

Flexible working hours

Professional development opportunities

Healthcare benefits

Qualifications

• Graduate qualified health care professional required.
• Experience delivering CBT interventions is necessary.
• Supervisory experience preferred.

Responsibilities

• Deliver interventions within schools and colleges.
• Support children and young people's mental well-being.
• Supervise junior colleagues and support their development.

Skills

Knowledge of CBT interventions

Experience with Children & Young People

Supervisory skills

Safeguarding awareness

Effective communication skills

Education

Graduate qualification (e.g., Nursing, Social Work)

Formal CBT training (e.g., CYP-IAPT)

Job description

Go back NELFT North East London Foundation Trust

Mental Health Support Team (MHST) Senior Practitioner

The closing date is 13 October 2025

Band 6 - Mental Health Practitioner(Mental Health Support Teams)

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 that 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. This is expected to 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.

The post-holder will be expected to work closely with schools to support children and young people (CYP), their families and staff to foster a whole school approach to mental well-being.

The vacancy primarily covers scholls in tunbridge wells area.

Please see our Website for examples and explanations of our work.

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

the successful applicant should also be KCL Senior Welbeing Program, eligible and ready to start Jan 26,2026 on the course.

Main duties of the job

As part of their role the post holders will be responsible for delivering interventions within schools and colleges and hold an individual caseload. The post-holder will ideally have clinical experience working with Children & Young People experiencing emotional wellbeing and mental health difficulties and be expected to deliver CBT interventions for anxiety, low mood, and behavioural problems individually and in groups.

Previous clinical experience will be considered alongside the expectations stated and in support we provide informal training and wider CPD opportunities as well a robust supervision programme to support development of low intensity CBT skills, intervention adaptation and WSA delivery.

An additional part of this role includes supervisory responsibility of junior colleagues and if not previously completed there is an opportunity to enrol on a supervisor's course (at one of our affiliated universities) which is already funded and established by the service. Supervisory training will enhance your skills to support EMHP and CWP junior colleagues to undertake their clinical roles. Within your role you will be offered additional supervision which will support your professional development.

The post-holder will be a graduate qualified health care professional (Qualification examples: Nurse, CWP, EMHP, Social Worker, IAPT CBT Therapist or OT)

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 place 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.

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.

Job responsibilities

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Please refer to the attached job description and person specification for further details on this vacancy.

Skills needed for the post:

• Good knowledge and ability to apply CBT interventions.
• Confident in working alongside both Children/Young people and Education settings.
• Willingness to learn and develop both clinical and supervisor skills.
• Awareness of the importance of safeguarding and the role of a Mental Health professional in this.
• Enthusiasm about reducing stigma and promoting understanding of mental health issues.

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.

Person Specification

Qualification

• oSuccessful completion of a graduate training (e.g. nursing, social work, occupational therapy), EMHP/CWP qualification with18 months experience or equivalent substantial CAMHS/EWMHS clinical experience
• oTo be eligible for registration as a full member of the appropriate professional body (e.g. HCPC, NMC) where appropriate
• To have completed formal CBT training (e.g. CYP-IAPT)

Experience

• Experience delivering CBT interventions to CYP and their families
• Experience of working with schools to support CYP emotional well-being needs
• Experience running therapy groups and/or training events
• Experience of supervising staff

Knowledge

• Knowledge of the education system
• Knowledge of legislation in relation to children and adolescents and safeguarding procedures and policies.

Skills

• Skill in the ability to communicate effectively, verbally and in writing complex, highly technical and/or clinically sensitive information to clients, their families, carers and other professional colleagues both within and outside EWMHS
• knowledge of the Electronic Patient Systems (RIO/ system one)

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.

NELFT North East London Foundation Trust

Full-time,Part-time,Job share,Flexible working,Compressed hours