MHST Senior Practitioner

Transformation Unit; Royal Borough of Greenwich; Remote; GBP 42,000 - 56,000; Full time

Job summary

Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust is recruiting for a Senior Practitioner to support MHST delivery in Greenwich schools. The role focuses on evidence-based 1:1 and group interventions for children and young people with mild to moderate mental health needs, working closely with education colleagues to promote a whole-school approach.

The post holder will supervise MHST staff and contribute to EMHP supervision, with opportunities to develop within a national initiative and Thrive framework alongside

Qualifications

• Must hold a core profession credential in health/social care.
• Registration with a relevant professional body is required.
• Specialist training in CYP IAPT CBT/SFP/IPT-A or equivalent is required.
• EMHP supervision course is desired or willingness to complete.

Responsibilities

• Train and supervise Education Mental Health Practitioners.
• Manage a defined caseload of children and young people with mild–moderate mental health needs in schools.
• Coordinate and deliver individual and group interventions.
• Evaluate programmes ensuring high standards of practice and compliance.

Skills

Risk assessment

MDT working

Child & adolescent mental health

Evidence-based practice

Education

RN Mental Health / CQSW / CSS / DipSW / Dip or BSc OT

Job description

Mental Health Support Teams work with children, young people and families across schools in Greenwich .

We seek to appoint an enthusiastic and dynamic individual with a passion for early intervention and prevention. Candidates should have worked previously in mental health clinical settings and ideally have some CAMHS and supervision experience.

Mental Health Support Teams are part of an exciting National initiative, working in collaboration with education settings, to improve the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people.

There is a focus on early intervention, improving access and supporting the whole school approach to mental health and wellbeing within schools. Oxleas MHST work within a Thrive framework alongside education colleagues and community partners,

Please note we welcome applicants who have not completed the EMHP supervision course. There will be an expectation that successful candidates, who have not completed the course, commence the fully funded one year supervision course at Kings College London from January 2027. Previous applicants need not apply.

Main duties of the job

The MHST Senior Practitioner role supports the delivery of evidence-based 1:1 and group interventions for children and young people presenting with mild to moderate mental health need.

The role requires joint working and close liaison with education colleagues to support the whole school approach to mental health and wellbeing within school settings, facilitating appropriate signposting to other services as required. The post holder will actively contribute to the delivery and development of a quality MHST service within Oxleas.

The MHST Senior Practitioners, together with MHST Lead practitioners, offer support and supervision to the MHST workforce and it is an expectation of the role that the post holder have completed, or are willing to complete, the required Education Mental Health Practitioner supervision course in order to appropriately support the EMHP workforce.

Working for our organisation

Oxleas offers a wide range of NHS healthcare services to people in community and secure environment settings. Our services include community health care such as district nursing and speech and language therapy, care for people with learning disabilities and mental health care such as psychiatry, nursing and therapies. Our multidisciplinary teams look after people of all ages and we work in close partnership with other parts of the NHS, local councils and the voluntary sector and through our new provider collaboratives. Our 4,300 members of staff work in many different settings including hospitals, clinics, prisons, secure hospitals, children’s centres, schools and people’s homes.
We have over 125 sites in a variety of locations in the South of England. In London we operate within the Boroughs of Bexley, Bromley Greenwich and into Kent. We manage hospital sites including Queen Mary’s Hospital, Sidcup and Memorial Hospital, Woolwich, as well as the Bracton Centre, our medium secure unit for people with mental health needs. We are proud of the care we provide and our people.

Our purpose is to improve lives by providing the best possible care to our patients and their families. This is strengthened by our new values:

• We Listen
• We Care

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

To be trained and confident in the use of CYP IAPT principles, evidence-based interventions and routine outcome measures.

To be trained and deliver supervision to Education Mental Health Practitioners.

To manage a defined caseload of children and young people presenting with mild to moderate mental health and emotional wellbeing difficulties in schools.

To co-ordinate and deliver individualised interventions for children, young people and families and evaluate these programmes, ensuring high standards of practice in accordance with service remit, national guidelines and trust policy.

To actively promote and contribute to the Whole School Approach to developing and maintaining emotional health and well-being within education settings

To be able to assess and manage risk in children and young people and to do this on an on-going basis.

To apply for this position you need to hold a core profession.

• RN Mental Health or CQSW/CSS/DipSW or equivalent Social Work qualification Dip or BSc OT
• Registration with relevant Professional body
• Specialist training in a subject/skill relevant to Child & and Adolescent Mental Health (0-18 years) together with CYP IAPT Dip in CBT/SFP/IPT-A
• EMHP supervision course

Experience

• At least 2 years post registration experience in a setting where mental health is the primary focus some of which should have been in a CAMHS setting.

Skills

• Ability to assess, plan, implement and evaluate risk/care plans to meet the needs of clients.
• Ability to work as a member of a multi-disciplinary team and demonstrate awareness of MDT functioning.
• Willingness and ability to develop specialist knowledge of clinical aspects of child & adolescent mental health.
• Ability to analyse risk and respond appropriately, seeking support as necessary

We are committed to creating an inclusive workplace that welcomes and supports individuals of all abilities. Remember, if you meet the minimum criteria for this role and you have a disability, you can be guaranteed an interview under the Disability Confident Scheme - Please ensure you select this on your application form. We would encourage you to be open about your needs so we can work with you to design a comfortable and accessible interview experience. Any information you provide regarding a disability or a need for adjustments will be treated in confidence and will only be shared with colleagues who are supporting this request.

If you require any adjustments to participate fully in the interview process, please let us know by adding the relevant details when scheduling your preferred interview date and time. Please feel free to contact the appointing manager to discuss your needs.

We encourage applicants to contact the hiring manager before their interview, if they have any questions about the role or the process. This is a great way to get clarity and prepare effectively for the interview.

If you have declared you are part of the armed forces community, you may be asked to provide evidence during the recruitment process. If you misrepresent this information, your offer may be withdrawn. For Armed Forces specific support, see our webpage: https://oxleas.nhs.uk/armed-forces-community/

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)

If you choose to use AI or other tools to assist in writing your application, it's essential to personalise this information, particularly your supporting information section. While AI can help streamline the writing process, these tools cannot fully grasp the context or requirements of the job you’re applying for. There is also a risk that it can generate false or misleading information. AI-generated job applications can often be generic, impersonal and may not accurately reflect your qualifications, knowledge, skills, and experiences. It is crucial that you personalise your supporting statement by articulating these in your unique voice. Relying solely on AI to write your application or supporting information section is not advocated by Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust and could negatively impact your chances of success in the application process.

We monitor applications for any behaviour that could create an unfair advantage, and we check all references carefully. You are likely to be tested on your experience at interview, so be honest and make sure all the information in your application is correct.Please note that the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is prohibited during the interview process.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.