MHST Team Lead

NELFT North East London Foundation Trust; Southend-on-Sea; Hybrid; GBP 40,000 - 50,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading NHS Trust in Southend-on-Sea is looking for a Team Lead for its Mental Health Support Teams (MHST). In this role, you will blend clinical and operational duties, including supervising clinical staff and ensuring effective delivery of mental health interventions for children. Ideal candidates will have a background in psychology with relevant experience in mental health and educational contexts. The position offers flexible working options and prioritizes community-focused care.

Qualifications

• Minimum of 2 years' experience delivering psychological interventions.
• Experience with neurodivergent individuals and complex cases.
• Competent in supervision of clinical staff.

Responsibilities

• Provide operational and clinical leadership within the MHST.
• Line manage clinical staff within the MHST.
• Ensure the team meets operational and clinical targets.

Skills

Clinical/Counseling Psychology

Experience with children and adolescents

Supervision and line management

Evidence-based psychological interventions

Education

Registered Clinical/Counseling Psychologist

Professional qualifications from accredited courses

Job description

MHST Team Lead

The closing date is 29 December 2025.

This is an exciting new role within the NHS that offers an opportunity to progress within an operational capacity. We are seeking enthusiastic registered professionals who can undertake the role of Team Lead within the Mental Health Support Teams (MHST). This particular role is based within South East Essex.

The MHST's work in partnership with schools and colleges to support the mental health and emotional wellbeing of young people. We achieve this through offering 1:1 CBT interventions and whole school approaches (WSA).

As a Team Lead you will work closely with the Operational Manager and Clinical Lead. The Team Lead's role will be separated into two, with 50% of your time being focused on clinical interventions and oversight and 50% of your time spent with operational responsibilities. A key part of this role is ensuring that we are meeting both operational and clinical targets. You will be responsible for line managing clinical staff whilst also holding a small caseload and having oversight of the delivery of service within your area.

Main duties of the job

Operational

• Support with recruitment; including review of job application, interviewing, planning induction package.
• Sickness and absence management; including return to work meetings, staff wellbeing meetings and referrals to occupational health.
• Roster management, support with annual leave requests; flexible working requests and study leave.
• Organising and chairing meetings.
• Undertaking audits as required by the service.

Clinical

• To provide an efficient, effective, comprehensive and specialist MHST service for children and adolescents.
• To complete assessments and treatment of children and adolescents with emotional and mental health problems, their carers/parents and families.
• To undertake a range of generic clinical work, guided self help, targeted group work and workshops under Whole School Approach (WSA).
• Ensure delivery of interventions are carried out in line with NICE guidance within the team. Ensure the appropriate use of Routine Outcome Measures (ROMs) to monitor efficacy of intervention.
• To monitor and guide the team in ensuring we meet safety benchmarks set by NELFT and the CQC.

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 places 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.

Probationary Period

This post will be subject to a probationary period.

At NELFT, we are committed to building a workforce that reflects and supports the diverse communities we serve. As part of our ongoing efforts to strengthen local employment and deliver high‑quality, person‑centred care, we will prioritise applications from individuals living in our local boroughs and surrounding areas.

Job responsibilities

• The Team Lead will provide operational and clinical leadership within the MHST. They will be responsible for ensuring their locality team is meeting operational and clinical targets; and following escalation processes as required.
• The Team Lead will line manage clinical staff within the MHST.
• The Team Lead will actively promote the three core functions of MHST alongside the eight principles of the whole school approach.
• The Team Lead will facilitate the development of a positive and supportive team culture.
• The Team Lead will take an active interest in working parties and groups within the Trust to develop and improve service delivery, protocols and guidelines.
• The Team Lead will participate in the audit process, linking in with the clinical governance agenda.
• The Team Lead will advise and share knowledge utilising the latest research and practice development, through literature and peer reviews in line with their registered governing body.
• The Team Lead will ensure that a high quality, timely, accessible and evidence‑based service is provided equitably across all schools who work in partnership with the MHST programme.

The South East Essex Mental Health Support Team (MHST) covers a large geographical area incorporating Southend, Canvey, Rayleigh, Benfleet, Castlepoint and Rochford. We are an early intervention and prevention evidence‑based service and as a team we are supportive and passionate in what we deliver. We are a friendly team of professionals who come from multidisciplinary backgrounds. We recognise the needs for a healthy work‑life balance, and we will consider flexible working applications in line with the trust policies and process. We encourage Continual Professional Development (CPD) and are keen to support our staff to grow and progress.

Finally, we are a welcoming, compassionate and considerate team, that work incredibly hard to support one another to improve the mental health of our community.

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.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• Registered/Accredited, Clinical/Counselling Psychologist, Family Therapist, Drama Therapist, Art Psychotherapist, CBT Therapist, Child & Adolescent Psychotherapist, IPT‑a therapist.
• Further professional qualifications will have been gained through accredited courses, workshops, study and in‑house training programmes (e.g. leadership/project management).

Experience

• At least 2 years' experience of delivering evidence‑based psychological interventions in mental health with children and young people.
• Experience of working with more complex presentations and neurodivergence.
• Experience in supervision of and/or line managing clinical staff.
• Experience working with and in educational settings.
• Experience of providing clinical interventions in different cultural contexts.

Other

• To be able to travel efficiently throughout the area.

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

Working Hours Options

• Full‑time
• Part‑time
• Job share
• Flexible working