Play / Creative Arts Therapist

London Borough of Sutton; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 36,000 - 48,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Local Government Pension Scheme

Flexible Working

Two volunteering days per year

London Living Wage Employer

Job summary

London Borough of Sutton is seeking a Creative Arts (Music/Drama/Art) / Play Therapist to deliver time-limited therapeutic interventions for vulnerable children. You will provide individual, sibling, or group therapy to help them safely express emotions and process trauma, while guiding social workers and families in multi-agency settings.

You will also write detailed progress reports, participate in planning meetings, and maintain accurate records to support safeguarding and care planning.

Qualifications

• A recognised/accredited Play Therapy or Creative Arts Therapy qualification with professional registration.
• Substantial post-qualifying experience providing therapy to children and young people with SEMH needs.
• Strong knowledge of trauma-informed practice and attachment theory.
• Experience in multi-agency work, delivering training, and maintaining accurate case records.

Responsibilities

• Deliver Direct Therapy: provide individual, sibling, or group play/creative arts therapy to help children process trauma and develop coping strategies.
• Offer Expert Consultation: guide and advise social workers, parents, foster carers and multi-agency partners to improve understanding of children’s emotional and mental health needs.
• Maintain Analytical Casework: write progress reports, advocate in multi-agency meetings, and keep detailed records in relevant systems.

Skills

Trauma-informed practice

Attachment theory

Developmental trauma

Mental health modalities

Multi-agency consultations

Record-keeping

Education

Play Therapy or Creative Arts Therapy qualification

Job description

Salary Basis Per annum

Enhancements/Additional Payments N/A

Leave Entitlement 28 days

Application Deadline 11/11/2026, 23:55

Anticipated Interview Date(s) w/c 16/11/26

About the Borough

The London Borough of Sutton is situated less than 30 minutes by train from Central London, with direct connections to London Victoria and London Bridge. Found in zone 5 with good transport links in and out of London, Sutton boasts award winning parks and open spaces, low crime rates, affordable housing and great schools. As well as high levels of resident engagement and satisfaction, providing quality services and success in addressing our financial challenges, whilst involving residents in key issues and high street changes.

Sutton is continuously investing in the health, wellbeing and education of our residents and the future generation, as set out in the “Ambitious for Sutton” corporate plan. We are home to the Royal Marsden Hospital and the Institute of Cancer Research. Together with the development of the London Cancer Hub, Sutton will be the world’s leading life-science district, specialising in cancer research and treatment. Our vision will create around 13,000 jobs while contributing £1.2bn to the UK economy each year, a vibrant community of scientists, doctors and innovative companies intended to deliver real benefits for cancer patients and drive economic growth. With the regeneration of the local areas with new homes and schools, Sutton is passionate about working closely with our residents and vulnerable groups to help them maintain their independence and create a balance between support and independent living.

The Council is seen as a driving force within the South London Partnership of five outer south west London boroughs focused on strategic growth, regeneration and investment. As we strive to improve our services and spaces for our residents as set out in the ‘Ambitious for Sutton’ corporate plan, Sutton aims to shape the future of the borough and adapt to the needs of its residents to make our Borough a great place to live, work and raise a family.

About the Role and our Ideal Candidate

As the Creative Arts (Music/Drama/Art) / Play Therapist you will deliver time-limited therapeutic interventions with vulnerable children. Your intervention is aimed at supporting them to be able to safely express and process unconscious emotions, trauma, and difficult life experiences when traditional talking therapy is too hard or developmentally inappropriate. In this role you will:

• Deliver Direct Therapy: Provide individual, sibling, or group play/creative arts therapy to help children process trauma, express their narratives, and develop coping strategies.
• Offer Expert Consultation: Guide and advise social workers, parents, foster carers, and multi-agency partners to increase their understanding of children's emotional and mental health needs.
• Maintain Analytical Casework: Write comprehensive, analytical progress reports, advocate for children in multi-agency planning meetings, and keep detailed records on the relevant system.

Essential Qualifications, Experience, and Skills

• Qualifications & Professional Registration: A recognised/accredited professional qualification in Play Therapy or a Creative Arts Therapy (Art, Drama, or Music) alongside membership/registration with a relevant body (e.g. HCPC, BAAT, BAMT, BADth, BAPT, UKCP, or BACP).
• Post-Qualifying Experience: Substantial post-qualifying experience providing therapeutic interventions to children and young people displaying complex SEMH needs, severe trauma, loss, and challenging behaviour, including adapting methods for children with additional needs or disabilities.
• Core Knowledge: Comprehensive understanding of trauma-informed practice, attachment theories, developmental trauma, mental health modalities, and relevant child protection/mental health legislation.
• Clinical & Operational Skills: Proven ability to offer multi-agency consultations, analyze complex case information to make sound professional judgments in high-risk scenarios, deliver training, and maintain accurate records

About Us

Join an innovative, award-nominated multidisciplinary team driving transformative outcomes for children and families across the borough. The Sutton Therapeutic Hub and Family Connections Service is an integrated multidisciplinary team within Children’s Social Care, operating on an agile, trauma-informed, and restorative "No Wrong Door" model. Recently shortlisted for the ACAMH Awards 2026, our service offers a collaborative, high-impact environment dedicated to eliminating service barriers and ensuring every child receives the right support at the right time.

Our Offer To You

As an organisation that values and nurtures talent, we’re committed to helping you fulfil your potential and will offer you a supportive, friendly and collaborative environment to grow and develop your career and skills. We’re constantly striving to improve our ways of working so putting your ideas across however big or small; will be fully encouraged and supported by your colleagues and our dynamic and experienced management team.

Employees have access to a wide range of benefits to enable staff to achieve a work life balance, some of which include:

• A generous annual leave entitlement of 26-32 days plus bank holidays (pro-rata if part-time working hours apply) depending on service and grade
• Enhanced Maternity, paternity, shared parental, adoption and dependents leave
• Two volunteering days per year
• Flexible Working - Smarter Working Scheme (dependent on the role)
• Adjustable and agile working arrangements using Google Chromebooks
• Learning and development portal offering a range of courses
• Discounts on a range of local shops, restaurants, gyms and leisure centres
• Interest free season ticket loans
• Local Government Pension Scheme
• Bicycle loan facilities and cycle to work scheme
• Electric vehicle leasing scheme
• Confidential health & wellbeing and counselling support

Additional Information

We are proud to be a diverse and welcoming Borough and we strive to create a workforce which reflects the community we serve, and instil a sense of belonging in our staff. We celebrate and respect differences and appreciate the value of having a diverse workforce, therefore we welcome applications from under represented groups.

To support our workers and their families we offer a range of family friendly, inclusive employment policies, flexible working arrangements, staff engagement forums and inclusive staff networks who help drive our diversity agenda.

We are also proud to be a disability confident employer and guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum essential criteria for a role. As an accredited London Living Wage Employer all our employees are guaranteed the London Living Wage regardless of their length or type of contract.

The UK has a points-based immigration system affecting EU and Non-EU workers and sponsorship requirements. We advise checking the GOV.UK website for right to work guidance. Sponsorship availability varies and is subject to eligibility requirements and budget limitations. As a result, we cannot guarantee sponsorship for all roles and will evaluate sponsorship requests on a case-by-case basis.