Senior Wellbeing Practitioner - South-West Essex MHST

NELFT NHS Foundation Trust; Basildon; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading mental health service provider in England seeks a qualified Education Mental Health Practitioner to deliver evidence-based interventions to children and young people. The successful candidate will work within schools, providing assessments and promoting mental health. Significant experience and registration with a relevant professional body are essential for this role.

Benefits

Health and wellbeing support

Flexible working arrangements

Supportive networks for minority staff

Comprehensive induction program

Qualifications

• Fully registered with the relevant professional body.
• Extensive clinical experience with emotional wellbeing and mental health needs.

Responsibilities

• Deliver high-quality mental health support across schools and colleges.
• Conduct comprehensive assessments, including risk assessments.
• Provide leadership and promote a positive team culture.

Skills

Experience with children and young people

Clinical supervision

Evidence-based interventions

Communication skills

Education

Graduate training (nursing, social work, occupational therapy)

Eligible for registration with a relevant body

SWP PgDip course attendance

Job description

Overview

This job is brought to you by Jobs/Redefined, the UK's leading over-50s age inclusive jobs board. Joining Team NELFT means you’ll become part of a welcoming and supportive working environment. We are CQC rated Good and aim for Outstanding. NELFT has sites across North East London, Essex, Kent and Medway, providing community and mental healthcare services to adults and children in these areas.

The Trust has award-winning equality and diversity initiatives and staff health and wellbeing activities. We invest heavily in development, and as a Level 3 Disability Confident Leader, we embed a just and compassionate culture with staff networks and training opportunities.

Find out more about NELFT careers and what makes our Trust a great place to work in this video.

Job overview

At NELFT, we’re proud to be the largest provider of Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTs) in England. Our MHSTs deliver evidence-based individual and group interventions within educational settings for children and young people aged 4 to 18 with mild to moderate mental health difficulties, and promote whole-school approaches to positive mental health.

Integrated, Holistic Support

MHSTs work alongside counsellors, nurses, educational psychologists and voluntary sector partners to strengthen support for children and young people. For those with more complex needs, we provide a vital link to CAMHS services for timely access to the right care.

Who we’re looking for

We’re seeking a passionate and experienced practitioner who is:

• A qualified Education Mental Health Practitioner/Children’s Wellbeing Practitioner who is willing and committed to completing the SWP PgDip course starting January 2026.

You must be fully registered with a relevant professional or regulatory body (BPS or BABCP) and have extensive clinical experience working with children and young people with emotional wellbeing and mental health needs.

Main duties of the job

As a valued member of our Mental Health Support Team (MHST), you’ll deliver high-quality mental health support to children and young people across schools and colleges in SW Essex. Responsibilities include:

Clinical Delivery & Support

• Deliver evidence-based interventions in schools
• Conduct comprehensive assessments, including risk assessments, care planning and reviews for children and young people
• Make referrals to specialist services and external agencies when needed
• Provide high quality clinical supervision
• Work with schools to support the development of the Whole School Approach

Professional Practice

• Act as an autonomous, registered practitioner, accountable for your own clinical decisions in line with professional codes and NELFT policies
• Support the transformation of children and young people’s mental health as part of the NHS Long-Term Plan

Quality & Outcomes

• Routinely measure clinical outcomes using Routine Outcome Measures (ROMs) to guide and improve practice
• Ensure all care is delivered via NICE-compliant pathways

Teamwork & Leadership

• Provide leadership, promote initiative, creativity and motivation
• Communicate complex clinical information effectively to enable collaborative working
• Contribute to a positive team culture while working independently and with other professionals

Working for our organisation

Values 2025-2030: We are kind, we are respectful, we work together with our communities. We emphasise welcoming new starters with a comprehensive induction (up to two weeks) including mandatory and systems training and meetings with the executive team and senior managers. Induction is held at the Trust head office in Rainham, Essex.

Probationary Period: This post is subject to a probationary period.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Join the South West Essex MHST – covering Basildon, Thurrock, Brentwood and Billericay. We deliver early intervention and prevention-focused mental health support across a wide area and value collaboration, compassion and continuous learning. Flexible working applications are welcomed.

Professional Development & Training

We actively encourage CPD. The successful candidates will undertake the Senior Wellbeing Practitioner (SWP) course starting January 2026.

For full details, please refer to the job description and person specification attached.

Certificates of Sponsorship: We are a registered sponsor organisation but sponsorship may not be available for all roles. Check eligibility under UKVI. When calculating basic salary for sponsorship, HCAS 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

Qualifications

Essential criteria

• Graduate training (e.g. nursing, social work, occupational therapy) or completed low intensity EMHP/CWP qualification
• Eligible for registration as a full member of the appropriate professional body (e.g. HCPC, NMC, BABCP, BPS)
• Attended/willing to attend SWP course

Experience

Essential criteria

• Experience with moderate presentations and neurodivergence
• At least 1 year as a registered practitioner delivering low-intensity CBT-informed interventions

Desirable criteria

• 2 years post-qualification experience in children’s mental health services

Travel

Essential criteria

• Ability to travel efficiently throughout the area

Benefits

We believe in bringing your authentic and best self to work. We are committed to supporting employees holistically. Here is a snapshot of what is on offer at NELFT:

• Equality and diversity with supportive networks for minority staff and staff with disabilities or long-term conditions
• Flexible working to support work-life balance and families; recognised as a Top 10 Family Friendly Employer
• Health and wellbeing support, including employee assistance and staff wellbeing initiatives
• Details about wellbeing and benefits can be found in the attached information

As a flexible working friendly organisation, we welcome discussions about flexible arrangements including job sharing or part-time hours.

Additional information

Supporting our Armed Forces: we’ve signed the Armed Forces Covenant and have Gold Award status. We offer guaranteed interview schemes for veterans and reservists and provide additional leave to Reservists.

Equal opportunities: we are committed to equal opportunities and encourage applications from all community sections. We are a Disability Confident employer and can provide applications in alternative formats on request: recruitment at nelft.nhs.uk

Correspondence: regularly check emails for correspondence related to this post. We may share applicant information with NHSCFA or other bodies for fraud prevention and verification purposes; third-party providers may verify qualifications.

Documents to download: Senior Wellbeing Practitioner JD (PDF), NELFT information (PDF), Candidate Recruitment Pack (PDF), Acceptable Use of AI in Recruitment (PDF).