Trainee Education Mental Health Practitioner

Berkshire Healthcare Foundation Trust; Reading; On-site; GBP 28,000 - 32,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading healthcare provider in the UK is offering an exciting opportunity for a Trainee Education Mental Health Practitioner to train while delivering early intervention mental health services for children and young people. The role involves collaboration with schools to promote emotional wellbeing and requires strong communication and organizational skills. Applicants should have a relevant honours degree and a passion for children's mental health. The position is full-time and includes a comprehensive training program.

Benefits

Flexible working options

27 days' annual leave

Learning and career development opportunities

'Cycle to Work' scheme

Access to wellbeing tools and services

Discounts at popular retailers

Generous maternity and paternity leave

Free parking

Qualifications

• Experience of working with children and young people.
• Understanding of the educational system in England.
• Strong commitment to improving outcomes for young people.

Responsibilities

• Deliver evidence-based interventions to children and young people.
• Collaborate with education staff to promote emotional wellbeing.
• Engage in academic and clinical training as part of the EMHP programme.

Skills

Communication skills

Ability to work with children

IT skills

Organizational skills

Education

Honours degree graded at 2.2 or above

Numeracy and literacy qualification at minimum level 2

Job description

Trainee Education Mental Health Practitioner

We are delighted to offer an exciting opportunity to train asan Education Mental Health Practitioner (EMHP), supporting the development and delivery of early intervention mental health services for children and young people across the West of Berkshire. This training post is part of the national initiative to expand access to mental health support in educational settings. As a trainee EMHP, you will work under supervision within our Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTs), delivering evidence-based interventions to children and young people aged up to 18, helping to shape emotionally healthy school environments and provide direct support to those who need it most.

You will be co-located in schools across your locality, working collaboratively with education staff to promote a whole-school approach to emotional wellbeing and mental health. The role requires creativity, flexibility, and a strong commitment to improving outcomes for young people.

You'll be based in Thatcham or Reading. You will be embedded in clusters of schools, co-located with MHSTs , supporting whole-school approaches to emotional wellbeing, working under supervision as part of a dynamic, integrated mental health team and engaging in academic and clinical training as part of the EMHP programme based at The University of Reading.

Main duties of the job

• All applicants must demonstrate in their application the ability to work at degree level or have an equivalent level of relevant experience, with a proven record of previous learning or formal study in child development, wellbeing or mental health as well as a desire to work in children's mental health. Experience of working with children and young people and an understanding of the educational system in England is highly desirable.
• During training, the post-holder will work under supervision to gain experience across healthcare and educational settings to enable them to gain the level of competencerequired to deliver high-quality, evidence-based early interventions for CYP experiencing mild to moderate mental health problems.
• On successful completion of training, trainee EMHPs will be equipped with the necessary skills, knowledge, and capabilities to work as a qualified EMHP as autonomous and responsible practitioners within their scope of practice, alongside education colleagues.

About us

Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is a specialist mental health and community health services trust. Rated 'outstanding' by the CQC, we're committed to providing the best possible care to people across Berkshire. As an employer, we're committed to offering an inclusive and compassionate environment where our people share in a sense of belonging and are supported to flourish.

Our values at Berkshire Healthcare are:

• Caring for and about you is our top priority
• Committed to providing good quality, safe services
• Working Together with you to develop innovative solutions

Your wellbeing is important to us. Some of the benefits of working for us include:

• Flexible working options to support work-life balance
• 27 days' annual leave rising with service + opportunity to buy and sell
• Excellent learning and career development opportunities
• 'Cycle to Work' and car leasing scheme including electric vehicles
• Access to a range of wellbeing tools and services
• Discounts at hundreds of popular retailers and restaurants
• Staff networks for race, diversity, disabilities, the environment and armed forces community to support equality
• Generous maternity, paternity, adoption and special leave
• Free parking across Trust sites

Job responsibilities

The must haves for this role:

• Work at degree level or have an equivalent level of relevant experience: An honours degree graded at 2.2 or above. If a candidate has a degree graded 2.3, they will be asked to provide evidence of successful study at Level 6 or equivalent and be required to pass a pre-entry essay, marked at masters level prior to acceptance on the training programme
• Evidence of ability to study at Level 6 (i.e. previous successful study at level 5; or successful part completion of an Honours degree level 6).(Must not have started or completed a HEE funded role in the previous 2 years, in line with the 2-year psychological professions funding rule)
• Experience of working with children and an understanding of how to talk with them.
• Some experience of working within a mental health setting or in an education setting.
• Strong communication, IT & organisational skills.

For further information about the role, please see attached job description and person specification.

We strongly encourage you to review how you meet the criteria in the person specification and write about this point-by-point in your supporting statement for the best chance of being shortlisted. For further application tips see the help with your application document attached once you click apply.

If you are someone who shares our passion for excellence and care, you belong at Berkshire Healthcare!

We are committed to equal opportunities and welcome applications from all sections of the community, regardless of any protected characteristics. Reasonable adjustments will be made for disabled applicants where required.

We welcome a conversation about flexibility and any other questions you may have. Please don't hesitate to call: Jo Cocksey, Consultant Clinical Psychologist, 07866 787757 or email: [e-mail] who will be delighted to help.

Please note, if we receive a high number of applications, we may close this role earlier than the advertised closing date, so please submit your application as soon as possible.

Successful candidates will be offered a full-time educational programme specifically for the role. On successful completion of the year long programme trainees will qualify as an Educational Mental health Practitioner (EMHP). Please note that this position is offered on a fixed-term basis, aligned with the duration of the training programme and you will be required to sign a learning agreement before your employment starts. Trainees will be employed by Berkshire Healthcare Foundation Trust for the duration of the training at the University of Reading and will be on placement during this time.

The training programme for this post starts in January 2026, is 12 months in duration and will consist of academic and supervised practice learning across mental health services and educational settings, such as primary and secondary schools, and further education colleges. Delivery of the programme will be provided through a combination of taught days within a university; independent self-guided study days and experience gained in education wellbeing and mainstream mental health services. (please see the course details and dates for further information about the training)

Person Specification

Education/Qualifications/Training

• To complete the postgraduate diploma: an honours degree graded at 2.2 or above. If a candidate has a degree graded 2.3, they will be asked to provide evidence of successful study at Level 6 or equivalent and be required to pass a pre-entry essay, marked at master's level prior to acceptance on the training programme.
• To complete the graduate diploma: evidence of ability to study at Level 6 (i.e. previous successful study at level 5; or successful part completion of an Honours degree - level 6). (Must not have started or completed a HEE funded role in the previous 2 years, in line with the '2-year psychological professions funding rule)
• Numeracy and literacy qualification at a minimum of level 2
• Other relevant degree or training e.g., counselling

Continuous Professional Development

• Commitment to ongoing training and development
• Able to complete academic components of the course
• Able to attend the formal training as required and able to integrate training into clinical practice

Previous Experience

• A minimum of one year's experience of working with children and young people (CYP)
• Experience of working with CYP and their families in either a health, social care, or education setting
• Experience of working with looked after CYP or other vulnerable groups of CYP
• Experience of working in or with a diverse or multi-cultural community
• Experience of providing 1-1 support to CYP in the community

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

• Knowledge of educational systems in England
• Knowledge of CYP gained through academic study in areas related to child development, child wellbeing or mental health
• Ability to study as a self-motivated learner and effectively implementing training into practice
• Excellent IT skills including knowledge of Microsoft Office including high standard of letter and report writing
• Knowledge of mental health problems/ illness in CYP and evidence-based treatments
• Understand why it is essential to use evidence-based interventions when possible
• Understanding of child protection, policy, and legislation
• Received risk training (either formal or through experience) and carried out risk assessments within scope of practice

Additional Requirements

• Excellent organisational and time management skills with ability to work under pressure managing competing demands and changing priorities within the team
• Able to work flexibly, outside of office hours, when required and willingness to travel independently between locations (including schools, NHS premises and home etc)

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.

£28,860 to £31,671 a yearper annum (Incl of HCAS) . No HCAS for Thatcham