Trainee Education Mental Health Practitioner

Job Overview
Trainee Education Mental Health Practitioner to Start in January 2026!
Band 4 Trainee EMHPs work closely with the people who use our services, their families, friends, and carers, and play an important contribution in how people experience our services. Band 4 trainee EMHPs are expected to be kind and responsive but professional and informative, contributing to the quality of the services we provide by:

• Keeping the people who use our services as safe as possible through the use of sound clinical skills and effective risk assessments.
• Ensuring the best possible clinical outcomes by using up-to-date skills and adhering to evidence-based policies and procedures.
• Ensuring the people using our services have a good experience by respecting, empowering, and working in partnership with people throughout the care planning process.

This course involves university study and clinical work as a practitioner working with children. Candidates will need to apply for the EMHP role with CNWL and the training at KCL via the training portal at the same time.

Main duties of the job
Hillingdon CAMHS MHST
As a Trainee Education Mental Health Practitioner, you will be expected to work under supervision as part of a dynamic mental health team in a creative environment where evidence-based interventions, new ideas, ways of working, and supporting children and young people are actively encouraged. This approach requires flexibility and adaptability, and above all, a passion for working with children and young people in educational settings. Over the course of the training year, the post-holder will, under supervision, develop knowledge and practice skills to employ a range of evidence-based interventions for common mental health problems via direct individual and group support for children, young people, and their parents, in line with the university expectations.

Please note: Continued employment in this post is conditional on the successful completion of the course and a 13-week probationary period. The successful candidate will need to be available to commence training from January 2025. The successful candidates will be expected to attend university remotely and to travel to the University site as required in the first year to complete their training.

This post is designed to open up a new and exciting opportunity for a career in children’s and young people’s mental health in schools.

Working for our organisation
The purpose of the team is to:

• Provide evidence-based interventions for mild to moderate mental health issues.
• Support the senior mental health lead in each education setting to introduce or develop their whole school or college approach.
• Give timely advice to school and college staff, and liaise with external specialist services, to help children and young people get the right support and stay in education.

CNWL are committed to progressing and supporting their staff with career development and training, and ensuring staff health and wellbeing and job satisfaction.

The successful applicant may have contact with patients or service users. As an NHS Trust, we strongly encourage and support vaccination as this remains the best way to protect yourself, your family, your colleagues, and of course patients and service users when working in our healthcare settings.

Detailed Job Description And Main Responsibilities
The Trainee Education Mental Health Practitioner role will:

• Work closely alongside a team of mental health professionals delivering a wide range of evidence-informed interventions, under supervision.
• Develop and practice evidence-based skills under supervision to work directly with children, young people, and families.
• Develop and practice evidence-based skills under supervision to carry out holistic and child-centred mental health assessments, including risk assessments.

The Trainee Education Mental Health Practitioner is required to:

• Demonstrate the ability to study 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.

  • Graduate route (level 6)
    Applicants that may not hold an honours degree must have proven successful study at level 5; or successful part completion of an Honours degree.

  • Postgraduate route (level 7)
    Honours Degree graded at 2.2 or above.

• Experience of working with children and young people, their families, and others.

• Experience of working and liaising with a wide variety of agencies and stakeholders.

• Experience of working with children and young people who have social, emotional, and/or mental health difficulties.

Person specification
Education
Essential criteria

• Undergraduate degree, upper second class or above, in Psychology or related subject.
• NVQ L3 or Foundation degree or equivalent.
• GCSE English or equivalent.
• Demonstrate a commitment to continuous professional development.

Experience
Essential criteria

• Experience of working with children and young people, their families, and others.
• Experience of working and liaising with a wide variety of agencies and stakeholders.
• Experience of working with children and young people who have social, emotional, and/or mental health difficulties.
  Desirable criteria
• Candidates will have experience in both mental health and in education.

Knowledge
Essential criteria

• Knowledge of the educational system in England.
• Knowledge of children and young people gained through academic study in child development, child wellbeing, or mental health.

Other
Essential criteria

• Able to travel to meet the requirements of the post.