Job overview

We have an exciting opportunity for a Mental Health Practitioner who has completed either the Senior Wellbeing Practitioner Postgraduate Diploma (SWP) or a Postgraduate Diploma in CBT, to join the East Lancashire Mental Health Support Team (MHST) based within CYP MH East, Burnley General Hospital.

In line with the government’s priority to increase access and availability of mental health and wellbeing support for children and young people, the MHST deliver evidence-based early interventions for children and young people, working across educational and healthcare settings.

The successful candidate will have at least two years’ experience of working within a child and mental health service and will join a multi-disciplinary team offering a range of therapeutic modalities/specialisms, including CBT, SFP and low intensity interventions.

We are looking for an enthusiastic, hardworking individual, who has excellent relational and interpersonal skills and a genuine commitment to working with children, young people and families.

Please note as this is a school based service delivery, the post holder will be expected to take the majority of annual leave in the school holidays, requests are at the managers discretion.

The successful candidate will work within the East Lancashire MHST and will join a multi-disciplinary team working across the colleges, primary, secondary and specialist provision schools across East Lancashire.

Main duties of the job

The post holder will provide outcome focused, evidence-based interventions, under supervision to children, young people and families/carers, in education settings, experiencing mild to moderate mental health difficulties. These interventions maybe on an individual one to one basis or through group-based interventions.

The post holder will also provide consultations to schools and support and facilitate staff in education settings, to identify and where appropriate manage issues related to mental health and wellbeing, whilst also improving access to mental health services. They will also support schools in developing strategies/activities to promote emotional well-being and positive mental health to the school community.

In addition to working with children, young people, families/carers and other professionals, the post holder will also supervise, develop, and support qualified and trainee Education Mental Health Practitioners to provide, low intensity, brief, evidence-based CBT and to deliver groups and training. For the supervisory elements of the role, if not already completed, the post holder would be expected to undertake the CYP PT Postgraduate Certificate in Supervision Skills for Evidence-Based Psychological Approaches for Children and Young People*. 

Working for our organisation

In relation to service delivery, the successful candidate would also be expected to support the team lead and manager in the operational running of the service and further development of pathways of care. The role also involves undertaking some aspects of line management, as appropriate and delegated by the team supervisor/lead.

LSCFT values diversity and inclusion, recognising that talent from varied backgrounds creates a flexible, creative, and effective workforce. We actively challenge discrimination and welcome applications from all, regardless of age, disability (including those with experience of accessing or caring for someone who has accessed mental health or learning disability services), ethnicity, gender, religion, belief, or sexual orientation.

Our aim is to reflect the communities we serve, so we particularly encourage applications from under-represented groups. If you’d like to discuss your application, please ask.

We also welcome individuals with lived experience relevant to the role or service area, as your insight brings authenticity to our services.

LSCFT support flexible working, we believe that a positive work/life balance benefits NHS employees through improved health and wellbeing. We would consider working patterns such as term time, part time, compressed hours and flexi-time.