Band 5 Education Mental Health Practitioner - Bristol - ref. a10789215

Job overview

We are recruiting for a Qualified Education Mental Health Practitioner for our BNSSG Mental Health Support Team. This is a full time positions that carries a portfolio of both Primary and Secondary Schools that the post holder will be based in for most of their working week.

• Please note we are looking for qualified Education Mental Health Practitioners, therefore, we can only accept candidates that has completed Education Mental Health Practitioner course.

We are recruiting to a number of EMHP vacancies across the BNSSG localities.

Main duties of the job

The post-holder will deliver, under regular supervision, high-quality; outcome-informed, focused, evidence-based interventions for children and young people experiencing mild to moderate anxiety, low mood and behavioural difficulties.

This will include one-one work, group work, whole class, or larger assemblies.

The post holder will have the necessary knowledge, attitude and capabilities to ensure that children and young people will have access to timely, high quality, evidence based mental health support.

The EMHP will also deliver whole school approaches with a strong emphasis on participation with young people, their families and carers.

NOTE: Please see JD and PERSON SPECIFICATION file for more details

Working for our organisation

We are AWP (Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Foundation Trust) a diverse organisation with over 5,000 dedicated staff providing inpatient and community-based mental health care.

We provide services from a range of locations to approximately 1.8 million people living in Bath and North East Somerset (B&NES), Bristol, North Somerset, South Gloucestershire, Swindon, across the county of Wiltshire and some parts of Dorset.

Our outstanding people promote mental health and well-being. The expertise and resources within AWP are dedicated to a person-centred approach for those who use our services and for all employees. We recognise that happy and fulfilled employees give better care.

At AWP we actively encourage applicants from all backgrounds; we are particularly keen to encourage applications from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds, those with disabilities and from the LGBTQ+ community. We want people to bring their unique blend of experiences, backgrounds perspectives and knowledge to AWP, as diversity makes us stronger.

• Assess and deliver outcome focused, evidence-based interventions in educational settings for children and young people experiencing mild to moderate mental health difficulties, working at all times in collaboration with and giving respect to the education function of the setting in which the post holder is deployed.
• Work in partnership to support children and young people experiencing mild to moderate mental health difficulties and their parents/carers, families and educators in the self-management of presenting difficulties.
• Work in effective, evidence-based partnership with children, young people, their families and their educators in the development of care plans for the intervention and agreed outcomes.
• Support and empower children, young people, their parents/carers and families and their educators to make informed choices about the interventions being offered.
• Operate at all times from an inclusive values base, which recognises and respects diversity.
• Accept referrals within educational settings according to agreed local and national and local protocols.
• Undertake and record accurate assessments of risk and operate clear risk management processes in line with locally agreed procedures including the safeguarding protocols of the educational setting and Local Safeguarding Board guidance.
• Adhere to all regulations, processes and procedures within the educational service to which the post holder is attached within the educational setting where the post-holder working including (but not limited to) HR policies, training requirements, referral protocols, and emergency procedures.
• Signpost referrals of children with more complex needs to a locally identified appropriate relevant service. Through case management, supervision and any other relevant local pathway, escalate cases where the level of need or risk is beyond the scope of practice of the post holder. Provide a range of information and support for evidence based psychological treatments, primarily guided self-help.
• Practice, evidence and demonstrate an ability to manage one’s own caseload in conjunction with the requirements of the team.
• Attend multi-disciplinary and multi-agency meetings relating to referrals or children and young people in treatment, where appropriate.
• Keep clear, professionally coherent records of all activity in line with both health and education service protocols and use these records and outcome data to inform decision making.
• Complete all requirements relating to data collection.
• Assess and integrate issues relating to transitions, education and training/employment into the overall therapeutic process.
• Work within a collaborative approach involving a range of relevant others when indicated.

NOTE: Please see JD and PERSON SPECIFICATION file for more details

Person specification

Qualifications

• Successful completion of the HEE commissioned 1 year ‘Education Mental Health Practitioner’ course.

• A further relevant degree qualification

Experience

• Experience of working with children and young people, their families
• Experience of working of multi-agency working
• Experience of assessing and managing risk

• Experience of navigating complex systems that may have competing agendas

This includes people with a variety of disabilities and neurodivergent conditions (for example autism, ADHD, sensory, physical and learning disabilities).

We encourage applications from people who wish to work on a flexible basis, recognising that flexibility may mean a range of different working patterns and hours, we do our utmost to work with our staff to meet their needs and the needs of our service users.

Click here to view our applicant guidance

Please apply to join us, we would love to hear from you. Any personal details you supply to us are kept safe in line with the General Data Protection Regulations.

Adverts normally close for application a few minutes before midnight on the closing date and we will let you know if we are offering you an interview by email via our recruitment system ‘TRAC’. We contact all applicants within 4 weeks after the closing date, so please check your emails regularly once you have submitted your application; you are welcome to contact us, via the TRAC system, if you have any queries about your application.

Please note the use of AI is monitored and if you have used it in your application you are required to declare this.