Job Description

An exciting opportunity has arisen for 2 Qualified Education Mental Health Practitioners (EMHP) to join a dynamic Mental Health Support Teams in schools service in Warrington.
Successful candidates will be employed on a full-time basis based within Warrington and will play a key role as member of the Warrington Mental Health Support Team.
They will have the responsibility for delivering the 3 core functions of an MHST to support the mild to moderate mental health and wellbeing needs for children and young people in allocated schools.
Potential candidates will have already successfully completed the HEE commissioned 1yr 'Education Mental Health Practitioner' course or the 'Children's Wellbeing Practitioner' course.
Those currently undertaking the EMHP training and are near completion will also be considered. PLEASE DO NOT APPLY IF YOU DO NOT MEET THESE CRITERIA.
Main duties of the job
As an Education Mental Health Practitioner, the post holder will provide high standards of evidence-based client centred care to children and young people with mild to moderate mental health needs within the THRIVE Framework for service delivery.
The post holder will be expected to provide interventions to children and young people and their families / carers referred into the service.
As the post is identified within the CYPMH strategy, it is expected the role will continue to develop in line with national and local initiatives.
The post holder will demonstrate an attitude which respects and values service users' and their carers.
The post holder will embrace the core values of the organisation and adopt the principles of Recovery and THRIVE. These principles will recognise the need to:
Promote safe practicesValue the aims of service usersWork in partnership and offer meaningful choiceBe optimistic about the possibilities of meaningful changeValue social inclusion
About us
Mersey Care is one of the largest trusts providing physical health and mental health services in the North West, serving more than 1.4 million people across our region and are also commissioned for services that cover the North West, North Wales and the Midlands.
We offer specialist inpatient and community services that support physical and mental health and specialist inpatient mental health, learning disability, addiction and brain injury services. Mersey Care is one of only three trusts in the UK that offer high secure mental health facilities.
At the heart of all we do is our commitment to 'perfect care' - care that is safe, effective, positively experienced, timely, equitable and efficient. We support our staff to do the best job they can and work alongside service users, their families, and carers to design and develop future services together. We're currently delivering a programme of organisational and service transformation to significantly improve the quality of the services we provide and safely reduce cost as we do so.
Flexible working requests will be considered for all roles.
Details
Date posted
29 September 2025
Pay scheme
Agenda for change
Band
Band 5
Salary
31,049 to 37,796 a year per annum
Contract
Permanent
Working pattern
Full-time
Reference number
350-CC7426810-A
Job locations
Warrington MHST
The Alders, 12 Birch Avenue
Warrington
WA2 9TN
Job description
Job responsibilities
PRINCIPAL RESPONSIBILITIES
The role aims to promote the early detection and prevention of mental health problems across the whole school, and strengthen links between schools and mental health services.
The post holder will provide direct, ongoing support to schools around mental health and wellbeing. This will include:
Delivering evidence-based interventions for mild moderate mental healthissues.
Support designated school staff to develop a whole schoolapproach.
Give advice to school staffand liaise with other mental healthservices to help children and young people get the right support. Job description
Job responsibilities
PRINCIPAL RESPONSIBILITIES
The role aims to promote the early detection and prevention of mental health problems across the whole school, and strengthen links between schools and mental health services.
The post holder will provide direct, ongoing support to schools around mental health and wellbeing. This will include:
Delivering evidence-based interventions for mild moderate mental healthissues.
Support designated school staff to develop a whole schoolapproach.
Give advice to school staffand liaise with other mental healthservices to help children and young people get the right support.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential

• Successful completion of the HEE commissioned 1yr 'Education Mental Health Practitioner' (EMHP)and or Children and young people's wellbeing practitioner (CYWP) course
• Must have professional qualification and registration with an appropriate accrediting body (BPS/BABCP) or ability to attain this within 12 months of employment. Registration must be maintained throughout employment

Desirable

• A further relevant degree qualification
• Teaching qualification
• Youth Mental Health First Aid trained

Values
Essential

• Continuous Improvement
• Accountability
• Respectfulness
• Enthusiasm
• Support
• High professional standards
• Responsive to service users
• Engaging leadership style
• Strong customer service belief
• Transparency and honesty
• Discreet
• Change oriented

Knowledge/experience
Essential

• Experience of mental health assessments and therapeutic interventions with children and young people with mental health problems and their families
• Experience of working with a wide variety of patient groups including a degree of professionalism in the face of emotive and distressing problems, verbal abuse and the threat of physical abuse
• Experienced in and the ability to undertake case management
• Experience of delivering training
• Experience in consultation to other professional and non-professional groups
• Interpersonal skills to communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing, in order to convey clinically sensitive information to family members of all ages and to a wide range of lay and professional persons, within and outside of the NHS
• Demonstrate the ability to coordinate care plan / risk management plan
• Knowledge of educational environments
• Knowledge of safeguarding issues
• Knowledge of capacity and consent issues including Gillick competence
• Awareness of legislation and strategic frameworks and their implications for both clinical practice and professional management in relation to the full range of client groups

Desirable

• Knowledge of the theory and practice of therapies in specific difficult to treat groups
• Knowledge of research design and methodology consistent with practice to at least Degree level or equivalent
• Knowledge of children services

Skills
Essential

• Ability to learn in a variety of settings and using a variety of learning methods.
• Computer literate
• Ability to identify and provide appropriate means ofsupport to carers exposed to distressing situations and challenging behaviours
• Ability to identify and employ as appropriate clinical governance mechanismsfor the support and maintenance of clinical practice.
• Demonstrate a commitment to alwaysrespecting and displaying the Trust Values
• Ability to personally manage a sensitive,traumatic and potentially emotionally distressing caseload.
• Ability to carry out 1:1 therapeutic mental health intervention with children.
• Ability to carry out 1:1 therapeutic mental health intervention with families.
• Ability to conduct group parenting programmes
• Ability to work within educational settings to increase mental health awareness within the staff group.
• Ability to conduct mental health assessments of children and young people.
• Ability to make an assessment of risk and to record and communicate it appropriately
• Ability to take appropriate action to mitigate or manage risk
• Excellent oral and written communication skill
• Able to travel to meet the requirements of the post.
• Team player
• Excellenttime management and organisational skills

Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential

• Successful completion of the HEE commissioned 1yr 'Education Mental Health Practitioner' (EMHP)and or Children and young people's wellbeing practitioner (CYWP) course
• Must have professional qualification and registration with an appropriate accrediting body (BPS/BABCP) or ability to attain this within 12 months of employment. Registration must be maintained throughout employment

Desirable

• A further relevant degree qualification
• Teaching qualification
• Youth Mental Health First Aid trained

Values
Essential

• Continuous Improvement
• Accountability
• Respectfulness
• Enthusiasm
• Support
• High professional standards
• Responsive to service users
• Engaging leadership style
• Strong customer service belief
• Transparency and honesty
• Discreet
• Change oriented

Knowledge/experience
Essential

• Experience of mental health assessments and therapeutic interventions with children and young people with mental health problems and their families
• Experience of working with a wide variety of patient groups including a degree of professionalism in the face of emotive and distressing problems, verbal abuse and the threat of physical abuse
• Experienced in and the ability to undertake case management
• Experience of delivering training
• Experience in consultation to other professional and non-professional groups
• Interpersonal skills to communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing, in order to convey clinically sensitive information to family members of all ages and to a wide range of lay and professional persons, within and outside of the NHS
• Demonstrate the ability to coordinate care plan / risk management plan
• Knowledge of educational environments
• Knowledge of safeguarding issues
• Knowledge of capacity and consent issues including Gillick competence
• Awareness of legislation and strategic frameworks and their implications for both clinical practice and professional management in relation to the full range of client groups

Desirable

• Knowledge of the theory and practice of therapies in specific difficult to treat groups
• Knowledge of research design and methodology consistent with practice to at least Degree level or equivalent
• Knowledge of children services

Skills
Essential

• Ability to learn in a variety of settings and using a variety of learning methods.
• Computer literate
• Ability to identify and provide appropriate means ofsupport to carers exposed to distressing situations and challenging behaviours
• Ability to identify and employ as appropriate clinical governance mechanismsfor the support and maintenance of clinical practice.
• Demonstrate a commitment to alwaysrespecting and displaying the Trust Values
• Ability to personally manage a sensitive,traumatic and potentially emotionally distressing caseload.
• Ability to carry out 1:1 therapeutic mental health intervention with children.
• Ability to carry out 1:1 therapeutic mental health intervention with families.
• Ability to conduct group parenting programmes
• Ability to work within educational settings to increase mental health awareness within the staff group.
• Ability to conduct mental health assessments of children and young people.
• Ability to make an assessment of risk and to record and communicate it appropriately
• Ability to take appropriate action to mitigate or manage risk
• Excellent oral and written communication skill
• Able to travel to meet the requirements of the post.
• Team player
• Excellenttime management and organisational skills

Skills Required