Job Description

Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTs) support children, young people and their families that have links to identified school settings. Each designated MHST will work in collaboration with schools and other agencies who cover a population of up to 7,000 children and young people. Trailblazer sites were established in Kent in 2019, with the service aim to cover 50% of the schools across Kent and Medway by 2026. It is expected that this will increase early access to services and offer greater preventative provision.



We also work with our schools to support their development of a Whole School Approach (WSA) to emotional wellbeing and mental heath as well as their development of curriculum content to ensure pupils are taught about mental health in the classroom.



Kent and Medway Mental Health Support Teams | NELFT NHS Foundation Trust



We have vacancies in different parts of the county.



Medway & Swale



Maidstone



Tonbridge



Tunbridge Wells



You will be able to make your preference at interview



Kent Emotional Wellbeing Team and Medway Emotional Support Team



Information for school staff, families and professionals to find out more about the services the Kent and Medway Mental Health Support Teams provide.



Kent Emotional Wellbeing Team and Medway Emotional Support Team | NELFT NHS Foundation Trust



Assessment and Treatment of Children and Young People under the MHST 3 Core functions (Targeted Intervention, Whole School Approach & Consultation and Liaison)



To work as part of a team with a set number of schools to deliver the core components of the service



Active participation in local and county wide meetings and supervision forums



(Please see corresponding for more details)



We hope successful candidates will come with a passion for participation and service development as we have a number of research and co-production projects we are working on. It is also the aspiration that successful candidates will be keen to develop their skills further to consider their exciting career prospects within MHST services.



Our Values 2025 - 2030



Working with our colleagues, patients and carers we have co-produced three new values that we aim to embed within our culture here at NELFT.

They are:

We are kind. We are respectful. We work together with our communities.

These three values help us to strive to provide the best care by the best people.



Starting with NELFT



NELFT place a great deal of importance on new starters being properly welcomed and inducted into the Trust. All new starters will join the Trust on the first Monday of each month and will undertake a comprehensive induction of up to two weeks which will include mandatory training, systems training and the allocation of equipment. As part of the process new starters will have the opportunity to also meet the executive team, senior managers, and attend a number of drop-in sessions focusing on engagement, health and wellbeing and key processes. The induction will be held at our head office in Rainham, Essex.



Probationary Period



This post will be subject to a probationary period.



Flexible Working



We will consider part-time hours (30 hours plus) and flexible working pattern applications will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis to promote a healthy work life balance.



We are looking for Qualified Education Mental Health Practitioners (EMHP) / Children's Wellbeing Practitioners (CWP) to join the teams and work with us to develop the service further and ensure we meet the core components;



Whole School Approach



Targeted Treatment (main evidence base is low intensity CBT individual and group)



Consultation and Liaison



(if you are about to qualify from an EMHP / CWP course please apply as posts can be held for successful applicants)



Our senior Clinical Team are passionate about the careers of EMHP's and CWP's and we have exciting CPD program happening in service and are working closely with Health Education England (HEE) and NHS England to look at the career pathways of this new work force.



We have good working relationships with University of Surrey and Kings Collage London and are looking at developing our staff to progress into senior positions and consider senior EMHP / CWP training opportunities and supervisor training.



Certificates of Sponsorship



Although we are a registered sponsor organisation, we are unable to offer sponsorship for all job roles. Please check your eligibility under the UKVI points-based system. When calculating the basic salary for sponsorship, HCAS (High-Cost Area Supplement) is not included to ensure fairness and consistency within our Trust.

Use of AI

Please see attached document regarding acceptable use of AI during the recruitment process.



Fair Recruitment



As part of NELFT fair and legal recruitment we want to ensure reasonable adjustments are in place for anyone that has a disability during their interview process. We would be grateful if you can disclose on your application if you have a disability requiring reasonable adjustments.