Job Description

Salary: NJC Grade 8 32,597 to 35,412 per annum
Contract Type: Permanent
Working Pattern: 37 hours per week, full time, Monday to Friday, 09:00-17:00
Location: Mid-Sussex (base location County Hall North, Horsham)
Please note:

• You must be able to travel throughout the county including to locations that are not always accessible by public transport.
• There is a regular and intrinsic requirement to communicate in English with members of the public.

Closing date: 11 January 2026
Interview date: TBC 20 or 21 January 2026
Are you looking for the next stage in your career?
Do you hold a Post Graduate Diploma in Education Mental Health?
Do you have experience working with children and young people in an education setting?
As an Education Mental Health Professional (EMHP), you will be based within our Mental Health Support Team (MHST), working alongside various mental health professionals.
You will work in education settings and in the community delivering a range of evidence informed interventions, under supervision. You will undertake mental health assessments (including risk assessments), and interventions based on the Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) model.
You will work directly with children and young people of primary and secondary school age, and in some cases their parents and carers. You will support MHST work to develop and deliver whole school approaches to emotional wellbeing and mental health.
If you are interested in making a difference to children's lives whilst working in a supportive team with a role that offers variety and challenge, we would love to hear from you.
For more information on the Key Skills, Qualifications and/or Experience required, please refer to the attached.
About Us
Our Mental Health Support Team is made up of over 70 professionals, and we are continuing to increase our services to support the growing needs of our communities in West Sussex.
You will be working within our Mental Health Support Team (MHST) on exciting new initiatives and an important strand of the Government's 2017 Green Paper 'Transforming Children and Young People's Mental Health Provision'.
We fulfil 3 core functions:

• Delivering evidence-based interventions in education settings (primary and secondary schools and colleges) for mild to moderate mental health issues.
• Supporting the senior mental health lead in each education setting to introduce or develop their whole school or college approach.
• Giving timely advice to school and college staff, and liaising with external specialist services, to help children and young people to get the right support and stay in education.

For more information, please visit our and our
About You
Development Opportunities
Education Mental Health Practitioners make a real difference in supporting Mental Health in Children and Young People.
We have many development and progression opportunities within our Mental Health Support Team:

• Qualified Education Mental Health Practitioner from 32,597 per annum.
• Qualified Mental Health Practitioner from 39,862 per annum.
• Senior Mental Health Practitioner from 48,226 per annum.

We are looking for someone who:

• Is self-motivated and an effective team player.
• Demonstrates integrity, openness, and an awareness of others.
• Has excellent time management, organisational, and communication and interpersonal skills.
• Has a good knowledge of the education system and of evidenced based Mental Health interventions and a passion for bringing the two together.

You will need to be able to demonstrate personal resilience as some cases may be sensitive, traumatic, or potentially emotionally distressing. You will need to be able to travel independently to carry out assessments, and there will be periodic physical requirements to this role.
Key Skills (used for shortlisting):

• Ability to carry out low-intensity, CBT-informed 1:1 therapeutic mental health assessments and interventions with children and young people, and/or their families, in line with EMHP training.
• Ability to work flexibly with a range of professionals and other adults including teachers, parents / carers, social workers, and other mental health professionals in the best interests of the child or young person, communicating complicated or sensitive information effectively.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills with the ability to quickly build effective therapeutic rapport with a child, young person and / or their parents.
• Ability to effectively manage an allocated caseload.
• Ability to positively make use of clinical and peer group support supervision.
• Ability to complete and maintain data recording and paperwork appropriate to the work undertaken. Ability to assess risk and to record and communicate it appropriately and take necessary actions.
• Please note you will need a Post Graduate Diploma in Education Mental Health Practitioner qualification.

Please refer to the key skills in your cover letter as these will be used for shortlisting criteria.
Benefits
As an employer we recognise that it is our employees that are central to everything we do. We aim to create a supportive and dynamic working environment where employees can achieve their full potential, achieve a healthy work-life balance, and are rewarded for the work they do.
For a full list this can be found at our
Upon joining us you will have access to a range of benefits including the following:
Employer Pension Contribution: 18.70% (this alters per annum on the 1 April each year).
Annual leave: 27 days holiday + Bank Holidays = 35 days
How to Apply
The reference number for this role is CAFHE06081.
For an informal conversation or for further information regarding the role, please contact Fran Ruocco (Northern Team Manager, Thought-Full) at
Please contact for more information.
For issues or queries regarding your application please contact
To apply, please follow the links below to upload your CV and Cover Letter.
In your cover letter please outline your motivations for applying and explaining the skills and experience you can bring to the role (please refer to the key skills) ensuring that any gaps in employment are covered in your CV. Please ensure you have saved the job description attached to the main advert on our website as, once the job has closed, you may not have the opportunity to download again.
We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people, and vulnerable adults.
This post is subject to an enhanced DBS check, five years referencing, and an occupational health check.
Equity, inclusion, and accessibility is very important to West Sussex County Council. We welcome and encourage applications from everyone, as this helps us build a diverse and talented workforce, that reflects the communities we serve. We ensure our approach to recruitment is flexible and supportive to enable all applicants to be at their best and to ensure they have the best possible chance of success.
We operate a guaranteed interview scheme for applicants that have a disability, are a veteran or are a care leaver. More information can be found on our page.
Available documents

Skills Required