Job Description

Are you looking for a varied, exciting post in which you could train as a Children's Wellbeing Practitioner (CWP)? We could be looking to hire you for our Primary Care team in the CAMHS service in Solihull - Solar.



We currently have a vacancy for 4 Trainee Children's Wellbeing Practitioners within our Primary Mental Health Team (PMHT) at Solar and would love to see if you are the person we are looking for. We are looking for vibrant, creative staff that are just as passionate about the emotional wellbeing and mental health of children and young people as we are. We are looking for individuals who are highly motivated, adaptable and flexible in their approach. Balancing the demands of the course with the fast-paced nature of the role can be difficult, therefore excellent organisational skills and time management are a must.

PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS IS A 12 MONTH FIXED TERM POST, WHILST OTHER TRAINEE WELLBEING PRACTITIONER ROLES ADVERTISED AROUND THE COUNTRY GUARANTEE A PERMANENT POST AFTER TRAINING COMPLETION, WE ARE UNFORTUNATELY UNABLE TO DO THIS. WE WOULD HOWEVER ENCOURAGE STAFF TO APPLY FOR ANY VACANT POSTS IN SOLAR AT THE END OF THE TRAINNG CONTRACT.

This is an exciting role providing opportunities to develop and train as a CWP and deliver evidence-based interventions to children and young people in the Solihull area and build connections with the local community. We are a trauma informed service offering holistic, collaborative care with the child's voice always at the centre.



The post holder is responsible for assessment, and provision of low intensity, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy informed, guided self help. The role includes working throughout the Solihull Borough at several different locations, in addition to travel to the University of Northampton on a weekly basis. Teaching is roughly 50/50 face to face and virtual. In this instance, the University course is not optional, and candidates need to be in a position to enrol with the University of Northampton.



The University of Northampton offers two entry routes for this course:

Postgraduate route (Level 7)


Honours degree graded at 2:2 or above*

Graduate route (Level 6)

Applicants who do not hold an honours degree, must have proven successful study at level 5; or successful part completion of an Honours degree (Level 6). or complete a pre-entry essay for the University of Northampton that achieves a passing standard).*

You will be expected to attend roughly 3 working days per week at university and the rest of the working week will be spent within the service. As you develop your skills as a trainee you will be expected to deliver guided self-help interventions using a variety of mediums including computerised CBT, psychoeducational workshops, one to one and telephone interventions. Furthermore, you will be expected to undertake Community based activities within the local area, considering how a community approach can support positive mental health and actively reduce stigma of common mental health problems. You will be fully supervised throughout the course.



Solar is a partnership project between Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust (BSMHFT) and Barnardo's. It is a well established and nationally talked about service. We work together to provide emotional wellbeing and mental health services for children and young people in Solihull who are aged between 0-19, based on the principle of children and young people only needing to tell their story once. Solar utilise one clinical record and a single user led care plan, ensuring children and young people shape the service that they receive.



Rated "good" by the CQC in January 2018, the service was peer reviewed by West Midlands Quality Review Service who said they "were impressed with the level of integration across the services - the feedback from service users and their families and carers was that the pathway was seamless between the various services."



This is an exciting opportunity to be based within a dynamic NHS service but employed and supported by a charity with a long history of working with and for children and young people (over 150 years!). Solar is a multi-disciplinary service which provides a rich learning environment for all staff. Our work is holistic and evidence based and we actively encourage the participation of children and young people in their assessment, care plan and treatment.

What are the essentials that we need from you?

To have experience working with children and young people in a mental health setting. Experience in planning and undertaking individual/group work interventions. Ability to proactively manage a busy and complex diary in a fast-paced work environment.

(Please see all additional sheets for further breakdown)

What can Barnardos offer you?

26 days holiday plus bank holidays and the option to purchase 5 days Free DBS check (if required) 4% or 6% matched pension contribution Staff discounts at a variety of places (retail, cinema, theme parks, holidays, hotels) Access to 'Bluelight' discount card Paid carers and bereavement leave Access to extensive professional training and support via the Barnardo's University Access to paid training in house A work environment which supports and celebrates their staff via events such as excellence awards A work environment dedicated to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

Please see all attachments within the job advert for further information about the service, the post and the person specification. Please ensure you read the 'additional information' sheet, as this tells you more specifically about the role.

When completing your application please refer to your skills knowledge and experience in relation to the Person Specification, and Additional Information document (if applicable). This should be done with an understanding of the context of the service described.


Pay & Reward FrameworkWe know that our colleagues go above and beyond in delivering our vital work, driven by their passion and commitment to Barnardo's values. We also know that we can only realise our ambitions and achieve better outcomes for more children, thanks to the talent, hard work and creativity of our people.


For all these reasons, we are committed to a new approach to pay and reward, to ensure it is fair, attractive and progressive, which was rolled out in April 2023. This is a positive change for the charity, and a part of our People & Culture Strategy. It will assist us in supporting colleagues to belong, thrive and grow in their colleague journey at Barnardo's and in time will offer clear routes of progression for colleagues in both their career and their pay.


Whilst the full pay band and salary range is advertised, our approach to starting salaries is to appoint between the minimum to mid-point of the pay band - this ensures that pay steps are available to reward our colleagues annually based on their contribution to excellence and alignment to our values and behaviours. More details on Barnardo's pay framework can be found upon application.



Benefits

Workplace Offer: What it means for you

Our hybrid working initiative is based on trust, flexibility and empowerment. We understand our workplace offer means different things to different people, and we encourage those conversations. This may mean working at one of our stores, services, working at home, in the community, at one of our Collaboration Hubs or depending on the role any combination of these. Please read through the advert carefully to understand the remits of hybrid working that will be specific to the role.


Barnardo's believe in creating equality of opportunity in the workplace and supporting people to manage their work-life balance; we are therefore open to offering flexible working arrangements. Annual Leave entitlement for full-time colleagues is 26 days per annum, increasing to 27 days per annum, after 3 years Barnardo's service, 29 days per annum, after 5 years Barnardo's service and 30 days per annum, after 7 years Barnardo's service. Those working less than full time are entitled to the same level of holiday pro rata The ability to buy up to another 5 days annual leave via our HolidayPlus scheme A host of family friendly leave options including company Maternity Paternity and Adoption pay; together with all family additional leave options Service related sick pay from day 1 Access to a Group Personal Pension with a matched 4% or 6% contribution from Barnardo's. Ability to pay via salary sacrifice to garner both tax and NI savings on your own contribution Death in service cover of 4x annual earnings for all staff contributing to our Group Personal Pension Cycle2work scheme Interest free season ticket loans Discounts and cashback from at high street shops including major supermarkets, cinemas, gyms, leisure/theme parks, holidays and much more via our Benefit Portal 20% discount at Barnardo's stores Opportunity to purchase a health cash plan to claim towards dental, glasses, therapy etc Free access to round the clock employee assistance program for advice and support Access to Barnardo's Learning and Development offer

T&C's apply based on contract


Please note due to the high volume of applications for some posts, this advert might close before the displayed closing date. We recommend that you apply for this role as soon as possible.


About Barnardo's


We are committed to being an inclusive employer and cultivating a culture where everyone can belong and thrive through inclusion and connectivity. We want our workforce to be reflective of the communities we work with, and for equality, diversity and inclusion to be embedded in everything we do. We are a Disability Confident Leader, are progressing our ambition to be an anti-racist organisation with Anti-Racism Commitments and actions in place and have networks for colleagues who are disabled, LGBT+, Black and Minoritised Ethnic and Women. We particularly encourage applications from Black and Minoritised Ethnic and/or disabled candidates who are currently underrepresented in our workforce. For disabled applicants, we offer reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment process.

Our basis and values

Reference number: 21920
Job Title: Trainee Children's Wellbeing Practitioner
Location: Solihull
Locality: Solihull
Contract type: Fixed term
End date: 31/01/2027
Hours: 37
Salary: 26,878 - 32,038
Closing Date: 30 October 2025

Benefits

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Discounts at 100's of retailers
Employee suggestion scheme
Company pension
Employee Assistance Programme