Trainee Education Mental Health Practitioner (EMHP)
NHS AfC: Band 4
Job overview
The Education Mental Health Practitioner (EMHP) role is an exciting opportunity to deliver evidence-based early interventions for children and young people in and around their educational settings.
Successful candidates will be employed whilst training by Sheffield Children’s NHS FT CAMHS service. Sheffield MHST started Jan 2020 and currently works with forty schools, building on relationships established through the Healthy Minds service which commenced in 2016.
All applicants must demonstrate in their application their ability to work at degree level with a proven record of previous learning in child development, wellbeing or mental health.
Experience of working with children and young people and an understanding of the educational system in England is highly desirable.
Main duties of the job
Successful candidates will be offered a full-time education programme specifically for the role in partnership with the University of Sheffield. This post will be funded at NHS Band 4 scale with guaranteed employment on completion of training, with a starting salary projected to be based on the NHS Band 5 scale.
The training programme for this post starts in Spring 2022, is 12 months in duration and will consist of academic and supervised practice learning within educational settings across Sheffield.
Delivery of the programme will be provided through a combination of taught days within the university, independent self-guided study days and experience gained in educational settings and mental health services.
Working for our organisation
Sheffield Children’s is one of three independent, specialist paediatric hospitals in the country, providing dedicated healthcare for children and young people across community, mental health and acute specialist settings.
We have three overarching aims that set the direction for the Trust in our vision “to create a healthier future for children and young people.”
- Outstanding patient care
- Brilliant place to work
- Leader in children’s health
Our commitment to rewarding colleagues is demonstrated through our brilliant reward and benefits offer including; generous annual leave entitlement and pension scheme and access to salary sacrifice schemes such as cycle to work and lease cars.
We are committed to supporting colleagues from different heritages and lifestyles while at work. This is supported through the offer we have in place for flexible working and the three equality network groups we have in place. Colleagues are encouraged to join these groups and request flexible working.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
EMHP Trainee (Band 4):
To allow the post holder, under supervision and with support, to develop knowledge and practice skills in;
- Delivering evidence-based intervention for children and young people in education setting with mild to moderate mental health problems
- Delivery whole school approaches to emotional wellbeing
- Helping children and young people within these settings who present with more severe problems to rapidly access more specialist services
- Supporting and facilitating staff in education settings to identify and where appropriate manage issues related to mental health and wellbeing
- Working with and within education environments to afford better access to specialist mental health services
- And to evidence development of those skills with associated knowledge acquisition to record and evidence progression towards an academic award and demonstrable practical ability.
Once qualified – Education Mental Health Practitioner (Band 5):
To allow the post holder, with appropriate supervision, to work as an autonomous and responsible practitioner as their training affords and within the scope of their local job description, to engage in the activities listed above and to use the acquired skills, knowledge and abilities to deliver a service based within education settings that builds on and reinforces but does not replace those initiatives that already exist within these environments.
Please see full Job Description and Person Specification attached.
We offer encouragement and active support to applicants with additional needs, including those from ethnic minorities, with disabilities and members of the LGBTQ+ community. If you wish to adjust any aspect of the recruitment process or wish to find out more about our recruitment & selection processes, please get in touch with our Head of Resourcing: Catriona.Collins1@nhs.net
We are currently reviewing our recruitment & selection process and are looking to make our job adverts more inclusive. This will support the long-term aim of Sheffield Children’s being a champion of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion. If you have any ideas in how we can make our recruitment & selection process more inclusive, please get in touch with Catriona Collins at Catriona.Collins1@nhs.net
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
- Relevant study at degree level
- Proven record of previous academic attainment.
- Good solid basic literacy and numeracy qualifications at a • minimum of level 2
Desirable criteria
- Further relevant qualification
- Teaching qualification
Experience
Essential criteria
- Previous experience of working with children and young people
Desirable criteria
- Previous experience of working within mental health
- Previous experience of working within schools
- Experience of monitoring and recording outcome measures for children’s emotional wellbeing.
- Experience of navigating complex social systems and environments, who may have conflicting priorities or agendas.
Knowledge
Essential criteria
- Knowledge of educational system in England
- Knowledge of children and young people gained through academic study in child development, child wellbeing or mental health.
- Ability to study as a self-motivated learner who can formulate their own progress towards learning objectives and negotiate pathways to achievement with supervisory teams.
Desirable criteria
- Ability to work within educational settings to increase mental health awareness
Personal attributes
Essential criteria
- Well-developed time–management skills & self-organising skills: a demonstrated ability to work independently, reliably and consistently with work agreed and managed at regular intervals
- An ability to interact with children, young people and school staff and their carers and families
Desirable criteria
- An ability to interact effectively with staff from all disciplines
- Ability to accept and use supervision appropriately and effectively
- A desire to explore a career in Professional Psychology.
Specific attributes
Essential criteria
- Excellent oral and written communication skills
- Ability to personally manage a sensitive, traumatic and potentially emotionally distressing caseload.
Desirable criteria
- Ability to link psychological theory to practice
