Role Description
We are recruiting for an experienced Mental Health Specialist Trainer / Learning and Development Partner to join a growing children’s service supporting residential and educational settings across Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire, with occasional travel to Yorkshire.

This is a home-based role with regular travel and overnight stays as required.

Salary: £45,000–£50,000 depending on experience and qualifications
Hours: Full-time, 40 hours per week

The Role
This is an exciting opportunity for a qualified mental health professional with experience in children’s services to play a key role in developing and delivering high-quality training programmes across residential and educational services.

You will support staff teams working with children and young people with complex mental health, trauma-related, emotional, and behavioural needs. The role focuses on strengthening workforce confidence, competence, and therapeutic practice through engaging, evidence-based learning and development.

Working closely with operational leaders and multidisciplinary teams, you will identify emerging training needs and design both core and bespoke learning interventions to support safe, trauma-informed, and psychologically informed care.

Key Responsibilities

• Deliver specialist training across children’s residential and educational services
• Design and develop engaging learning programmes aligned to legislation and best practice
• Support staff working with trauma, anxiety, depression, emotional dysregulation, attachment difficulties, and self-injurious behaviour
• Promote trauma-informed and relationship-based approaches
• Deliver workshops and bespoke interventions tailored to service needs
• Support and upskill Learning and Development colleagues in specialist mental health practice
• Maintain accurate training records and evaluations
• Ensure training content remains current, evidence-based, and compliant
• Build positive relationships with managers, operational teams, and multidisciplinary professionals
• Provide guidance and support relating to mental health and complex presentations in children and young people

Training topics may include:

• Safeguarding Children
• Trauma-Informed Practice
• Mental Health Awareness
• Neurodiversity
• PACE
• Emotional Wellbeing
• Anxiety and Depression
• Self-Injurious Behaviour
• Positive Behaviour Support
• Medication Awareness
• Emergency First Aid
• Child Sexual Exploitation and Missing from Home
• Ligature Awareness

About You
We are looking for a confident and experienced trainer with a strong background in children’s mental health and trauma-informed practice.

Essential requirements:

• Professional qualification in a mental health-related field such as Mental Health Nursing, Social Work, Occupational Therapy, Psychology, or similar
• Minimum 3 years’ experience within children’s residential services, mental health services, education, or related settings
• Experience supporting children and young people with complex mental health and behavioural needs
• Strong understanding of trauma-informed care and therapeutic practice
• Experience delivering specialist training programmes
• Excellent communication and relationship-building skills
• Strong IT, literacy, and organisational skills
• Full UK driving licence and access to a vehicle
• Ability to travel regularly across Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire, with occasional travel to Yorkshire

Desirable:

• Training or teaching qualification
• Previous experience within Learning and Development or staff training roles

What’s on Offer

• Opportunity to influence and improve practice across children’s services
• Supportive and collaborative working environment
• Career development and ongoing professional learning
• Meaningful role supporting positive outcomes for children and young people

To apply or find out more, please get in touch for a confidential discussion.

Role Overview
Location: Home Based / Bedfordshire - With Travel
Contract: Permanent
Salary: £45,000 - £50,000
Hours per week: 40
Closing date: 30 September 2026