Job summary
The Education Mental Health Practitioner (EMHP) role is an exciting opportunity to deliver evidence-based early interventions for children and young people, working across both educational settings and healthcare sectors in England focusing on a whole school approach.

Main duties of the job
The post holder will play a key role within the Bedford Mental Health Support Team (MHST), who will have the responsibility for delivering both evidence based and 'Whole schools' approaches to provide mental health and wellbeing support for children and young people.The role will help to develop and deliver a wide range of interventions, projects and system change with the aim of whole school and whole community approaches to supporting young people's mental health.
The Bedford MHST is part of a wider Community Access Service in the locality, where the team are working to reduce health inequalities in communities where these are most prominent. Working closely with the schools and other external partners addressing their most prominent needs, by implementing whole schools approaches and targeted interventions. You would be joining a comprehensive and dynamic CAMHS service, delivering a substantial stepped model of care following the needs-led Thrive framework.

About us
Our mission is to make a positive difference to people's lives by improving the quality of life for all we serve. Our values are: We Care, We Respect, We are Inclusive - so we are looking for people who live and breathe these qualities when supporting service users and carers, and in their relationships with colleagues in the Trust and our partner organisations.

Details
Date posted: 30 July 2026
Pay scheme: Agenda for change
Band: Band 5
Salary: £32,073 to £39,043 a year
Contract: Permanent
Working pattern: Full-time
Reference number: 363-SSLB7549366-C
Job locations: North Bed CAMHS, 9 Rush Court, Bedford, MK40 3JT, United Kingdom

Job responsibilities
We offer an exciting and dynamic environment where your ideas and career development will be valued. You will be supported directly by senior colleagues and we will develop the service together.
For more in depth job role responsibilities please see attached Job Description.

Person Specification
Education/ Qualification/ Training
Essential

• Successful completion of the HEE commissioned 1yr 'Education Mental Health Practitioner' or IAPT 'Child Wellbeing Practitioner' post graduate diploma Post qualification experience as an EMHP and experience of working in schools.

Desirable

• Evidence of CPD -Continuous Professional Development in Child and Adolescent Mental Health or Family work training

Experience
Essential

• Experience of working with children and young people, their families and others in educational and health settings with mild to moderate mental health problems.
• Experience of delivering specific therapeutic interventions to children, young people or their families (e.g. Guided Self Help, CBT, parent work)
• Experience of assessing children and young people who present with more mild to moderate mental health problems and to rapidly access more specialist services.
• Ability to conduct other group therapeutic interventions with children and their families Experience of liaising and working effectively with the wider network around the child including educational, social care, family and health.
• Experience of working with cultural diverse populations and adapting services to improve access.

Desirable

• Experience of liaising and working effectively with the wider network around the child including educational, social care, family and health.
• Experience of assessing and meeting the communication needs of the schools to deliver psycho-education on mental health or emotional wellbeing to different groups including parents, teaching staff and young people.
• Experience of adapting resources to be able to delivery online/ via phone/ google classroom

Skills & Knowledge
Essential

• Ability to carry out 1:1 therapeutic mental health interventions with children and families.
• Ability to conduct group parenting and group young person programmes
• Ability to work within educational settings to increase mental health awareness within the staff group
• Ability to conduct mental health assessments and screenings of children and young people
• Ability to make an assessment of risk and to record and communicate it appropriately and to take appropriate action to mitigate or manage
• Strong understanding of how to work with children and young people who have social, emotional and/or behavioural difficulties

Desirable

• Ability to teach others about mental health issues
• Ability to think and work systemically.
• Ability to conduct other group therapeutic interventions with children and their families

Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Certificate of Sponsorship
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Employer details
Employer name: East London NHS Foundation Trust
Address: North Bed CAMHS, 9 Rush Court, Bedford, MK40 3JT, United Kingdom
Employer's website: https://www.elft.nhs.uk/

Employer contact details
For questions about the job, contact: Operational Team Lead Janine McNally, Janine.McNally@nhs.net, 01234893300

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