Job summary
Our service is expanding further, and we are delighted to be recruiting for a team lead for our Medway & Swale area. This is an exciting mixed operational and clinical role, and we are looking for a candidate with experience in Children and Young People's Mental Health, with an aspiration to progress in their career and to work in a fast-paced, innovative service.

Please get in touch with us for more details about the role. Candidates need to be qualified clinicians with core professional registrations (NMC, OT, Social Work, Clinical/Counselling Psychology, BABCP CBT).

Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTs) are a new government initiative to help increase children and young people's access to support for emotional wellbeing and mental health. MHSTs are part of the national Children and Young People's Increasing Access to Psychological Therapies (CYP-IAPT) programme.

MHSTs are a resource in addition to the already existing support in any particular education setting. MHSTs have three main functions:

• Targeted Intervention
• Whole School Approach
• Consultation and Liaison

Our local MHST services are called Emotional Wellbeing Teams Kent and Emotional Support teams Medway. To find out more about us please see our website:
Kent Emotional Wellbeing Teams and Medway Emotional Support Teams - Kent and Medway Mental Health NHS Trust

Main duties of the job
You will need to meet the job description requirements and be able to demonstrate a passion for early intervention, mental health and emotional well-being support. As stated above, these roles are mixed operational and clinical, and we are looking for candidates who can strike a balance between the two perspectives. Please get in touch with us for more details.

This role will be covering Medway & Swale.

• To provide an efficient, effective, comprehensive and specialist MHST experience for children and adolescents with emotional and mental health problems, their carers/parents and families.
• To contribute to multi-disciplinary assessment and treatment of children and adolescents with emotional and mental health problems, their carers/parent and families.
• To undertake a range of generic clinical work, guided self-help, targeted group work and workshops under Whole School Approach.
• To provide consultation on MHST cases to EMHP's/CWP's and lead by example.
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• To monitor and guide the team in ensuring we meet safety benchmarks set by KMMH and the CQC, as well as ensuring delivery of interventions is carried out in line with NICE guidance, with Routine Outcome measures to monitor efficacy of intervention.
• To support Operational Leads with the day-to-day running of the service, including monitoring governance and compliance.
• Act up in the absence of the Operational manager for a short period.

About us
We are Kent and Medway Mental Health NHS Trust. We care for the mental health and wellbeing of people across Kent and Medway and are rated 'Good' by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

Our teams support children, young people and adults with a wide range of mental health needs. We also provide specialist services, including all-age eating disorder services and neurodevelopmental assessments for children and young people, such as autism and ADHD.

Because we work across the whole county and across hospital and community settings, we can make care more joined up and easier to access for the people we serve.

Our vision is simple: we are here to help communities not just live with mental illness, but live well. It's why we're passionate about working with communities to make mental health care better for everyone. Everything we do is guided by our values: caring, inclusive, curious and confident.

Join us if you share our passion for better mental health care and want to be part of a team that's working well together.

Details
Date posted: 16 July 2026
Pay scheme: Agenda for change
Band: Band 7
Salary: £49,387 to £56,515 a year per annum
Contract: Permanent
Working pattern: Full-time
Reference number: 380-CED034
Job locations: The Courtyard, Campus Way, Gillingham, ME8 0NZ, United Kingdom

Job responsibilities
We are serious about diversity and inclusion, and we are working hard to build this into our DNA. We warmly welcome applications for any of our roles from people from diverse backgrounds, and we are proactively encouraging applications from under-represented communities for our more senior roles, like this one.

Please refer to the attached job description for full details and main responsibilities of the role.

The post holder must hold a full, valid, UK driving licence and have access to a car/vehicle to use for business purposes (unless you have a disability as defined by the Equality Act 2010).

Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential

• Relevant graduate qualification with recognised professional body
• A minimum of a second-class Bachelor's degree from a UK university or an overseas qualification of an equivalent standard in a relevant academic subject (e.g. Psychology, Education, Childhood development, Social Work etc)

Desirable

• A minimum of a second-class Bachelor's degree from a UK university or an overseas qualification of an equivalent standard in a relevant academic subject (e.g. Psychology, Education, Childhood development, Social Work etc)

Experience
Essential

• Substantial Band 6 experience within a CYP Mental Health setting or equivalent
• Experience in offering CBT therapeutic Interventions within a CYP Mental Health Setting with children and young people with mental health difficulties.

Desirable

• CAMHS or other relevant mental health experience
• Experience in NHS or equivalent service

Knowledge
Essential

• Knowledge of MHST legislation in relation to children and adolescents and safeguarding procedures and policies
• Knowledge of risk management, ability to monitor and assess risk and act accordingly to ensure safety.

Desirable

• To guide the team to ensure safety benchmarks are met regarding delivery of interventions in line with NICE guidance and the use of ROMS

Skills
Essential

• Demonstrate the ability to communicate clearly and effectively within a team

Desirable

• Demonstrate the importance of good record keeping and working in line with local policies, procedures, and guidelines.

Supervision responsibilities
Essential

• Extensive experience of providing clinical and managerial supervision

Desirable

• CYP-IAPT Supervision course
• Managerial or leadership training

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.

Employer details
Employer name: Kent and Medway Mental Health NHS Trust
Address: The Courtyard, Campus Way, Gillingham, ME8 0NZ, United Kingdom
Employer's website: https://www.kentmedwaymentalhealth.nhs.uk (Opens in a new tab)

Employer contact details
For questions about the job, contact:
Operational Manager
Inderjit Randhawa
inderjit.randhawa2@nhs.net
07976735752