Job summary
An exciting opportunity has arisen to join the Mid Essex Mental Health Support Team (MHST) as a Children and Young People Psychological Trainee (CYP-PT) for Systemic Family Practice with Conduct Disorder and Depression (CDD) as part of the NHS England-funded programme. This is a unique opportunity to undertake a nationally recognised postgraduate training programme whilst gaining valuable clinical experience within NHS Children and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS). The post combines academic study at King's College London (KCL) with supervised clinical practice delivering evidence-based interventions to children, young people and their families. The CYP-PT programme is designed to expand the specialist children and young peoples mental health workforce and improve access to evidence-based psychological therapies. NHS England funds both the trainee salary and university training costs for the duration of the programme. This is a combined employment and training post. Successful applicants should be prepared to balance postgraduate study, clinical practice, supervision, independent learning and assessment requirements throughout the training programme. The Essex MHSTs are committed to delivering high-quality, evidence-based mental health support to children, young people and families.

Main duties of the job
We are seeking motivated and experienced practitioners who are passionate about supporting the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people. Applicants must have:

• A minimum of a second-class Bachelor's degree from a UK university, or an overseas qualification of equivalent standard, in a relevant subject such as Psychology, Education, Childhood Development, Social Work or a related discipline
• A registerable professional qualification (e.g. as a counselling/clinical/educational psychologist, social worker, counsellor (three-year minimum training, full BACP accredited membership (MBACP Accred) and experience in the public or voluntary sector), mental health nurse, occupational therapist, art / music therapist

For further information, please refer to the attached Job Description, Person Specification and King's College London course information.

Training Programme Information
This full-time training programme will commence in January 2027. Trainees will spend approximately:

• 2.5 days per week undertaking academic study, teaching and independent learning
• 2.5 days per week undertaking supervised clinical work within the service

Successful candidates will be employed by NELFT while simultaneously enrolled as students with King's College London. Upon successful completion of the programme, trainees will be awarded a Postgraduate Diploma from King's College London. Teaching will take place at King's College London, Denmark Hill Campus, attendance is mandatory.

About us
NELFT NHS Foundation Trust provides mental health and community services for over 4.9 million people living in the London Boroughs of Waltham Forest, Redbridge, Barking and Dagenham, Havering, and across Essex. We work to ensure our patients, their friends and family, feel confident that their health needs are well met. With an excellent reputation for research and development, our skilled health professionals are at the cutting edge of evidence-based innovation, opening up the possibilities for better ways of working and delivery of care.

Details
Date posted: 16 October 2026
Pay scheme: Agenda for change
Band: Band 6
Salary: £39,959 to £48,117 a year
Contract: Fixed term
Duration: 12 months
Working pattern: Full-time
Reference number: SHX-3EL-002337

Dual Application Process
This is a dual application process. In addition to submitting an NHS application, applicants must also complete a King's College London course application. You will only be offered a training place if:

• You are successful in securing this NHS post; and
• You meet all university entry requirements, including academic criteria, relevant experience and any visa requirements

Location and Travel Requirements
This post is based within the Mid Essex MHST; however, the service operates across a large geographical area. Successful candidates will be required to travel independently to:

• Schools and community settings across the Mid Essex area
• King's College London, Denmark Hill Campus, South London

Due to the geographical area covered and limitations of public transport in some locations, access to a vehicle and the ability to travel independently for work purposes is essential.

Working for Us
Joining #TeamNELFT means you'll become part of a welcoming and supportive working environment. We're CQC rated Good, and we want you to join us on the journey towards an Outstanding rating. NELFT has sites across North East London and Essex. We provide community and mental healthcare services to adults and children within these areas.

The Trust has award-winning equality and diversity initiatives, along with staff health and wellbeing activities. We invest significantly in your development because when you feel valued and supported, we can deliver the highest quality care to our patients. We are a Level 3 Disability Confident Leader, have been recognised in the Working Families Top 10 Employers benchmark for five consecutive years, and hold a Carers UK Level 1 Accreditation. Through our staff networks and training opportunities, we strive to foster a just and compassionate culture at NELFT.

Our Values 2025 - 2030
Working with our colleagues, patients and carers we have co-produced three new values that we aim to embed within our culture here at NELFT. They are:

• We are kind.
• We are respectful.
• We work together with our communities.

These three values help us to strive to provide the best care by the best people.

Use of AI
We value applications that genuinely reflect each candidate's own skills, experience and motivations. We therefore strongly discourage the use of AI-generated content in applications. Applications should be written in your own words and accurately represent your knowledge, skills and experience. We reserve the right to reject an application where we reasonably believe AI has been used to generate or materially contribute to its content.

Application Deadline
The closing date is 30 October 2026.

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.