NELFT North East London Foundation Trust
Education MH / Children’s Wellbeing Practitioner

Job summary
The NHS is working with schools and colleges in an increasing number of new areas across England to provide expert emotional wellbeing and mental health support for up to half a million pupils a year part of the Governments ambitious plans to transform children and young peoples mental health through the NHS Long-Term Plan.

Waltham Forest MHST was established in 2021 and currently provides support to more than 30 schools in Waltham Forest. We are seeking innovative, enthusiastic and motivated EMHP's or CWP's to join our expanding team.

The Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTs) are based in schools, colleges and community settings to support children and young people with emerging metal health issues that impact on their wellbeing.

The teams build on the support already in place from school counsellors, nurses, educational psychologists and the voluntary sector to support those with mild to moderate mental health issues in school and will help children and young people with more severe needs to access the right support and provide a link to the NHS in Waltham Forest this is CAMHS with whom we work very closely.

Main duties of the job
You will be a qualified Education Mental Health Practitioner or Childrens Wellbeing Practitioner and will be registered, or in the process of registering if newly qualified, with the BABCP or BPS. Further to that, experience of working with children and young people and an understanding of the educational system in England is essential.

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: 06 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: NDD-001359
Job locations: Wood Street Health Centre, Walthamstow, London, E17 3LA, United Kingdom

Job responsibilities
You will be responsible for delivering evidence based clinical interventions for parents, children and young people within educational settings and linked community settings, and will receive clinical supervision from MHST senior practitioners/supervisors.

You will work in partnership with schools, to support children, young people experiencing mild to moderate mental health difficulties and their families in the self-management of presenting difficulties via Guided Self Help CBT based interventions.

WF MHST is committed to supporting and empowering children, young people and families to make informed choices about their care, and involving our communities in the design of our services. We operate at all times from an inclusive values base which recognises and respects diversity.

You will be able to competently assess and formulate needs, develop agreed plans for care and be familiar with using routine outcome measures to ensure the care is evaluated effectively, acting on feedback given. With support of senior clinicians, you will be confident in risk formulation and ensure that concerns are managed or escalated appropriately.

The successful candidate will be able to adhere to an agreed activity target, relating to the overall number of children and young people contacts offered, and sessions carried out per week in order to improve timely access and minimise waiting times.

You will be able to keep coherent records of all activity in line with service protocols and use these records and outcome data to inform decision-making and complete all requirements relating to data collection.

You will be confident to work in collaboration with children, young people and communities to enhance and widen access to support health promotion, including delivery and facilitation of whole school interventions eg workshops, focus groups, audits, parents evenings/coffee mornings etc.

The post holder will be responsible for managing their own workload, prioritising tasks effectively, and ensuring deadlines are met. They will be expected to work independently as well as part of a team, demonstrating flexibility and a commitment to high standards. The role may involve working across multiple sites and requires excellent communication and organisational skills.

Starting with NELFT
NELFT place a great deal of importance on new starters being properly welcomed and inducted into the Trust. All new starters will join the Trust on the first Monday of each month and will undertake a comprehensive induction of up to two weeks which will include mandatory training, systems training and the allocation of equipment. As part of the process new starters will have the opportunity to also meet the executive team, senior managers and attend a number of drop-in sessions focusing on engagement, health and wellbeing and key processes. The induction will be held at our head office in Goodmayes, Essex.

Probationary Period
This post will be subject to a probationary period. Internal applicants are exempt from the probationary period (unless you are an internal applicant currently part way through a probationary period or currently a bank member of staff).

High Cost Area Supplement – Outer London
(B&D, Redbridge, Havering and Waltham Forest) This post also attracts payment for High Cost Area Supplement of 15% of the basic salary (with a minimum of £4,714 to a maximum of £5,941 p.a. pro rata for part time).

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.

Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential

• Qualified Education Mental Health Practitioner or Childrens Wellbeing Practitioner

Experience
Essential

• Working with children and young people and an understanding of the educational system in England

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: NELFT North East London Foundation Trust
Address: Wood Street Health Centre, Walthamstow, London, E17 3LA, United Kingdom
Employer's website: Apply through our website

Employer contact details
For questions about the job, contact:
Senior Therapist
Rebecca Scalzo
recruitment@nelft.nhs.uk