Mental health practitioner jobs

Project Background

Come and join our award-winning place-based volunteering programme that works with residents living across Hackney and the City of London.

You will be based out in the community - the programme is based at GP practices - to engage, support and enable local residents and patients to deliver local services for themselves, to meet local needs. We support residents to come together, to share their skills and experience for the benefit of each other, to deliver local groups and activities such as a book group, film club, exercise classes or cooking group. Residents from diverse backgrounds and demographics attend these activities together and make new connections, building strong local communities, all working together to make their area a better place to live. People, many of whom are isolated across all ages, and who have difficult life circumstances, are brought together, providing each other with mutual support and encouragement to develop new skills and pursue life goals, and to feel better able to voice their concerns to services.

You will be joining a nationally recognised project - having won an award from the Royal Society of Public Health in November 2024 - to support residents to fulfil their personal goals, make connections with others, and design activities and services that meet local needs. You will also be supporting people to improve their mental and physical health through signposting them to appropriate services and encouraging them to talk to their GP if they have concerns; and will be working in partnership with GP practice staff to co-create volunteer roles to make the practice more efficient and a better place to visit.

Who are we?

Volunteer Centre Hackney is a medium sized charity (currently 30 staff) based in the London borough of Hackney, working to support local residents to realise their skills and passions through volunteering and social action, and to share these for the benefit of others.

Our mission is to build and strengthen communities across Hackney through supporting residents of all ages and backgrounds to volunteer and build projects together.

In 2021, we were awarded the Freedom of the Borough Award by Hackney Council for our efforts to support residents during COVID, which included mobilising over 2000 volunteers to deliver food, prescriptions and essential items, provide emotional support to isolated residents and support the vaccine rollout. 

We work with hundreds of diverse community organisations and deliver various programmes to help residents share their skills and deliver their own social action projects to improve people’s lives. These include a befriending programme, volunteering brokerage matching local people to volunteer roles based on their skills, interests and goals, a specialist mental health programme, peer research and multiple resident engagement programmes at GP surgeries and estates across Hackney.

Post holders need to be enthusiastic and engaging, bringing energy to the role, be self-motivating and confident to work primarily alone, albeit with some support from the team members based at other sites.

Job Purpose

This role sits within our crisis alternative service, Safe Space, which is a core and out of hours service providing a safe and welcoming space for people who are feeling distressed and experiencing crisis. Our aim of the service is to keep individuals well in the community and prevent readmission into hospital. The service operates 365 days a year from 14:00-22:00pm across all of our boroughs.

Staff within the service will provide person-centred, practical and emotional support, face to face or via telephone or virtual on a one-to-one basis to individuals experiencing mental health crisis or preventing crisis.

The objectives of the service include:

• To improve the mental wellbeing of people experiencing mental health and social crisis in HFEH.
• To proactively work with keeping people well in the community to reduce re-admitters into hospitals by working with WL NHS teams (e.g. discharge, LPS, CATT, MINT and SPA)
• To provide a true alternative to A&E via a non-clinical drop-in service to support clients
• To provide support to clients accessing the service- for instance: signposting, de-escalation and crisis recovery planning.
• To contribute to an improvement in individual mental wellbeing.
• To remain a source of independent support for all clients.
• To treat service users with respect, dignity and personalised support
• To raise awareness of mental health services available with the goal to improve long term mental health and reduce social isolation
• To increase self-management skills of those accessing the service
• To reduce the use of police, ambulance and statutory mental health services whilst experiencing crisis via a drop-in service.
• To reduce the use of statutory crisis services by people experiencing mental ill health without positive outcomes for the individual.

 

 

The Role

The role of the support workers will be to support the rest of the team in delivering interventions on a one-to-one. The role will also involve triaging and assessing all clients accessing the service, signposting and delivering collaborative self-management plans with clients to improve mental wellbeing.

Key Responsibilities

• Providing a person centred and recovery orientated approach in all aspects of the roles and responsibilities.
• Promoting people’ rights and responsibilities
• Considering each person as an individual
• Working collaboratively with clients to understand their needs and developing flexible and realistic crisis support packages/person centred plans
• Understanding of safety planning
• Experience with de-escalation, recognising and mitigating risks.
• Experience of working with challenging behaviour
• Listening to clients and encouraging positive steps towards self-management of crisis and recovery
• Good time keeping skills – Essential
• To attend all mandatory training including safeguarding and GDPR
• To work autonomously in a fast-paced environment and under pressure
• Providing advice, information, practical and emotional support to clients
• Proactively recognising the indicators of deteriorating mental health and facilitate appropriate action, whilst liaising with relevant agencies e.g. CATT, Emergency Duty Teams, CMHTS, etc
• Engaging with clients to show empathy, inspire hope and promote recovery
• Establishing supportive, empowering and respectful relationships with clients and carers/ family
• Maintaining accurate records, detailing interventions
• Ensuring that outcomes, outputs and impact are recorded
• Providing administrative support to the team
• Attend reflective practice, clinical supervision, peer supervision and line management supervision
• Create and maintain good working relationships with partner agencies
• Follow workplans and actively participate in training and development
• Provide and manage resources for clients and staff

 

Person Specification

• Minimum of 1 year working in mental health services and with clients experiencing mental health distress and crisis
• Experience of managing challenging behaviour and dealing with clients with complex needs
• Experience of managing safeguarding risks and understanding legal requirements for safeguarding adults and children
• Evidence of continual professional development
• Understanding of the Recovery Model in mental health
• Understanding of the principles of trauma informed care
• Understanding of suicide prevention and safety planning
• Understanding of the relationship between mental health and social issues and how these issues may impact on physical, mental and emotional wellbeing
• Understanding of relevant legislation and policies
• Experience of working with vulnerable individuals
• Creative and flexible approach to working with individuals
• Ability to deal with stressful and difficult situations in a calm manner and de-escalate challenging situations
• Awareness of issues in mental health service provision
• A good understanding of mental health conditions
• Experience of working with vulnerable individuals
• Creative and flexible approach to working with individuals
• Ability to deal with stressful and difficult situations in a calm manner and de-escalate challenging situations
• Ability to prioritise and manage workload
• Ability to involve clients and carers in all aspects of work
• Empathy and non-judgemental approach
• Good communication skills
• Capacity to work within an agreed shift pattern
• Experience of delivering information and advice (housing, benefits, debt etc)
• Experience of non-clinical, therapeutic interventions like psychoeducation
• Good IT skills including Word, Outlook, Excel and PowerPoint, with proven ability to input and extract information and produce reports
• Car driver with sole ownership of a vehicle and willingness to travel to locations would be desirable.
• Ability to work out of hours and on weekends

Job Purpose

• This role sits within our crisis alternative service, Safe Space, which is a core and out of hours service providing a safe and welcoming space for people who are feeling distressed and experiencing crisis. Our aim of the service is to keep individuals well in the community and prevent readmission into hospital. The service operates 365 days a year from 14:00-22:00pm across all our boroughs.
• Staff within the service will provide person-centred, practical and emotional support, face to face or via telephone or virtual on a one-to-one basis to individuals experiencing mental health crisis or preventing crisis.
• The objectives of the service include:
• To improve the mental wellbeing of people experiencing mental health and social crisis in HFEH.
• To proactively work with keeping people well in the community to reduce re-admitters into hospitals by working with WL NHS teams (e.g. discharge, LPS, CATT, MINT and SPA)
• To provide a true alternative to A&E via a non-clinical drop-in service to support clients
• To provide support to clients accessing the service- for instance: signposting, de-escalation and crisis recovery planning.
• To contribute to an improvement in individual mental wellbeing.
• To remain a source of independent support for all clients.
• To treat service users with respect, dignity and personalised support
• To raise awareness of mental health services available with the goal to improve long term mental health and reduce social isolation
• To increase self-management skills of those accessing the service
• To reduce the use of police, ambulance and statutory mental health services whilst experiencing crisis via a drop-in service.
• To reduce the use of statutory crisis services by people experiencing mental ill health without positive outcomes for the individual.

The Role

The role of the senior support worker is to support the team manager with the smooth running of the allocated site and staff; supporting development and rest of the team including volunteer recruiting, induction (training and development) and supervision. Senior support worker will also lead in delivering interventions on a one-to-one. The role will also involve triaging and assessing all clients accessing the service, signposting and delivering collaborative self-management plans with clients to improve mental wellbeing. The role will include deputising for the team manager where applicable including debriefing and providing support to the team.

Key Responsibilities

• Providing a person centred and recovery orientated approach in all aspects of the roles and responsibilities.
• Understanding of risk and risk management
• Understanding safeguarding adults and children processes and legal requirements
• Working closely with re-admitters and clients being discharged through the drop-in service on a weekly basis
• Responsible for keeping allocated site to a high standard and reporting any health and safety concerns
• To work autonomously in a fast-paced environment and under pressure
• To attend all mandatory training including safeguarding and GDPR.
• Good time keeping skills - Essential
• To attend and contribute at weekly team meetings
• This role will be considered a key worker role
• Understanding of safety planning and de-escalation
• Experience of working with challenging behaviour
• Working collaboratively with clients to understand their needs and developing flexible and realistic crisis support packages/person centred plans
• Promoting people’ rights and responsibilities
• Considering each person as an individual
• Listening to clients and encouraging positive steps towards self-management of crisis and recovery
• Providing advice, information, practical and emotional support to clients
• Proactively recognising the indicators of deteriorating mental health and facilitate appropriate action, whilst liaising with relevant agencies e.g. CATT, Emergency Duty Teams, CMHTS, etc
• Engaging with clients to show empathy, inspire hope and promote recovery
• Establishing supportive, empowering and respectful relationships with clients and carers/ family
• Maintaining accurate records, detailing interventions
• Ensuring that outcomes, outputs and impact are recorded
• Understanding CQC standards and NICE guidelines around mental health
• Providing administrative support to the team
• Overseeing and provide shadowing to new staff members and volunteers
• Attend reflective practice, peer debriefing and line management supervision
• Maintaining good working relationships with partner agencies
• Actively participate in training and development
• Provide guidance to support workers and volunteers
• To work with team managers and assist with reporting and monitoring
•  

Person Specification

• Minimum of 1 year working in mental health services and with clients experiencing mental health distress and crisis
• Experience of contributing to multi-disciplinary teams
• Experience of de-escalation
• Experience of managing challenging behaviour and dealing with clients with complex needs
• Evidence of continual professional development
• Understanding of the Recovery Model in mental health
• Understanding of the principles of trauma informed care
• Understanding of suicide prevention and safety planning
• Experience of managing safeguarding risks and understanding legal requirements for safeguarding adults and children
• Understanding of how to report and mitigate risks
• Understanding of the relationship between mental health and social issues and how these issues may impact on physical, mental and emotional wellbeing
• Understanding of relevant legislation and policies
• Understanding safeguarding adults and children processes and legal requirements
• Awareness of issues in mental health service provision
• Experience of working with vulnerable individuals
• Creative and flexible approach to working with individuals
• Ability to deal with stressful and difficult situations in a calm manner and de-escalate challenging situations
• Ability to prioritise and manage workload
• Ability to involve clients and carers in all aspects of work
• Empathy and non-judgemental approach
• Good communication skills
• Capacity to work within an agreed shift pattern
• Experience of delivering information and advice (housing, benefits, debt etc)
• Experience of non-clinical, therapeutic interventions like psychoeducation
• Good IT skills including Word, Outlook, Excel and PowerPoint, with proven ability to input and extract information and produce reports
• Understanding of different databases such as Views, Salesforce and NHS
• Car driver with sole ownership of a vehicle and ability to travel to multiple locations (e.g. NHS sites and community sites) would be essential.
• Ability to work out of hours and on weekends at multiple locations including NHS sites and community sites

Manchester Mind believes in the power of listening and of being heard, because better understanding of mental health benefits everyone.

We are working to increase access to mental health support for care leavers. Working in collaboration with Manchester City Council, this role will be part of the Staying Close team, developing a service for young people age 16-25 who are stepping across from residential homes and/or released from custody; developing their pathway to independence. The service will offer a range of practical and emotional support.

Position:  Mental Health Practitioner Leaving Care

Salary: £32,271 p.a. pro rata

Hours: 35 hours per week

                                   Funding guaranteed for 12 months from start date

(Potential to extend subject to funding)

Base: Manchester Mind Children and Young People’s Service (CYP),

                                   339 Stretford Road, Hulme, Manchester, M15 4ZY

Reporting to:              Manchester Mind CYP Service Manager

The skills and knowledge that are important to us are:

· A relevant professional qualification in Social Work, Counselling, or Youth & Community Work (at graduate level).

· At least two years’ experience working with young people aged 16-25 in the care system and/or youth work (ESSENTIAL)

· Experience in providing effective short-term and long-term support to young people who are under stress/have mental health difficulties

· Ability to engage with young people individually using creative and imaginative methods and processes.

· Ability to work collaboratively and to create kind relationships with colleagues, partners, volunteers, staff and young people that lead to people feeling accepted, understood and able to contribute.

You can download the application documents from the Vacancies page on our website.

Manchester Mind is striving to be an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications from all sections of the community. Manchester Mind sees it as a positive advantage if you have experience of mental health issues and/or have used mental health services, or had experience of volunteering.

Purpose of the Job 

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a clinical lead working within our Mental Health Support Teams and wider Children and Young People’s Services. As an integral part of our services, you will ensure the high-quality delivery of mental health interventions for children and young people. You will provide  clinical supervision and support to a multi-disciplinary team, ensuring adherence to evidence-based practice and national guidelines. This role involves overseeing the delivery of low-intensity and early intervention mental health support within schools and the community for children and young people between the ages of 5-18 (for young people with SEND under 25). In addition, you will ensure professional development and clinical governance.

Job Summary

The role includes:

• Providing case management and clinical supervision (1:1 and group) and some line management
• Supporting the team to write sensitive and appropriate reports concerning the assessment, formulation and treatment plans of children and young people
• Carrying out clinical case file audits to ensure high quality practice and to support practitioners and trainees
• Ensuring that practitioners and trainees work within their scope of practice and adhere to professional standards
• Ensuring adherence to evidence-based practice in accordance with national guidance and national and local policies (including NHS and educational frameworks)
• Escalating referrals where the level of need is beyond the scope of the service
• Contributing to the ongoing evaluation and improvement of the MHST model
• Where appropriate, directly delivering sessions to more complex young people or families
• Support trainee practitioners and supervisors to meet the requirements of their studies
• To facilitate in person group supervision or reflective practice across CYP Services
• To manage the duty service and be part of the out of hours on-call rota advising staff on complex challenges and safeguarding
• To step in to deliver services (e.g. targeted groups, CBT informed 1:1s) to schools where needed (e.g. staff holidays, sickness, special requests from schools)
• To support Whole School Approach staff in the design and delivery of training sessions and developing engaging and accessible resources for children, parents and school staff
• Working with the service manager to establish our presence in schools and the local college and support the on-going delivery and development of our work in partnership with school leaders and other professionals
• Giving timely advice to school staff and liaising with external specialist local services to help children and young people to get the right support and stay in education
• Building and maintaining partnership relationships (e.g. CAMHS, Youth Offending Teams, Educational Psychologists)
• Participate in  complex case discussions and contribute to multi-agency safeguarding processes.
• Uphold high standards of safeguarding, ensuring all concerns are appropriately escalated.

Other Responsibilities

• Oversee the quality of case-recording and documentation on a clinical database (IAPTUS)
• Ensure that all follow up and records maintenance is done within the project timelines and to a high standard
• Contribute to the quarterly reporting to the commissioners on quality assurance from the clinical point of view
• Represent the MHST and HFEH Mind at external meetings
• Attend regular team meetings as agreed with the service manager
• Attend and successfully complete all mandatory training as required by HFEH Mind
• Ensure that all support provided has an inclusive values base which recognises and respects difference and diversity
• Attend regular 1:1s and reflective practice sessions, and work to meet KPIs and actions from meetings
• Any other reasonable tasks to meet the needs of the organisation (inline with the requirements of the role).

Person Specification

 

Essential

• Professional qualification (e.g., Clinical Psychology, Counselling, Social Work, Mental Health Nursing).
• Accreditation with a relevant professional body (e.g., HCPC, BACP, UKCP, BPS, BABCP, NMC, Social Work England).
• Significant experience (minimum of 5 years) in child and adolescent mental health, including direct work with children and families with complex needs
• Experience of providing clinical supervision to practitioners working with children
• Strong understanding of evidence-based interventions (e.g. CBT, trauma-informed approaches)
• Experience of managing risk and safeguarding concerns
• Excellent communication skills and non-judgmental approach to working as part of a multi-disciplinary team
• Understanding of neurodiversity and the needs of children with additional or complex needs and an adaptable approach to what works

Desirable

• Knowledge of the MHST model, early intervention, and school-based mental health services
• Experience of working in education settings or school-based mental health teams
• Training in supervision models (e.g. BABCP/BPS supervision course)
• Experience in delivering training
• Experience of working in a school or college setting

We are an equal opportunities employer; and are proud to employ a workforce that reflects the diverse communities we serve. We welcome applications from all suitably qualified persons from all backgrounds.

HFEH Mind are committed to creating and fostering a culture that promotes safeguarding and the welfare of all children and adults at risk. Our safer recruitment practices support this by ensuring that there is a consistent and thorough process of obtaining, collating, analysing and evaluating information from and about candidates to ensure that all persons appointed are suitable to work with children and vulnerable adults.

Post is subject to an enhanced DBS check.

The Early Intervention Practitioners will provide preventative, early intervention support to children, young people and their families in primary schools in Runnymede, Waverley and Surrey Heath, through delivering a range of evidence-based interventions to enable each young person to realise their potential, cope with the normal stresses of life, work productively and fruitfully within their school, and make a positive contribution within their community.

Responsibilities

Design, deliver and review evidence-based interventions for children and young people which aim to improve mental health and well-being and build on existing strengths

· Assess the needs and strengths of the referred young person and help them to identify individual goals to achieve desired change (Goals Based Outcome Assessments)

· Provide support to young people facing a wide range of issues, in both one to one and group settings to address emerging needs and help build resilience, develop coping strategies and improve their mental health & wellbeing

· Provide advice, guidance and signposting through a range of activities, to young people and their families, that will connect them to resources that will support young people’s wellbeing

· Gain input from and provide input to parents and carers regarding the support offered to their children and young people, recognising the valuable role they play in their child’s wellbeing

· ​To operate at all times from an inclusive values base, which recognises and respects diversity and ensures all work is sensitive to a range of ethnic, cultural and religious groups, is gender sensitive and anti-discriminatory

Develop and maintain relationships with key school staff in primary schools and Schools Based Needs Team

· Work collaboratively with pastoral staff in school, Surrey Wellbeing Partners, Surrey and Borders NHS Partnership, Surrey Children’s Services, local Mental Health Support Teams and other community-based services to provide the most effective service for children, young people and families

· Ensure that children and young people with more intensive support needs are put in touch with relevant Intensive Intervention services (whilst continuing to provide support until the intensive support is in place)​

Impact, Monitoring Evaluation and Reporting

· To record accurately individual engagement and evidence of change using appropriate outcomes data to ensure support programmes can be accurately monitored and evaluated

· To record all activities and administration associated with support provided to a child/young person

· To collect and share case studies that demonstrate good practice and the impact of interventions on outcomes for children and young people

· Work with colleagues and line manager to ensure that your work is aligned to organisational strategy, key objectives and annual plans and budgets

Organisational requirements

• Work within Eikon’s equal opportunities, health & safety, and safeguarding policies at all times
• Understand and act when safeguarding issues need to be escalated
• Work as part of a team and attend team meetings, training events and participate fully in 1:1
• Work co-operatively and under the management of The Eikon Charity staff to ensure the highest quality of delivery and support
• Work within Eikon’s internal policies, safeguarding and data protection regulations
• Be responsible for equipment/resources
• Work some planned evenings or weekends
• To promote, monitor and maintain health safety and security in the working environment
• Attend and actively participate in regular clinical supervision

About The Connection at St Martin’s

We believe that no one should have to sleep rough on London’s streets, and that everyone should get the support they need to find a place to call home. We get to know every person we work with, understanding what they need to recover, helping them build on their strengths, and supporting them to find their own way home. Help us make London a city where no one sleeps rough on our streets.

London’s diversity is its biggest asset and we strive to ensure our workforce reflects London’s diversity at all levels. We welcome applications from everyone regardless of age, gender, gender identity, gender expression, ethnicity, sexual orientation, faith or disability.

We particularly encourage applications from candidates with lived experience of homelessness who we believe are an essential asset in our sector.

We are committed to being an inclusive employer and welcome the opportunity to consider flexible working arrangements.

About the Role

• The Connection Community is a place where people can gain respite from street homelessness, engage in group and coproduction activities, develop social inclusion and reduce isolation and have their needs met by a committed and dedicated multi-disciplinary team.
• You will be joining a dynamic and creative team, focused on building trust through relationships.
• You will support the team to identify, engage and provide harm minimisation to our clients whilst promoting a sense of belonging, and working with clients to support them on their journey towards a place to call home.
• Together we are piloting a new approach to working with people experiencing homelessness in Westminster facing multiple exclusion. We are creating a psychologically-informed environment, adopting a trauma-informed model with direct support from a team of specialist NHS psychologists.
• You will have experience in delivering a psychologically, gender and culturally informed service to people who are experiencing street homelessness.  You will be both strength-based and solution-focused, developing and enhancing the service with a commitment to embedding coproduction.

Salary: £35,252 
Closing Date: Monday 5th May
Interview Dates: Thursday 15th May

Our Benefits

· 30 days holiday plus bank holidays

· Generous training budget, plus an annual personal training budget

· Enhanced Sick Pay Policy

· Enhanced family friendly policies

· Day off for moving house

· Pension – 5% Employer, 3% Employee

· Cycle to Work Scheme

· Season Ticket Loan

· Employee Assistance Programme

· Reward Gateway (access to discount vouchers and cashback at the UK’s favourite retailers)

We are a London Living Wage employer

Band 7 Counselling / Clinical Psychologist

Reports to: Clinical Lead, Dose of Nature

Job Overview:

This is an exciting opportunity for an enthusiastic and innovative psychologist to join our warm and friendly team at our Dose of Nature hub in Surrey. Dose of Nature is in an exciting phase as we continue to receive funding to expand our reach, particularly increasing accessibility to our service for clients living in the Waverley area.

We are seeking a psychologist with passion for the natural world and there is great potential for the psychologist to lead on areas in which we seek to develop and expand. The post-holder would be closely supported by the psychology team, as well as the wider team, to do so.

Dose of Nature is a mental health charity whose objective is to improve the mental health and wellbeing of individuals through increased engagement with the natural world. Our work is rooted in a wealth of scientific evidence that demonstrates the physiological and psychological benefits of spending time in nature.  We deliver ‘Nature Prescriptions’ to adults (aged 18+) referred by their GP with a wide range of mental health issues, including depression, anxiety, trauma, and addiction.

Our Dose of Nature Prescription is overseen by psychologists and is a genuine alternative to both medication and more traditional psychological interventions. Through a combination of education, first-hand experience, and practical and motivational support, we aim to encourage a greater connection with nature and inspire lifestyle changes that will have a significant and lasting impact on mental wellbeing.  Dose of Nature is a fun, supportive and lively organisation that encourages creativity and independence, as well as a strong sense of working together as a team.

The nature of the role requires occasional evenings and weekends to cover monthly volunteer training evenings and social events as necessitated by the needs of the charity.

Key Responsibilities 

Clinical 

• To carry out psychological assessments of clients referred to the service, to reach a psychological formulation of the client’s difficulties and understand their wider contextual needs, and to support those clients throughout their journey with Dose of Nature, offering ad-hoc support where needed.
• To subsequently pair clients with an appropriate volunteer Nature Guide who then delivers the Dose of Nature Prescription.
• To review clients at the end of their Dose of Nature Prescription and ensure that those clients who would like to and / or need to, maintain connection with Dose of Nature by attending groups, social events, and through ad-hoc support.
• To maintain relationships with GP practices and other referrers, and to inform them of client progress.
• To support the Clinical Lead to offer workshops and presentations to other agencies, professional colleagues and in the wider community.
• To provide specialist psychological advice, guidance and consultation to other professionals, staff members and volunteers contributing to a client’s recovery.
• To undertake risk assessment, formulation, and management of clients and to provide advice to the Dose of Nature team on psychological aspects of risk assessment, formulation, and management.
• To actively promote client involvement in their recovery and service development.

Teaching, Training, and Supervision

• To receive and provide regular clinical supervision.
• To gain additional experience and skills relevant to the Dose of Nature model.
• To provide clinical placements for trainee counsellors and / or trainee psychologists where needed and if appropriate, ensuring that trainees acquire the necessary skills and experience to contribute effectively to client recovery, utilising the Dose of Nature model.
• To provide advice, consultation and training to staff and volunteers.

Management, Leadership, Recruitment, Policy and Service Development

• To participate in identifying and implementing the development of a high quality, responsible and accessible service.
• To contribute to the development, evaluation and monitoring of the team’s operational policies and services, through the deployment of professional skills in research, service evaluation and audit
• To participate in the management of psychological resources available to the team.
• To manage the workloads of assistant and trainee applied psychologists.
• To be involved, as appropriate, in the short listing and interviewing of assistant psychologists
  and other staff.
• To provide effective leadership and management to staff which promotes high performance
  standards both individually and as a team. 

Research and Service Evaluation

• To utilise theory, evidence-based literature, and research to support practice.
• To undertake appropriate research and provide research advice to other staff undertaking research
• To undertake project management, including service evaluation, with colleagues within the service to help develop service provision.

This job description sets out the main responsibilities and duties of the post, but is neither exhaustive nor exclusive and the postholder may be required to undertake such other duties and responsibilities as may reasonably be expected of an employee of this grade.

12 months Fixed Term/Secondment opportunity (Maternity cover).

Hackney is one of the most dynamic and progressive local authorities in the UK. We are a resilient, vibrant, and creative borough in the heart of London, with strong communities and a powerful set of shared values.

Over the past twenty years, the Council has built up first-class services, outstanding public infrastructure, and a reputation for excellence, innovation, and ambition. We are leading the way on essential work such as our fight for equity in Hackney with a particular focus on becoming an actively anti-racist borough. But the work doesn’t stop there, we are proactive in our approach to bringing fairness to all aspects of life including gender, neurodiversity and across the poverty divide.

Our Public Health Service plays a vital role in this mission. We're passionate about improving the health and wellbeing of our communities in both Hackney and the City of London. We work collaboratively and creatively to address health inequalities and create a healthier future for all.

The City of London Corporation shares this commitment to community and sustainability. As the governing body of the Square Mile, they play a crucial role in supporting a thriving London and contributing to a flourishing society.

If you would like to find out more information about public health in the City and Hackney, please visit the Hackney and City of London Health and Wellbeing Profiles website.

Pause works with women who have experienced – or are at risk of – repeated pregnancies that result in children needing to be removed from their care. The programme gives women the chance to pause and take control over their lives, breaking a destructive cycle that causes both them and their children deep trauma.

Are you an ambitious, creative and influential practitioner who is passionate about reducing the number of children being removed into care by supporting women to bring about change in their lives?

As a Pause Practitioner Hackney, you will deliver a range of interventions and support measures as part of an integrated package of health, therapeutic and social support for women on the programme, under the direction of the Pause and STEPs Practice Lead.

You will undertake a creative and tenacious outreach approach to engage women and utilise a broad range of highly developed skills, alongside a high level of professional autonomy. The post holder will have the ability to adapt to shifting demands and priorities and be flexible in their approach to working with women on the programme.

You will be a big part of a small team, where everyone takes a flexible and collaborative approach to work and is committed to improving outcomes for vulnerable and marginalised groups. Like Pause, you will be passionate about changing entrenched social issues and will respond by ‘doing things differently’.

The following criteria is essential for this post:

· Relevant professional qualification/experience in a field relevant to the work of the Pause team e.g. nursing, social work, mental health, education, criminal justice, youth work, therapeutic practice, counselling, criminal justice or equivalent

· Experience of working with families/individuals who present with a range of complex needs (mental health challenges, drug and alcohol misuse, domestic abuse) and demonstrate an ability to create rapport and build effective relationships

· Experience of case management including assessments, care planning and reviews with clients with complex needs

· Highly developed knowledge of adult safeguarding, childcare legislation and local Child Protection Procedures

· Ability to use influence and evidence to improve outcomes for Pause women

· An understanding of child development, parenting capacity, risk and protective factors

· Ability to work flexibly as part of a team

Please note, an Enhanced DBS check will be required.

As a Council, our most outstanding asset is our staff, who are highly dedicated to serving our residents and committed to our goals as an organisation.

If you want to work in a place where you can represent our values, so we achieve the best for our residents, please click on the apply button below.

We operate a fair and open anonymous selection process. Therefore, we do not accept supporting statements or CV’s.

To proceed with your application, you will need to create an account and submit your application.

As part of the application process, you will need to complete a number of competency-based questions. These questions allow you to demonstrate your suitability for the role and provide examples of your skills, knowledge and experience outlined in the job description.

We understand the benefits of using AI in the workplace. However, if you are thinking of using this tool to submit your application, we ask you to think about what value it will add. AI tools tend to lack the personal touch and authenticity we value in candidates. We encourage you to showcase your unique knowledge and skills using your own voice.

Closing date for applications: 04 May 2025 (22.59).

Interview and assessment date: W/C 19 May 2025.

We are also working towards our vision, which is to be a place for everyone; where residents and staff can be proud; a place that celebrates diversity and where everyone can feel valued, included and involved. In order to achieve this, we look for people who are: Proud; Ambitious; Pioneering; Open; Proactive; Inclusive.

Hackney Council works to eradicate discrimination on the basis of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, and sexual orientation. We also recognise that people can be disadvantaged by their social and economic circumstances, so we will also work to eliminate discrimination and disadvantage caused by social class. We also welcome those interested in flexible working. We particularly welcome applications from disabled people, as this group is currently under represented in our workforce.

The Council has a dedicated employment support service (Hackney Works), which offers Hackney residents guidance in relation to applying for jobs. If you are thinking about applying for a job, please contact the Hackney Works team to find out what support is available.

Do you want to work as part of a dynamic and engaging team supporting Young People in Northampton? Due to project expansion, Aquarius Young People’s Substance Misuse team are recruiting for several Complex Needs Practitioners across the city.

Aquarius has been providing structured and targeted interventions to young people engaging in, at risk of substance misuse or affected by parental substance misuse for many years.

You will work on an outreach basis, including visiting schools, colleges & universities, the Children & Families service, the YOT as well as other local community agencies. You will support young people away from engaging in substance misuse or with an understanding of parental substance misuse.

You will provide young people with skills and coping strategies to manage their recovery journey, delivering 1-1 and some group work interventions, targeted outreach to engage 'hard-to-reach' young people and delivery of service talks and substance misuse presentations to enhance external professional workforce development with our partner agencies.

Working hours will be Monday-Friday, 37 hours per week, most work will occur during the day, however as a young people’s service we may occasionally ask you to support out of hours sessional work.

Holding a relevant qualification in substance misuse/youth work/psychology/counselling/ mental health/social care or with relevant experience and willingness to work towards a Level 3 Qualification in Health & Social Care you will also:

• Have experience of working with at risk/vulnerable young people in a community setting
• Be able to deliver behaviour change support, including group work
• Be knowledgeable about: safeguarding children, confidentiality, consent and mental capacity and Hidden Harm
• Adopt a flexible approach to work - hours and locations

In return, we offer a range of benefits including:

• Generous annual leave
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Excellent Learning & Development Opportunities and Career Progression
• Generous Contributory Pension scheme
  

Due to the nature of the role a driving licence and access to a car is essential.

We are committed to increasing our diversity and we would welcome applications from those with lived experience and/or anyone from a Black, Asian or Minority Ethnic group.

This is a rolling recruitment process; shortlisted candidates will be interviewed as and when they apply.

Learning and development is important to us, and we are pleased to be able to offer a wide range of apprenticeships. We hire apprentices into specific roles as well as offering apprenticeships to the workforce. Anyone can apply to undertake an apprenticeship relevant to the role as long as they are in a permanent post and have successfully passed probation.

Aquarius Action Projects is a long-established charity (since 1982) based in Birmingham with a national reach of contracts and partnerships. Aquarius is a subsidiary of Waythrough – a large charity that specialises in mental health, alcohol, drugs and related areas.

About The Connection at St Martin’s

We believe that no one should have to sleep rough on London’s streets, and that everyone should get the support they need to find a place to call home. We get to know every person we work with, understanding what they need to recover, helping them build on their strengths, and supporting them to find their own way home. Help us make London a city where no one sleeps rough on our streets.

London’s diversity is its biggest asset and we strive to ensure our workforce reflects London’s diversity at all levels. We welcome applications from everyone regardless of age, gender, gender identity, gender expression, ethnicity, sexual orientation, faith or disability.

We particularly encourage applications from candidates with lived experience of homelessness who we believe are an essential asset in our sector.

We are committed to being an inclusive employer and welcome the opportunity to consider flexible working arrangements.

About the Role

The Street Engagement Team is a multi-disciplinary team that provides person-led support to people experiencing street homelessness and interconnecting needs.

A day in this role is never the same – part of it will be spent on the street, offering support to people experiencing homelessness. You might be out with another member of the team, or with one of our specialist health partners like a homeless health nurse, or substance use worker. Alongside this element of the role, the rest of your day will be spent intensively supporting a small caseload of people who are isolated from services.

You will have substantial experience in delivering a person-led, psychologically, gender and culturally informed service to people who are street homeless. You will be excellent at building and strengthening trust in relationships. You will be a problem solver, with a positive attitude towards change and service development.

You will also have the personal credibility to build confidence in the wider community and across partnerships.  You will be both strength-based and solution-focused, developing and enhancing the relationships with a commitment to embed coproduction into The Connections services.

Salary: £37,551
Closing Date: Wednesday 30th April
Interview Date: Thursday 8th May

Our Benefits

· 30 days holiday plus bank holidays

· Generous training budget, plus an annual personal training budget

· Enhanced Sick Pay Policy

· Enhanced family friendly policies

· Day off for moving house

· Hybrid working (depending on role requirements)

· Pension – 5% Employer, 3% Employee

· Cycle to Work Scheme

· Season Ticket Loan

· Employee Assistance Programme

· Reward Gateway (access to discount vouchers and cashback at the UK’s favourite retailers)

We are a London Living Wage employer

Permanent position with a provisional funding end date of March 2026

Salary: £35,100 per annum

Hours: 35 hours per week

The Children's Society has a vacancy for a Senior Wellbeing Practitioner within our Rise Mental Health Support Teams (MHST) in Newcastle & Gateshead. The Rise service, offers evidence-based individual and group interventions in educational settings for children and young people experiencing mild to moderate mental health difficulties, as well as supporting settings to develop their whole school/college approach to mental health.

Senior Wellbeing Practitioners (SWP) are a new role developed by NHSE as part of CYP-IAPT workforce development, and a new addition to our Rise service.

We are seeking an EMHP-trained Senior Wellbeing Practitioner with:

-3+ years post-qualification experience as an Education Mental Health Practitioner.

-BABCP/BPS recognised supervision qualification relevant to the low-intensity workforce.

-Experience in delivering clinical caseload and clinical skills supervision to low-intensity practitioners (trainee and qualified EMHP & CWP).

-Skills in managing various duties associated with the role, including line management responsibilities, delivering supervision, and holding a small caseload.

-Ability to support the management team and clinical lead with strategic service development.

INFORMATION ABOUT THE CHILDREN'S SOCIETY 

The Children's Society runs over 100 local services that help thousands of young people who desperately need our support, and we campaign to get laws and policies changed to make children's lives happier and safer.  

Every day we're changing the lives of children in this country for the better - and with your help, tomorrow we can be there for even more.  

Benefits

Enhanced Annual leave 28 days length of service extra 2 after 2 5 and 7 goes up to 36 days plus bank holidays.

Free eye test claim back

Pension match contribution up to 8% can op out

Life Assurance death in service 4 x salary gets paid to nominated person.

Cycle to work 39% of bike costs can be spread across the year

770 retailers discounts offered with You Star App.

All people within diverse backgrounds are encouraged to apply, and particularly welcome applications from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities   

The Children's Society is committed to safeguarding and protecting the children and young people that we work with.  As such, all posts are subject to a safer recruitment process, including the disclosure of criminal records and vetting checks.  We ensure that we have a range of policies and procedures in place which promote safeguarding and safer working practices across our services.   

Therefore, candidates applying for work in our Youth Impact Domain will be required to complete an “Employment history_template” document prior to interview. 

The closing date for applications is  Midnight on 22nd May 2025. If after 14 days we have received enough applications we can close this vacancy from the 8th May onwards.

Interviews will be held on the following weeks.

For an application pack please visit the web site http://www.childrenssociety.org.uk/about-us/work-us

IN1

Purpose of the Job 

Hammersmith, Fulham, Ealing and Hounslow Mind deliver a range of services for children and young people from 5+. We have two Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTs), and some specialist inclusion, community, creative and partnership work. We are looking for someone to look after and manage our programmes that support inclusion for children, young people and families throughout our boroughs for a one year maternity cover (depending on start date).  You will ensure that our specialist inclusion services continue to grow and work to support the development of new inclusion programmes. Children and young people with special educational needs, neurodiversity and disabilities will continue to be the priority for this role, and you will work closely with our existing services to ensure they meet the additional needs of the communities we serve.

Job Summary

The role includes:

• Line management to specialist ASC/LD practitioners; assistant psychologists and music/creative based programme team
• Support the wider team and organisation to ensure all provision is inclusive and meets additional needs
• Develop our SEND and inclusion programme within the MHST, and throughout CYP Services
• Overseeing and developing our trauma-informed approach to work
• Build and hold relationships with the Local Authority (in particular Hammersmith and Fulham), local schools (especially SEND and alternative provision) and communities who may not access mental health services.
• Tailor services to reach young people who may be disengaged from school, have specific additional needs or diagnoses.
• Liaise with commissioners within the NHS and other funders
• Write reports for commissioners and other stakeholders (e.g. monitoring reports, Key Line of Enquiry documents)
• Work closely with the Mental Health Support Teams (schools) service manager and clinical lead
• Ensuring service meets all targets.
• Building on an existing programme and expanding the service to meet additional identified needs  

Person specification:

Knowledge & Experience

• At least 3 years’ experience of supporting young people with a variety of needs, including neurodiversity or learning disabilities, ideally within a mental health context
• A related professional qualification and registration (but please consider applying without this qualification if you have extensive experience)
•  At least 2 years’ of management experience within a relevant service
• Detailed understanding of the mental health needs of children and young people from a range of under-served communities
• Experience of working on (ideally managing) a commissioned service within a Third Sector Organisation
• Experience in delivering a service within budget and meeting all KPIs and contract requirements.
•  An understanding and commitment to trauma-informed practice (ideally with a related qualification)

Skills, Attributes & Qualities

• A passion for supporting and developing staff
• A commitment to improving the lives of young people living in our boroughs through high-quality mental health support, especially those with additional needs, or who are under-served by services
• Skilled in working closely with colleagues (e.g. Clinical Lead/service managers) and clearly sharing roles and responsibilities.
• Having a creative approach to problem solving and developing the service to meet the needs of diverse young people, families and schools.
•  Ability to form and maintain relationships (e.g. with schools, commissioners), and communicate effectively with all stakeholders and young people.
• Ability to manage own workload, work to deadlines and prioritise effectively, and bring out these qualities in your team
• Good standard of Microsoft Office – Word, Excel and PowerPoint

We are an equal opportunities employer; and are proud to employ a workforce that reflects the diverse communities we serve. We welcome applications from all suitably qualified persons from all backgrounds.

HFEH Mind are committed to creating and fostering a culture that promotes safeguarding and the welfare of all children and adults at risk. Our safer recruitment practices support this by ensuring that there is a consistent and thorough process of obtaining, collating, analysing and evaluating information from and about candidates to ensure that all persons appointed are suitable to work with children and vulnerable adults.

Post is subject to an enhanced DBS check.

About the roles:

Camden’s Integrated Drug and Alcohol service is offering an incredible opportunity for individuals with lived experience of homelessness and/or substance use to join a pioneering team supporting others in their recovery journey. With one year of funding secured, we are seeking two passionate and dynamic individuals to take on specialist roles, based at both treatment sites and within Camden hostels. These roles will also involve working alongside the In-reach team and the Specialist Women’s team, allowing you to make a tangible impact on the lives of clients by helping to shape and enhance services for those who need them most. You will be a familiar, trusted face, guiding clients through their recovery journey, empowering them to access treatment and overcome barriers, while contributing your own insights to ensure services are truly supportive and accessible.

In these roles, you will have the opportunity to develop your skills in trauma informed interventions, working alongside expert practitioners to transform how clients experience treatment. The focus is on creating safe, welcoming spaces for individuals to seek help without fear of further harm or trauma, while also engaging in meaningful activities that inspire positive change in their lives. You will be pivotal in supporting Camden’s hostel pathway clients, helping them not only access treatment but also discover the strength within themselves to rebuild their lives. This role offers an exciting, empowering career development opportunity to make a real difference, leveraging your lived experience to guide others, and to grow within a supportive, developmental environment at SHP.

For occupational requirement reasons, one of the two roles advertised will be protected for female only applicants (exemption under the Equality Act 2010; Schedule 9 Part 1). 

About you:

• An individual with a lived experience of substance misuse as well as experience of accessing Treatment and Recovery services.
• An understanding of the principles of planned support and working with vulnerable people.
• An understanding of the principles underlying a quality and customer focussed service with the proven ability to empower service users.
• The ability to be self-motivating, work under pressure and manage time effectively, prioritising different areas of work according to need.
• Willingness to work flexibly in response to changing organisational requirements and work outside of office hours on occasion.
• Strong time management skills, ability to work on own initiative, manage competing priorities and maintain high standards.

About us:

Single Homeless Project is a London-wide charity. Our vision is of a society where everyone has a place to call home and the chance to live a fulfilling life.

We help single Londoners by preventing homelessness, providing support and accommodation, promoting wellbeing, enhancing opportunity, and being a voice for change. From supporting people in crisis to helping people take the final steps towards independence and employment, we make a difference to 12,000 lives every year across all 32 boroughs.

We offer you more than a job; we offer you a chance to be part of a compassionate, driven team that's committed to making a real difference in people's lives. You'll have the opportunity to lead, co-create, and inspire change while enjoying a collaborative, growth-oriented environment.

Join us in creating a brighter, more hopeful future for individuals in need. 

Important info:

Closing Date: Sunday 11th May at midnight

Interview Date: Wednesday 21st and Thursday 22nd May at SHP Head Office in Kings Cross

This post will require an Enhanced DBS check to be processed for the successful applicant.