Mental health worker jobs

Mind BLMK works across our communities to support positive mental health and wellbeing. Working closely with a range of partners, we offer a number of activities from our wellbeing centres and local venues to make a difference to the mental health and wellbeing of people in Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes, and our aim is to make sure that no-one has to face a mental health problem alone.

Community Connector (Mental Health Resilience Worker)
Post no: 658
Reports to: Service Manager (Blended Teams)
Working base: Bedford CMHT (Community Mental Health Team) MK40
Contract type: Permanent
Salary: £24,720 per annum
Hours: 37 hours per week, Monday to Friday

About the Role

Community Connectors work as part of an integrated, blended mental health offer to support people with emotional, social and practical needs to access a range of local, non-medical and non-clinical services, to improve confidence, social inclusion and independence.

This role will involve working as part of a multi-disciplinary team with statutory, third sector and NHS colleagues to support clients who are suffering from moderate to severe mental health difficulties. You will need to have experience working with those suffering with mental health illness as well as being able to demonstrate in depth knowledge of the services, support networks and local resources that may assist in improved outcomes for those dealing with complex and enduring mental health issues. The ability to be adaptable, work independently and the resilience to work in some challenging environments are key attributes for this role.

Service Delivery

• Assess suitability for community connection support as part of a blended team approach and support individuals to access the service by utilising in depth knowledge of local voluntary and community services and networks in your respective area
• To work with individuals to coproduce a plan to address their mental health and wellbeing goals. Am enable people to achieve these goals through facilitating access and connecting with appropriate resources
• Enable people to access community resources which may include accompanying them.
• Offer support, guidance and help where possible to people to gain confidence, overcome initial fears and seek solutions to any barriers inhibiting attendance.
• Take a holistic approach, based on the individuals’ priorities and wider determinants of health that impact on their health and wellbeing, such as debt, poor housing, being unemployed, loneliness and caring responsibilities.
• To work as part of an integrated team to ensure the best outcomes for each person accessing the service.
• Identify and build good working relationships with the community groups, relevant services and activities for partnership work and signposting as well as keep updated information about them.
• Competently work as part of a blended team, under direction from Mind BLMK and ELFT (East London NHS Foundation Trust), working with independence and in an agile way to support people with complex mental health challenges.

Entitlements/benefits:

• 25 days (pro rata) Annual Leave plus Bank Holidays (pro rata)
• Auto-enrolment NEST pension scheme (employer contributes 3%, employee contributes 5%)
• Health Plan with a wide variety of benefits
• Discounts available through Blue Light Card & Tickets for Good
• In-house and external Learning and Development as appropriate for the role.
• Flexible Working On request (in line with Mind BLMK policy on Right to Request Flexible Working)

If you have a passion for working in mental health and possess the required skills, we would love to hear from you.

Closedown: 5:00pm on Wednesday 11th March 2026
Please note: We reserve the right to close this advert early if enough suitable applicants apply
Start date: ASAP

Interested?

If you would like to find out more, please click the apply button. You will be directed to our website to complete your application for this position.

Mind BLMK has been committed to the Mindful Employer charter and the Disability Confident Employer Scheme since 2008.

Please note: Mind BLMK follows Safer Recruitment practices and we are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults. Therefore all our roles are subject to an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check.

No agencies please.

Catch22 exists to help build a society where everyone has a good place to live, good people around them, and a fulfilling purpose. We call these our '3Ps'.

We achieve this in two ways. First, we improve lives on the frontline through delivery of public services. Secondly, we use our knowledge to change 'the system', to fix the complex web that can trap and disempower those it was set up to help. With the heart of a charity and the mindset of a business, we are uniquely placed to deliver on this challenging agenda.

Our Young People & Families (YP&F) Operational Hub delivers a wide range of integrated support services designed to help resolve complex difficulties experienced by young people and their families/carers.

Support is provided to people who find themselves in a range of circumstances; they may be missing from home or have emotional, housing or substance misuse issues. We also support families where parents/carers are experiencing domestic abuse, substance misuse, emotional issues, homelessness or unemployment. Whatever the situation, we work alongside young people and their carers to find a way of stabilising their lives.

Redthread is a hospital based youth work service, working alongside NHS staff and other professionals in emergency departments.

Our experienced, specialist youth workers engage with and support young people, aiming to support them with their needs in hospital and post-discharge. We often meet young people at a moment of change and work with them to find a positive way forward.

We provide long-term, holistic support. We consider every aspect of a young person’s life and build support around them.

About the Mental Health Youth Work Service Pilot

The prevalence of reported mental health challenges in children and young people living in England have been increasing.  In addition, research tells us that children and young people facing such challenges with their mental health are more likely to self-harm. For some children and young people, A&E Departments may be a first point of contact with healthcare services following self-harm. While in recent years the number of attendances by children and young people for mental health needs and/or self-harm have stabilised, there was a sharp increase in attendances following the pandemic. For children and young people who have gone to A&E for support with their mental health, such as following self-harm, waiting a long time in A&E can be hard. A&E Departments are often very busy and loud places and there is not always access to secluded space for those who have gone to A&E when experiencing difficulties with their mental health.

Children and young people who are also neurodiverse may find the environment particularly challenging and overstimulating while they are waiting to access care and support. This pilot aims to strengthen the offer of support to young people aged 11-18 in A&E, and also consider the wider social and emotional wellbeing needs of those individuals whilst in that environment and following discharge by ensuring there is follow up support for a variety of services.

The Mental Health Youth Work Service model has been informed by young people with experience of hospital attendances after self-harming, and their feedback has been used to shape the care we aim to deliver.

The service runs across two hospital sites in London: King’s College Hospital and Queen Elizabeth Hospital. There will be a team consisting of one Senior Youth Worker and a Youth Worker embedded in each site.

Job Description

Where you fit in

This is an exciting new service working in partnership with King’s College Hospital Accident and Emergency Department. The project is a pilot that aims to provide specialist Youth Work support for young people presenting to a hospital because of their mental health, and specifically where they attend because of self-harm.

The Senior Youth Worker will lead on the Mental Health Youth Work service embedded within the A&E department. This will involve line management responsibilities for the Mental Health Youth Worker, partnership working to build relationships both internally within the hospital and externally in the local community, and with both statutory and non-statutory partners.

The Senior Youth worker will be expected to support and build trusting relationships with young people who present with acute needs and are often in a crisis. They will manage a caseload of their own, with contact taking place both in the hospital and post-discharge in the community.

The Senior Youth Worker will ensure the integration of the service at their respective hospital A&E department, and work alongside the Team Leader in reporting, monitoring and evaluation requirements

Main Duties & Accountabilities

• Lead the delivery of the Mental Health Youth Work service for young people aged 11-18 who attend the A&E department. Ensure that all young people are assessed holistically and care plans are tailored, trauma-informed and empowering, with the aim of reducing further harm.

• Line manage the Mental Health Youth Worker, providing guidance and direction through regular contact and meetings, case allocation, caseload oversight and one-to-one supervision, both formally and informally.

• In collaboration with the other Senior Youth Worker, provide overall support to the team to develop and improve skills, including assessment and recording, to ensure that Redthread’s model of intervention is delivered consistently.

• Promote high levels of wellbeing for staff members who are working with young people who have experienced acute and chronic mental health challenges

• Hold a caseload and work with young people with often complex needs, in a range of settings, including in A&E, in the community, face-to-face and virtually where required, and promote their personal, educational, health and social development through all interactions

• Assist with the on-going development of the service model to ensure that young people and other stakeholders gain the maximum benefit from Redthread’s interventions

• Along with the team, tailor and design youth work resources that are specific to the young people we are working with

• Contribute to the training programme that Redthread provides for hospital staff, including informal microteaching and more formal presentations.

• With support from the Team Leader, maintain strong working relationships within the Hospital, and NHS staff ensuring that Redthread youth workers are fully embedded in the health setting and are working with clinical staff to deliver a service that meets the needs of young people, including promoting the service within the hospital and attending appropriate internal meetings

• Assist in building and maintaining strong working relationships with Redthread stakeholders, project partners and with other agencies working with young people and to represent Redthread at external meetings as required.

• Ensure that as a team, you are proactive in researching and networking with other organisations working with young people in the area served by the hospital to ensure that the Youth Workers have a good knowledge of other services and projects that may be of interest to the young people we work with or appropriate for us to refer to.

• Attend multi-disciplinary team meetings in hospital, working with ED staff and CAMHS teams to support and safeguard young people

• Maintain a good level of professional knowledge of the issues affecting young people, particularly related to their mental health needs and self harm.

• In all areas of the work, apply an in-depth understanding of safeguarding responsibilities when working with children and young people, and provide guidance to your team members that adheres to Redthread’s Safeguarding policy and procedures and safeguarding policies of respective NHS Trusts.

• Ensure information resources such as client forms, databases and contact files are kept fully up-to-date and secure, in line with GDPR, the Data Protection Act and our Confidentiality Policy and Consent Policy. Maintain high-quality recording of interventions with young people on our database, Salesforce, in line with Redthread’s best-practice requirements. (Training will be provided.)

• Collect and record evidence of project outcomes and young people’s achievements, to ensure the completion of monitoring forms and project progress reports as required.

• Work as part of a team to continue to develop the programme’s monitoring and evaluation in order to facilitate internal reflection and learning, and to demonstrate its effectiveness and impact to external stakeholders.

 • To ensure that the Youth Worker accurately captures and records data on the CRM system. To ensure that it can be used to identify trends and provide insights. To use these insights and trends to shape service delivery and share information with partners.

• With support from the Team Leader and oversight from the Service Manager, produce monthly and quarterly reports as required by funders and to inform leaders of the operational performance of the organisation.

QUALIFICATIONS

Essential:

Relevant level 3 or 4 qualification in health & wellbeing, youth provision or similar or demonstrable equivalent experience

Desirable:

A degree-level qualification in social work, youth work, social science, education or another relevant field
Qualifications in counselling and/or mental health first aid for young people

KNOWLEDGE

Essential

• A thorough knowledge and understanding of the physical, social and emotional developmental needs of young people • Understanding of the issues faced by young people living in inner city areas • An awareness of child protection and safeguarding issues and knowledge of current best practice within the youth work sector • Knowledge of Mental Health systems and processes and the function of statutory services such as CAMHS • Knowledge of the specific needs of young people who self harm • A knowledge of best practice in case recording

Desirable

• Knowledge of capacity and consent issues including Gillick competence • Knowledge of solution-focused brief therapy tools or a similar counselling methodology. • Knowledge of psycho-education tools appropriate to share with children and young people who also may be neurodivergent • Knowledge of health inequalities and how these can affect different groups/individuals

EXPERIENCE

Essential

Significant professional experience of working with vulnerable young people in a range of activities and settings • Experience working with young people in a health and well-being context, especially with young people experiencing mental health challenges • Experience of working within a multidisciplinary team • Experience of leading and managing a project to enable growth and continuity • Experience in developing and maintaining excellent relationships with partner organisations • Experience in planning and delivering training

Desirable

• Experience of working in a London borough • Experience in leading, managing, supporting, and motivating a team in their work • Experiencing of developing a project’s processes, procedures, and policies • Experience of monitoring and evaluation systems to measure programme impact

SKILLS & ABILITIES

Essential

• Resilient and reflective • Well-developed verbal and written communication skills and an ability to interact young people on a one-to-one basis within a range of contexts • Ability to plan and manage own workload • Accurate data entry and record keeping and monitoring processes Ability to use up-to[1]date IT systems • Able to analyse and evaluate information and provide effective management oversight of high-risk complex cases. • Able to oversee cases using an electronic database

Desirable

• Leadership and management skills to enable the team to have a clear sense of direction, feel motivated and have a clear understanding of how their own roles contribute to and enhance the work of the organisation • Able to provide supervision, guidance, and support to youth work teams, particularly around task allocation, setting priorities and personal development
 

OTHER

Share Catch22 values
Awareness of and commitment to Equality & Diversity
Willing to travel and work flexibly
Desire to develop and undertake training as required
● Enthusiasm for Redthread’s work
● Approachable, self-motivated and committed to continuous personal development
● A commitment to and understanding of equal opportunities as they apply to all aspects of Redthread’s work

Additional information

Those interested in applying for this opportunity should review the Job Description & Person Specification to find out more.

When applying please be cautious over the answers you provide. If you select “NO” to the screening question regarding Right to Work in the UK, your application will automatically be closed. 

Contract: Permanent

Hours & work pattern: 37 hours per week, with regular evening and weekend shifts required. Evening shifts cover the hours of 1pm to 9:00 pm 

Salary: £32,917.50 per annum

Location: King’s College Hospital, Denmark Hill, London. With regular travel to other Redthread sites and offices when required.

Screening: Successful admission to post subject to enhanced DBS check and employer Right To Work in the UK check. The post-holder must have right to work in the UK. Catch22 does not currently provide a licence to sponsor visas but please see this register to see those that do.

To Apply: Please provide your CV and cover letter, along with the completion of the screening questions to express your interest in this opportunity. Please note, in the interest of safer recruitment and ensuring that applicants are a right fit for the role, submitted applications must contain a CV, satisfactory responses to the screening questions, and information detailing interest in the role, to be considered for this position.

Closing date: Thursday 19th February at 5pm

Interviews will be held in week commencing 2nd March

AI generated applications are not acceptable and could lead to a disqualification of your current and future applications across Catch22 jobs. In order to ensure that applications are fair, genuine, and representative of the candidate applying, our teams may use a number of tools to identify occurrences where candidates have not given an honest response during the application process. 

Catch22’s Commitment to Ban the Box

Catch22 is proud to have “Banned the Box”. This means that we do not ask for candidates to disclose criminal convictions at the application stage. Instead, we invite disclosures at interview stage, and encourage them at the offer stage. 

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See the benefits of working for Catch22 here.

See the benefits of working for Catch22 here.

Unless otherwise stated, interviews will be arranged as suitable candidates are identified, so early application is strongly advised.

At Catch22 we value equality, diversity and inclusion. We are wholeheartedly committed to the principle of equality of opportunity, both as an employer and as a provider of services. Diversity and Inclusion is part of what we do every day, working to deliver our vision to build a strong society where everyone has good people around them, a purpose, and a good place to live.

Catch22 is committed to rigorous safeguarding and safer recruitment practices; ensuring that every individual within the organisation has been safely and appropriately checked.

Please note, we will conduct an online search as part of our due dilligence checks for successful candidate(s). This will involve a search of all publicly available information online and in social media. 

Our Charity

Established in 1972, P3 Charity is a modern, forward-thinking organisation providing support services to people facing social exclusion across the UK.

We offer a wide range of services, including homelessness prevention, supported housing, mental health support, community advice, hoarding support and services for young people.

We’re a person-centred organisation who works alongside people to improve lives. We do this by strengthening communities, unlocking potential and creating new possibilities. We tackle challenges others won’t and we go the extra mile. We believe in collaboration – both within our teams and with the local community – to achieve the best outcomes.

Our values-driven approach means we recruit for values and train for skills.

The Role

Are you passionate about supporting people to live independently and thrive?

We’re looking for a dedicated Mental Health Support Worker to provide one-to-one support to people experiencing mental ill health. Your role will focus on helping people build the skills and confidence they need to maintain their accommodation and improve their quality of life.

You’ll work closely with local councils, mental health services, and other agencies to advocate for those you support. Using a person centred, strength-based approach, you’ll carry out needs assessments, coproduce support and safety plans, and guide individuals toward their personal goals. Your work will be grounded in empathy, professionalism, and a commitment to safeguarding.

We’re looking for someone who can build respectful, honest relationships while maintaining clear boundaries. You’ll help people understand and manage their wellbeing, monitor progress, and ensure all support is delivered to high standards.

What We Offer

Enhanced annual leave entitlement – 27 days annual leave per year, plus bank holidays.

Commitment to mental health and wellbeing – people are at the heart of what we do; you’ll also have access to our National Wellbeing Lead and Regional Wellbeing Champions.

Paycare health cash plan – you can claim back costs for a wide range of everyday health expenses, including optical, dental, physiotherapy, and more, within an annual limit.

Employee Assistance Program – access to 24/7 GP appointments, 1-1 counselling and health assessments.

Team initiatives – this may include team away days, P3’s Big Day Out and our Annual Awards Ceremony.

Discounts – including the Blue Light Card, Bike2Work Scheme, Paycare Perks and Tickets for Good.

Personal development opportunities – including mentoring, training, secondments, job shadowing, and more.

Colleague Volunteering Programme –one day paid leave per year

Enhanced sickness pay – based on your length of service.

Earning Potential – optional overtime and refer a friend bonus scheme.

Additional equipment provision – some employees may be provided with additional equipment including workwear, tools and use of a company van or car.

Please note P3 reserve the right to close this advert earlier than the stated closing date.

Please note, this post is subject to an enhanced check made by the Disclosure & Barring Services, paid for by P3.

P3 is an equal opportunities employer and is committed to combating all forms of discrimination